Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-07-22

nSSuCNl Snore, SiSS WiiIu III WV /,
New York World, is built on n great
pink rock six miles east of Yale uni |
versity. Long island sound washes
its doorstep 1t is called the bungalow
and is the summer home OF the passion
poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Outside it looks like any ordinary
sashore cottage Inside il might DO u
furnished barn, No wall paper, no lath
or plaster, no kalsomine, no ceiling,
Just the rafters. beams and wealaer-
boards. naked and emitting the fra
GRANGE of pine, One big living room
and two bedrooms that Is all. No up
stairs, no downstairs. no kitchen and
no dining for meals are cooked
and served in an adjacent CO, age
There are no family skeletons, for
or and ut bedtime you so indoors, 9th
erwise you remain ou,dodrs. II Is
camping out" plus the comforts Of
home.
The morning after my arrival was
awakened by merry laugh and the
the open window took in thirty miles
OF Long island sound at glance. The
sun had only just emerged from tho
water, 1t was a chilly morning In
early May. My teeth chartered, Small
waves beat against the bungalow be-
low the window. The water smolled
cold. yet hundred feet out upon ts
surface a golden head was pushing to-
wards the sun. A white arm came out
OF the water. then disappeared with
splash. Then the golden head turned
inshore, Presently figure In boys
bathing suit came running homeward
up the pink rock 1t was the poet her
self. Thus she begins her day at the
bungalow. There has yet to come
morning too cold for ella Wheeler Will
cox to step out OF bed into the sound,
And she Is the best swimmer therea-
bouts, men included,
Fifteen minutes later she came forth
rosy and ready for breakfast. II her
face was full of poetry only, It would
be beautiful. But It bears the signs OF
character, shows will power and capa-
bilities of emotion, Therefore II Ia a
face more interesting than beautiful,
Her personality is almost tangible. You
can feel that she Is In the room. I'm
consciously you turn towards her. That
Ia magnetism. At home she always
wears the art gowns for which abe Ia
noted gowns that make ease and graco
possible, such ms the Greek women
wore before corsets were thought OF.
While waiting she played with ono
OF her Angora cats. Cats are to Mrs.
Wilcox what horses or dogs are to
many men. To her cats she Is, In fact,
somewhat OF n slave. When they are
sick she waits upon them night and
day, When they are well she devotes
herself to keeping them from sickness.
Next to turkeys, Angora cats are the
most fragile of pets
Those who know Mrs. Wilcox only
through her poems cannot of course.
know her MS the sweet and modest 10
nestle woman she really IL. She liz
devoted to her home, Is especially
proud of the bungalow. and to her her
husband Is the only man IN the world.
He IL her idol, and what Ia more prac-
tical, he is mt once the inspirer and
sevorest critic Of every line she wri. ~.
If Mrs. Wilcox had been blessed with
children she would have been an ideal
mother, but her only child died In In
fancy.
Through her husband is success
ful business man, he Is also n scholar
and man who knows how to enjoy
his hours of leisure He has Travelled
in many countries especially In the
east He has lived In India. Hence
the bungalow Hence, also. the bupga-
low is a sort Of museum. He has
stocked IL with trophies and treasures
II his travels, with flags and bunting
from many countries, with screens
and wonderful lanterns from Japan
ana China, with mattings from Corea.
with curtains and drapery from Tur-
key and Arabia, with rugs from Per-
sia. with curious weapons from Sibe-
ria; with mugs from England and Hol-
land, with bric-a-brac made by half
the worlds nations. And the piazza
he has hl,ed with aeolian harps from
Germany, hammocks from Mexico and
wicker. chairs from India.
or the bungalows two bedrooms. one
Is for the host and hostess, the other
for guests And the guest-room is
always occupied. Your invitation to
the bungalow specifies the length OF
your visit You are therefore at ease
providing you have been able TO decI-
pher the poets handwriting. For |
Mrs. Wilcox out-Greeleys Horace Gree
ley in the gentle art OF illegIble pen
manship.
Nevertheless. she gives you hearty |
welcome and IL most hosptable, even I
II you have To ask her TO read her /
own invitation to you In order that You |
may know how long you are expected
to remain. And the day you leave
another guest arrives. Thus Mrs. Will
cox books" her company weeks ahead,
like the manager Of a theater. The
walls OF the guest-room and OF the