Telegram-herald., 1890-03-05

There have been tew more genlSl hos .
az Brentwood tAsn Mr.. kaskln- he
used 70 greet sisi tors at the ooef and
sh&ke their hand, and he ~4s - Iail u
t4lk and fun as any one. his cousin,
Mrs Severn. vile of The London artist,
lives al Brentwood. snd has been viii
him for raany years A spiesdio gar
6en OF noMers and several green houses
are in littie omen place IN the wood
below his house. he hss large green
house devoted 20 grapes, AID under the
glass this fruiG grows 70 perie1tlon Ana
plentifully supplies his table Ia season
lie has been seldom seen in the garden
during the past summer. one little viii
lsge lad. who stood leaning on the gate,
looking az the bright flowers, told me;
''Oh. he used 10 grub trees there
I've seen him up there cuttin' birch and
hszelnut and the gil h2alin' EN- down
to burn.
This was a new feature In the life OF
e man Of letters and had favor OF
Gladstones tree-chopping exercises.
But ! discovered. while IN the neigh
borhood. that Mr.. Ruskin was not a
dreamer. that he often descended 10
practical things.
There is q beautiful walk along the
edge OF the lake, in front oi Mr.. Rus
kin's house. over clean gravel, bordered
with trees: he often walked there. A
splendid. old-fashioned road leads
around the head OF the lake among the
trees 10 the village OF Conniston from
Ruskin's house. and there ne used 10 take
a tramp OF aboG: a mile every evening
10 the village, and wander about its
short, abrupt streets. speaking 10 the
villagers and patting the children.
The little folks in his neigh borhood
can all show some gift from him. somo
a badge Of proficiency in school, others
a copy OF one OF his books, with his
autograph. In the houses picture of
Ruskin invariably hangs in the best
room; and vet he is never heard OF
at Ambleside, eight miles away Somo
OF the most intelligent people in the
locality can tell you absolutely nothing
about the greatest living master of Eng
lsh prose.
Mr. Ruskin even vet resem mbles his
earlier portraits. The heavy head, full
beard, full serious eyes looking out
from heavy brows, is just the same.
only the head is whittier, the beard
slightly longer and nearer to silver, the
eyes il anything more serious. and the
shoulders beginning TO bend. His affec-
tion carries his head 10 one side, low on
his shoulder. He is full OF the same
old human kindness, and, as his friends
say, doesn't look half as old as no
is"
Half mile above Mr. Ruskin's home.
in the same wood. is the house once
lived in by Tennyson, who came here
with his bride forty years ago. Tent
Lodge what delightful place for
a honeymoon This fact Wordsworth
had found out fifty years before and
his example many. many pairs, happily
matched, have since followed, besides
Lord Tennyson. Tent Lodge is very
pretty house, having good view OF the
lake and mountains. On hill behind
the house is an old seat, with cleared
space in front OF it, and all around deep
woods, with the sunlight on the lake
occasionally glistening through. Here
Tennyson wrote much OF his poetry at
this period He had the scat built him
self and in the open air and in the
space about it he had rhododendrons
planted
An old gentleman whom I met at the
end Of the lake, near Tennyson's house,
told me that ne remem bered once when
he was young man seeing the poet on
a rock pier at the western side Of the
lake (pointing TO the place. looking out
at the ripping water beneath full
clear moon.
And it was after twelve o'clock at
night, too" he added.
thought. Why, could this not have
been the time when the poet saw The
long light shake across the lake, >" and
supplied afterward his famous line,
The wild cataract leaps in g.ory?'
HTcu & MrDpT TEToy