Litchfield enquirer., 1878-06-27
A Pleasure Trip Near Boston.

would be altogether toe much to write.
 We went to Mr. Baker's-Mrs. F., all the boys, the girls, Mrs. R. and her two boys, and another boy who lives near herein the''Open Empress" It is sixteen miles from here. and passing through Birmingham, South Fram- ingham, Natick, and South Natick and by Lake Cochituate, we arrived there about hail past eleven. MT. Baker is partner of sew l ing machine firm, and has made an immense fortune by means of it. His grounds are per fectly wonderful and are free to the public every Wednesday and Saturday, with the ex- ception of Nerino Tower and the Grotto; the ad- mission fee to which places is ten cents fer each person, just enough to pay for keeping a guide.
 The place is full of groves, brooks, little fam cy buildings, bridges, and everything imagin- able. We had our dinner in little rustic house, made entirely of round sticks fitted to- gether in patterns the roof of it was beauti- full. There are multitudes of busts of distin- tinguished men all over, and queer little foun- tains; one was three bullfregs sitting with an umbrella over their heads and pipes fitted in the umbrella so that the water passed down like rain another was boet-black holding up a boot with a hole in the toe, out of which the water poured. In another place St. Nicholas was sitting on the rocks.
 There is quite large river running through the place. and by it beautiful boat-house, the outside of which is carved with pictures, some of them pretty, and some comical.
 While walking, we came to a little stool ; one of us sat on it, and suddenly the stool sank, and right opposite, an innocent looking fiower-pot rose up, and from under it came a mans head, hideous, with red face and great rolling eyes; it was quite startling.
 There are bear-pits, cages with parrots, par roquets, ring-doves, and squirrels. Some of the birds had the most gorgeous plumage I ever saw.
 1 Entering the greenhouses was like being transported to the tropics by some magical word. There were plants with great palm- like leaves reaching to the roof, ferns, vines, everything. There was one very large fern, growing on real, woody trunk, as large around as my arm. One house was devoted to foliage plants (imagine the mass of color ) another to heliotrope. The flower beds were of every imaginable shape. But must not say another word about the grounds, or shall never get to the Fewer and Grotto The Tower is built upon the barn, on the roof of it, Covering nearly the whole of it is picture of horses, all around the outsidt of it are pictures and, within, it is hung with pictures. The horses are beauties each has his name over him in the stall. There are great many car riages; among them the yellow coach that Lafayette rode in, when he came to Boston
 On the first foorof the Tower is a room cal led Tvoli Hall, full of rare pictures, ,basreliefs, and other works of art in another story, a museum in another, fairy grotto, on look ing into which one sees the sort of place that fairies are supposed to love; and away at the end, two little fairies. In another story is an elegant feast set out, fruits, cakes, ice-cream, fish. ham, oysters, sc. but on approaching, one finds everything artificial. At the top is square room from which one gets splendid l view. Just before we came to that, was a room in winch every window was of differ ent color; so that in looking cut of one, all the world was blue; another, green, red par pie, yellow, orange, &c. But the most won- derful and beyond description of all, is the Grotto It is built underground. We had a guide to take us throughs After going through l Aork asafro s~k covered with limitations of stalagmites; next, there is a long, dark passage called, ''Flirta- tion Tunnel" In going through that, one can see nothing but sort of blueish light away on ahead. When we came cut, we came into a blaze of color in some places everything was a rich, dark purple, columns, shells, walls, = everything; in others red, then blue, and so on. From there we went toanotherroom where there were ever So many grotesque figures; among them, Boss Tweed' in his millionth hiding place :; the forty thieves" bottled up, with only their heads out. From this we came into the most beautiful of all, the Fern Gretto. I despair of giving you any idea of it. If had not seen the others all around, and heard them talk, should hardly have believed was alive. The path here, wound in and out in such labyrinth that I should think one might easily wander all day. There were little streams of water with bridges over them, and galleries away up on the walls, so that when we were below, we saw people away up above eur heads. 1t seemed as though one could walk everywhere; and all about were ferns; ferns on the sides of the streams ; ferns climbings up the sides of the bridges, = jumping out of every chink in the wood and in every nook and corner; and there were ferns as far as we could see above our heads After going through another dark passage, we came out into daylight once more.
 From there we were to go to MT. Durant's, the owner of Wellesly College. The college was built ''in memOriam' of their son, an only child.
 This building is the most magnificent one l was ever in. There is hall running through it from the entrance ts piazza on the other side, locking over the Lake. The floer of the hall is of colored marbles, laid in diamonds in the center is a large 'Jardinser" filled with | 0VpACdl piantS.
 The building is five stories high, and from the center of thehall, enc can look to the very top. At the foot of one staircase is statue much more than life size, of Venus de Milo at the foot of the other, one of Niobe Iknew them at once from engravings had seen.
 The library is fascinating /; it is very large room, lined with books, having galleries run ming up in front of the shelves. There were girls all about, at the tables, in the galleries Sc. I saw fac simile of the Milton Shield there. Besides the library there is reading room and Biblical library.
 We went in the elevator up to the fiftE story, where the studio is. That is new, ane net entirely furnished yet; there was gir there painting.
 We went through the trunk-roem, whert there are $40 girls trunks, and then into tht | xna sn v~>~ ,-sr@ vzy0s