The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-22
"IK MARVEL" AT HOME.
Detroit Echo.

the country who will lament the fact that the health of their friend, the genial, pathetic, kindly ''Ik Marvel" has not been good during the past months, and is now not the best. The venerable Donald G. Mitchell, with his snowy locks and kindly face, is now getting on in age, and the pen which has been SO active in years gone by and filled the souls of myriads of readers with sweetly melancholic, thoughtful ideas, must soon be laid aside. At his home, the beautiful "Edgewood," nestling at the foot of an amphitheater of blue hills sur- rounding the city of New Haven, he is spending an uneventful old age with his large family. Tired out by wide travel and hard study, still his delight, he now stays at home, enjoys his beautiful grounds, takes an occa- sional ride in his antiquated rig, gives a lecture now and then before the Yale students, with whom he is a uni versal favorite. Thus he is passing his latter days. His neighbors rarely see him in the streets of the sleepy lit-
 
 postoffice to his home. Seated in his study, whence came those tender "Rev- cries" with books, magazines and pa- pers on all sides, he looks out over the wide fields and the city tow ard the harbor, seeing in every moving thing a thousand lessons. Now his whole farm and the hills are one garden and just such place as one who reads his books would imagine that he would select. The house is one of those pe- culiar old New England mansions, the lower part built of stone and the rest of wood. It has innumerable gables, additions and filled with corners, niches and old places. The front door is on the old fashioned plan, being sawed in the middle, so that one in answering the call opens the upper half. If you are bidden "Come in," the other portion is swung back. It is ponderous affair, with squeaky hinges. Once inside you are treated with the warmest hospitality, so char acteristic of the southerners, Mrs. Mitchell being typical southern lady, tall, handsome, digniied, and lover of society. The family, very large one, inhcrits these traits, and at once you feel at home and as though you had known "Ik" personally all your life.
 The grounds are very attractive and border on the romantic. From the harbor, for nearly three miles the country is almost level. Then begin series of steep, abrupt hills. On lit tie terrace, about 100 feet above the level, his house is situated. The lawn is covered with fowerbeds, evergreens and natural trees. Then back from the house rise the hills nearly 500 feet. A gardener keeps them in an almost faultless condition. The view from this summit is exceedingly fine. One looks far out upon Long Island sound, and away in the distance the white sand hills mark the coast of the island itself. To the right and left extend the low mountains as far as eye can see, while just below spreads out the busy city.
 Personally, MT. Mitchell is of me- dium height, slightly bent with age His hair is white, assuming no regu- lar position but always tangled and disheveled, and it really adds to his looks in this condition. His face al- ways has pleasant smile, full of cor diality and kindness. His eye is bright and so acute that no passing phase of character which passes under its glance is unnoticed.
 He is now sixty-six years of age, born st Norwich, Conn.,, April 12, 1922. He was prepared for college at Dr. John Halls academy at Ellington, Conn. The instructor was one of those severe, characteristic New Eng flanders, and probably formed the ba- sis of the hero of the only novel ever written by him, "Dr. Johns." In due course of time he entered Yale college, where he was graduated in 1841. His health was affected by too close study, and for two years succeeding he fol- lowed the blow on his grandfather's farm at Norwich, not in a treadmill way, but after the manner of the Scotchman's hero, in 8 thoughtful mood. His literary life began at this time, as an occasional writer for agri- cultural papers and periodicals.
 From the first his writing showed literary merit. He saw his field and at once accepted it. Firing of farm life, he went to Europe in 1844. Here he remained for two years, collecting material for the book which made him 1 famous, "Fresh Cleaning" Q847). The suspicion that it would be but rap- turous recital of Alpine attractions or Swiss scenery, such asevery one writes 1 who goes to Europe, was replaced by | great enthusiasm for it, and the herd l of critics who delight to pull to pieces l every new work were compelled to speak we'll of it. "k Marvel" became