The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-14

all the barbarous lumber which people
born without a sense OF comfort accumu-
late about them, In defiance Of the consi-
deraton due to the convenience OF their
friends IL Is an inexpressibe relief TO
find that the nineteenth century has In
vaded the strange future home OF mine,
and has swept the dirty. good old
times" out OF the way OF our daily life.
I dawdled away the morning-pnrt ~
the time m the rooms down stairs, and
part QUITO doors. in the great square
which is formed by the three sides OF the
house and by the lofty iron railings and
gates which protect in front.
A large circular is.i pond, with stone
sides and an allegorical leauen monster IN
square The pond itself is fall OF gold
and silver fsh. and Is encircled by,
broad belt OF the softest turf ever walk
pleasantly enough. TIL luncheon time. and
after that took my broad straw hat and
wandered out alone. In the warm lovely
sunlight; to explore the grounds; Indigestion
which / had felt the night before, OF
! there being too many trees at Blackwater.
The house is stifed by them They are
| for the most part young. and planted Tar
too thickly / suppose there must have
been a ruinous cutting down Of timber
! all over the estate before Sir Percival
OF the next possessor to fll UP the gaps
| as thickiy and rapidly as possible Az
ter looking about me in the front OF the
left hand. and walked toward IT. to see
what / could discover In that direction.
on nearer view the garden proved TO
be small and poor and ill-kept ! Ieit J.
/ fence. and found myself In a plantation
/ OF fir-trees.
/ A pretty. winding path. artihcialiy
made. led me on among the trees and my
north country experience soon informed
me that was approaching sandy,
healthy ground After a walk OF more
/ the iirs, the path took a sharp turn; the
! trees abruptly ceased to appear on either
side OF me, and | found myself standing
suddenly on the margin OF a vast open
water lake, from which the house takes
it's name.
The ground. shelving away below me,
was oil sand. with few little heathy
hillocks to break the monotony OF II IN
certain places. The lake itself had ev.
IDENTIFY once flowed to the spot on which
and dried up to less than a third OF it's
former size. saw It's still stagnant
waters a quarter OF a mile away from
me In the hollow. separated into pools
and ponds by twining reeds and rushes.
and little knolls OF earth on the fur
ther bank from me the trees rose thickly
again and shut out the view. and cast
their black shadows on the sluggish, shall
low water As | walked down 10 the
lake. | saw that the ground on its fur
ther side was damp and marshy, over
grown with rank grass and dismal viii
lows The water. which was clear enough
on the open sandy side. where the sur
shone. looked black and poisonous oppo-
site 10 me. where II lay deeper under the
shade OF the sponEy hanks and the rank
oVerha angins thickets and tangled trees
The frogs were croaking. and the ratt
were slipping I'm and out OF the shadowy
water. like live shadows themselves. as
got nearer TO the marshy side of the lake
I saw here. lying half In and hnlf out OF
the water the rotten wreck OF an ola
overturned boat. with a sickly spot o.
sunlight glimmering through gap in tn,
trees on its dry surface. and n snake
basking In the midst OF the spot fantasti
cally coiled, and treacherously stll. FaI
and near the view suggested the SAINT
drcary impressions Of solitude and decay
and the glorious brightness of the sum
NOR sky overhead seemed only 10 deeper
and harden the gloom and barrenness o.
the wilderness on which u shore.
turned and retraccd my steps 10 the high
healthy ground dlrecting them q litu
, aside from my former path. toward
shabby old wooden shed. which stood oi
the outer skirt of the mr. plantation. an'
which had hitherto been too unimports N
60 share my notice with the wide. wil'
prospect OF the lake.
ON approaching the shed found tha
II had been a boat house. and that gi
attempt hsd apparently been made Z,
convert it afterward into sort OF rud
arbor. ny placing inside u hr woc'
seat and few stools and q table.
entered the place and sat down for
little while 20 rest and get my bre,tl
again.
had not been In the boat house NOR,
than y minute. when ~ struck me ths
tho sound of my own quick brestnnl
was very strangely echoed by something
beneath me. I listened intenily for
moment and heard q low. thick, sobtinl
breath that seemed % come from thl
ground under the seat which vas &C