Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-02

| We were all, as is usual at plcnics, in
/ hungry mood, and we did not dine mine
ingly.
T After dinner we Io1Ied about on the
grass for awhile, then formed plans for the
| afternoons campaign. There were near
| bv several canoes or row-boats that were
| kent for hire. and fair proportion of our
! hand decided in favor of an excursion on
| the lake. some parties going in one direc-
/ ton. some in another. The boats would
accommodate only four persons each, the
| rowers and two others. Three b0at-ioads,
/ twelve individuals in all, determined TO
| nav q visit to the tower on the opposite
/ shore of the lake and about three miles
! farther up. as we divided ourselves into
parties Of four, felt an irrepressible de-
Sire to have Harry Vane, who had de-
clared for the tower, in our boat, so
called out:
| Harry, are you coming with us9'
meaning by us, Downs and myself.
q shall never forget the look of min
/ gled pain and pleasure with which he re-
/ plied: No, Charlotte; George Law is
! chartered in your boat
g 1t was half past three O'Clock when
we landed near the tower and drew
the boats up on the beach. This tower
was an octagon building three or four
stories in height, consisting of only one
room to each story, with a narrow
spiral staircase leading from base to sum-
1 nit. At the top was an observatory not
much larger than gOOd-sized bird cage,
which had once been furnished with a
| small telescope mounted on a swivel, but
was now reduced to very commonplace
! spy-glass. The basement was a deem.
! 4, 1,1-a hOlo I1-ith
! through which one entered mediterranean
passage leading out to the shore of the
! lake. This tower, with its lean-to kitchen,
or, rather, cook-hoUse, was built on a hill
at the distance of about 300 yards from the
waters edge, and it was the product of a
! OuiXOtic Englishman, an old bachelors
i fancy. The whimsical man did not carry
out his original intention of making a
/ complete miniature castle of feudal times.
! but suddenly abandoned the enterprise
/ and went as ne came, nobody knew
whittier This odd little tower had been
! surrounded on all sides, save the deep
bank next the water, by a diminutive
moat, which was now dry ditch filled
with weeds and wild flowers; there, too,
was the wreck Of a tOy-like drawbridge
and within the Enclosure were several
| quaint-loOking garden chairs cut into the
| stumps of trees. There was a fam
! ily residing in the house, at least they
made it an occasional residence during
the summer, but that day they were alb
sent, and the garrulOuS old servant in
charge showed us over the premises.
owe stole down by the light of lantern
through the underground passage to the
opening on the lake; we climbed the steep
stairs and peeped through the old spy
! glass; sat in the grotesque chairs, and
! gathered bouquets from the quondam
mOat All these vagaries consumed so
much time that, before we were aware,
the sun was going down the westward
! slope in a way that when we noticed it
| sent us to our boats with speed. We were
! soon gliding over the water in iovial
| spirits and at a fair rate of motion toward
the camping place on the shore next home.
| The three boats kept near together, and as
we went we sang Tom MOore's Canadian
boat song. Just as our voices were ring
! ing out
Row brothers, row, for the stream runs fast,
The rapids are near and the daylight is passed.
/ q sudden breeze almost took the light
umbrella with which | was screening
myself and companion from sun and
wind 1--WE had left our bonnets at the camp)
out of my hand. The breeze subsidized for
a moment, then came again more VigOr-
ously than before, and held on steadily.
| Generally, or frequently, q stiff breeze rises
on those lakes about or soon after sunset,
| but now the sun was certainly half an
| hour high. Sudden squalls, especially
when thunder clouds are lowering near,
accompanied by dangerous disturbance
of the water, are unpleasantly often the
/ ~ 4a,,fr DfE oh l1N1
| lakes.
Looking around the horizon we dis
covered the cause of the suddenly-risin
wind. A heavy pile of black clouds
! coming up behind us in the northwest
were spreading themselves along the
northern horizon and extending upward
almost to the zenith; and at the same
time we began to hear the thunder mutter
and see the lightning play, though not
very near. The weatherwlse ones OF our
party said the shower was spending itself
north of us but we might get sprinkling
from its skirts, and the wind was sure to
be troublesome
" Meanwhile we had crossed the lake
and were making our way down t. the
landing adjoining, which was our camp,
keeping close in shore to avoid the CON-
motion of the water.
There is popularity IN that lake.
The wild rice, from which 1t takes its
name, grows over almost the entire bot
tom of the basin, and when at It's tallest
the grain lies floating on the surface OF
the water, and the Indians, when it is
ripe, paddle round and gather it into
their canoes. This, however, makes navl-
CATION to ordinary rOwers rather difficult;
and where the basin is particularly snail
low or when the waters are agltated by
storms the passage is perilous.
81 soon perceived that Downs and
George Law were by no means masters OF
the situation; and oh, how longed Tor
the tried and trusty arm OF Harry Vane
to steer our giddy little skitf. Just then
Harry, who was ahead, called out to US
10 make for an islet, little way out in
the lake, on one side of which there was
not much rice, and which had been used
by the Indians as landing place, as 1t
sloped gradually into the water; he said
we had better land there and wait Tor the
squall TO pass over.
1.-The rowers turned the boat toward
the islet and pushed out vigorously, |
meantime holding the umbrella low like
tent or awning over my own and Nellie
Morton's heads, for now l. was raining.
Again Harry called TO us to shut down
the umbrella, lest it should catch the
wind and upset our skiff, and the next
moment Downs, who had not said one
word to US girls since the wind sprang
up, snapped out, Yes, certainly, down
with that umbTella!'