The record-union., 1896-07-11
FORTY YEARS IN SOLITUDE.
The Story of Hermit Who Resides
on Cape Cod.

Those who have read cape Cod
Folks" and recall what rumpus 1T
kicked up few years ago when the
book was published must know that
there are some mighty queer persons
on that narrow strip of sand that
stretches like the huge tail Of a gigan-
tic cat into Massachusetts Bay. But
the queerest one of all, and the one that
the author of the book overlooked, is
H Newell Lowell, the hermit of Oster-
vile.
For forty years not a visitor has en-
tered his house. He lives all alone in
an Old-faShioned farmhouse, where he
was born and in which his father and
mother died. He is over y years old
now, and his mother died when he was
81. He never married, because he did
not care to when his mother was alive,
and after her death he was too tired to
go courting. Then he found that living
alone was rather pleasant and he made
up his mind that he would never marry
He believes in marriage, however, and
advises all young men to marry as
early in life as possible.
1t is hard for anybody except a "Cape
Colder to get Mr.. Lowell to talk, but
a rowing and ingenious correspondent
of the Boston Globe" succeeded in
getting an interview with the timid old
recluse.
II enjoy living alone,'' he said. NO
body knows the pleasure there is in
such a life. I have no one to bother
me, and when one lives for over forty
years all by himself, as I have, he
doesn't care for any other kind of life"
Mr.. Lowell has been offered So, 900,
| 1t is stated by his neighbors, for the
| land adjoining his home, which over
| looks the blue waters of Vineyard
Sound
They wanted to put up one of those
| summer houses on my land he told
! the Globe" man. 81 wouldn't sell it.
1 don't want any neighbors nearer than
! the present ones"
| Mr.. Lowell, until a few years ago, did
| quite a lucrative business making and
| selling butter
Il had large number of customers
| in the butter business said Mr.. Lowell.
| For my mother made it and I used to
go to Hyannis and sell it. When she
died I continued the business for a
| long time. Some of my customers
asked me who was making the butter
and l told them | was. Then they said
they didn't think they would buy any
more from me.
II asked them if they did not find the
butter of as good quality as when I
| first began to sell it and they all said
yes, but 1 suppose they thought it
queer for man to make butter. Then
l thought / would go out of the busi-
ness and attend to the farming. / used
to make the butter long before my
mother died and no one knew it, and
they all liked the quality. I'm kind of
taking it easy now. l have no one in
this world but a nephew, who is away
out West, and no one bothers me and
l don't bother anyone"
1t is expected that an electric rail-
road will pass Lovells home and this
rumor caused him to remark that he
didn't see how the road would benefit
anyone; besides it would scare all the
horses in the place.
People are travelling at too fast a
gait nowadays. They don't think Of the
future" said Mr.. Lowell, and he at
once drifted into a discussion of the
merits of different religious beliefs.
Mr. Lowell is wary of allowing visit
crs into his paradise, as he calls his
| home Not even the persuasive argu-
ments of the correspondent could break
| down the hermit's resolve never to al
| low anybody but himself inside his own
| door. He was willing to be photo
| graphed, however, after he was as
| sured that the operation would not
| cost him nything.-Chicago Record.