The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-13

ground in the world. There has been
/ good deal OF rain out here this season, as
well as in the west, and vegetables are
! backward. but the foliage is superb. The
moisture and the hot sun that pours
down at intervals viii make even artitl-
Gals flowers grow.
Back of the truck gardens, concealed
| by forests and hedges and surrounded by
velvet lawn, are mansions and villas OF
rich New York people who can run ~own
by train in an hour and a half and on
a steam yacht in three hours The
grounds, the gardens, the houses. the sta
bIes, the greenhouses and other appurte-
nances Of a country home in this part Of
paradise cost a great deal OF money TO &C
quire and maintain, but the people who
can afford such IuxuTies PROBABLY get
more comfort and good out Of them than
they could out Of the same amount Of
money spent in any other way. The fresh
air. the out door exercise and other adj
vantages are worth all that man is able
to pay for them.
Among the presidents neighbors are
william r. Grace. W. B. Leeds Howard
Gould, WilliamH Baldwin, Jr., president
OF the Long Island railroad; Paul Dana.
Colgate Hoyt, Clarence Mackay and
other wealthy men whose names are
known to newspaper readers, but his
home is very modest and Inexpensive,
compared with the splendid palaces that
are called cottages" down here. 1t is
as comfortable and as alIuring a place to
a man who likes the country as any you
can find, and surroundings are unsur-
passed. but the house is comparatively
small, there has been no effort al display,
and if you We're to hunt the world over
YOU couldn't ind a lovelier home, or one
more appropriate for family Of children
and people with the tastes Of the Roose-
velts The house is a frame. covered
with stained shingles, and there are large
porches on both sides, so that sitters-out
can run away from the sun. 1t crowns
hill. which is cleared all but a few shade
trees. and is open on all sides to the salt
breezes from the sound. From one porch
the view sweeps oyster Bay as far as
Long Island sound; from the other the
eve rests upon bank Of foliage that is
Incompatible in the richness of its tnts
OF green. Many Of the chestnuts, oaks
and hickories are Of the original forest
ne roadway winds through it uD TO the
house You can easily imagine yourself
in a wilderness. in which nature is I'M
disturbed An Englishman or French
man would have trimmed the rotten
branches, cleared out the underground.
and raked off the leaves, but Colonel
Roosevelt understands nature, and never
interferes with her rare tastes He has
nearly fifty acres Of woodland, and is
quite a forester. cutting his own fuel
supply with his own AK from his own
grounds. Horace Greeley used to chop
wood at Chatauqua, and asserted that it
was the most healthful exercise and the
greatest pleasure he enjoyed. have no
doubt the president agrees with him, for
he spends good deal of time with his ak
and never allows any one else to chop
down his trees. The men about the place
may trim them and cut them up into
lengths, but the master forester lays
them low Sometimes he starts out in
the morning with his ak on his shoulder,
followed by all the little Roosevelts, with
their axes-for each has one, just as he
has a gun. and is required TO keep II in
good order-and pretty soon the sound Of
Cropping viii be heard. The trees are
carefully selected. Those that show
signs of decay or obstruct the growth Of
better ones are condemned whenever
Colonel Roosevelt sees them, and are
marked to fall. The trunk is chopped
up into lengths and carted to the big
woodshed to lie and season.
There are about a hundred acres in
the presidents place He has twenty-five
acres under cultivation. in corn, oats,
and other supplies for the
house and stable, twenty-five acres in
pasture for his horses and cows, eight
acres in orchard and the rest in wood
land.
The place is called Sycamore Hill but
the origin of the name and its signifi- !
canoe il it has any. is unknown The /
Roosevclts have spent their summers !
here for several generations, and the /
president has several relatives living in
the neighborhood. The house was built 1
1n his own plan eighteen years ago. and /
he has always called it his home instead (
IF his house in New York for it is more I
Ike home than a man OF his tastes can !
ind in a city, 1t is three miles from /
OYSTER Bay by road and about one mile /
)y boat as it stands on the opposite /
shore from the village. The road follows /
he shore until it reaches Colonel Roose- /
-elts property and then turns abruptly 4
INTO dense woods.
Oyster Bay is a very old town, one Of I
he oldest or Long Island, and claims 4
$50 Inhabitants Tor the township. which /
overs a large area, but the greater part /
q the houses are invisible because Of the I
title place Of 500 people, the terminus of 4
me of the spurs Of the Long Island rail- {
cad. with an occasional steamer from I
New York during the season. There IS +
boat and bathing house. called a"ca- /
uno.' one hotel Of united capacity. 4
which is now crowded with newspaper +
.eporters cat double and treble rates.. a /
lew boarding houses where people from F.
he city who want rest, puiet. and cheap I
,r.ccs come for the summer; three or /
our wei kept groceries. markets. and I
'thre shops which cater 90 the rich sum-
ner residents. several pretty churches. a 4
,retty little public library. the best
school house on Long Island outside of
5rock'yn postofice. livery STAGES
md the other etcoteas OF a country 4
own. The president has lived here more
'r less an his life. So that he knows ev-
ryboay and everybody knows him. Z
majority Of the population used TO call
lim hy his first name. but thar famniari-
" has been reluctantly Discontinued since
io was elected governor. But they have
y no means lost their interest I'm his well
arc nor their pride I'm his success. They'd