The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-17
Mr.. EDWARD EGGLESTON
AN INTIMATE Personal SKETCH OF
THE AUTHOR BY HIS BROTHER.
His Home, His Manner of Living, His
SURROUNDINGS, ID Tastes
and Methods of Work.

0oCN6 SS 1S9AN1NOb ~" -NN
Times Literary Review.
On the west side of Dunham's bay, the
most beautiful spot on the shores OF the
most beautiful lake in all the world-Lake
George, to wit-Edward Eggleston makes
his home. He goes away during the winter
to New York, where he haunts the print
shops in search of illustrations for his
works; to Washington, where he almost
lives in the Congressional Library; to Madi-
son, Ind, where a large part Of his boyhood
was passed, and, during the rigors of win
ter, to comfortable points in the South,
where the climate ameliorates his govt and
the people amuse him.
In Madison he has an apartment TO which
he has only to apply his latch-key in order
TO set the household wheels in motion.
There he drives about over the beautiful
Ohio river hills, or trudges on foot after
the manner of his boyhood, or wheels him
self on a tricycle. bought in England, the
only vehicle of the sort ever seen in those
parts.
But Edward Eggleston's home is on Dun
hams bay, Lake George. There are his
household gods, for there is the really
wonderful library which he has spent more
than a quarter of a century and a great
sum OF money in collecting, in Europe
and American, partly in aid of his work,
but in another large part in mere salts
faction of his passion for quaint and curl
Gus reflections of human ways of living
and thinking as they appear in literature.
His books are in all languages, and he
reads them all indifferently. For in his
youth, having made himself master of
Greek, Latin and French without any
hOdViG instruction he entered unOn a conn
pact with himself that. no matter in what
language he should find anything that he
wanted to read, he would read it, and that
compact he has kept to the letter.
HIS LAKE GEORGE HOME.
His house is a curiously rambling struc-
ture. 1t is, in fact, three houses, built in
d%ependently of each other and connected
only by after-thought covered ways. He
began it nearly a quarter of a century
ago. when within less than a stones throw
of his daughters residence he built a home
for his books. he living at that time with
his daughter. He built of such stone as
the neighborhood afforded, curiously va
ried in color, shape and character, but
every block possessing at least one straight
side or edge. A local stone mason with a
marked genius for his business fitted these
stones together into walls that are to-day
llG UIl III u every DGduly lONGI WIG
visits the place and the despair of all
kodak fiends. because their films refuse
to make truthful report of the exquisite
colorS of the stone.
Later he built a cottage to live in-also
of the native stone. Still later he has built
another structure, for the sake of larger
room and greater convenience. His friends
laugh at him for requiring three houses in
which TO live when his family consists only
of himself and his wife. He joins in the
laugh and is happy.
That word indaad iS the dominant nofa
in his life. He is happy. Some years ago,
when he was stricken in a way that threat
ened-though mistakenly-the early end, he
wrote TO me, saying: "I am content and
happy. 1 have had a life of enjoyable ac-
tivity. l have been permitted TO render
some service to my generation. 1 have
reason nor disposition to complain. On
the contrary. l shall be happy to the end,
and in the end"
His immediate surroundings are Of the
bay shore has been rigidly reserved by it's
original owner, DR.. Eggleston's son-in-law,
as a family residence region. There are
only five cottages in all those beautiful
lawns and woodlands. Only one of them
is the home of a household not closely re-
lated by blood to the family, and that
household is so intimately connected by
other and lasting ties OF friendship that it
scarcely constitutes an exception. For the
rest the little settlement includes the cot
taSes of two OF Edward Eggleston's daugh-
ters and that of his brother, myself. Then
there is a stretch Of w~oodIand-wild and
free-northward to that Joshua's Rock.
which gives its name TO the neighborhood
and to the postofice. Beyond on the open
lake front are five other cottages. owned
and occupied by Edward Eggleston's near
est friends.
LOVES THE OUT OF DOORS.
These are his surroundings, and he is
vary happy in them. In spite Of his govt,
he retains that old boyish passion for
IT,.
half-savage of him and m~e-haunters Of
the hills, explorers Of all the caves, friends
and companions Of all the trees. lovers of
the woodlands, swimmers in every deep
hole'' Of every creek and run" b~otanists
acquainted with every growth, amateur
biologists who knew where ITO find trilo-
bites when We wanted them, and how TO
show the shell formations OF our rocks by
~natisnt polishing. But his walks now ara