The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-21

A professor In Columbia University said
. while ago that probably q third Of the
faculty are looking forward to the time
when each may own q bit Of land in the
country and make it q place Of quiet and
restful retreat In old ago. He was talk
Ing with . man who earns his living as a
writer and who for the past six years has
been evolving little homo In the country
whore sone members OF his family now
spend nearly half the year and all enjoy
4 few delightful weeks or months-the
modest summer home Of q city family.
A cottage site was bought on the Catsldll
plateau, in q quiet part Of the mountains
The spot Is . little rise Of ground, covered
thick with clover and timothy, command
ing view for many miles Of the noblest
Catskill range and the valley OF the chief
drainage system Of the plateau. Its a little
moro than 1000 feet above the sea.
There was no running water. and the city
man cast envious eyes at the many brooks
that babble through the woodland on the
other side Of = narrow valley which his
hillside overlooks. He had no trouble in
buying the fountain head OF one Of these
springs where It guehes out Of the soil.
He dug small basin to collect the water,
built over IL little house OF masonry,
fenced It around to keep of inquisitive cattle
and planted pipe two feet deep down one
slope and up tho other. Every day the
pipe delivers into the kitchen tank 2,10O
gallons Of The p,lrest crystal spring water.
The sprtng = unfailing In tho drlest sea-
son. and one drougnty summer Few
farmers for o mile around came to al. their
barrels At the brimming overflow tank
outside the kitchen. The PIPE line could
supply hamlet.
It WA found that to build Z cottage large
enough for the family and the entertain
ment ola few friends, together with barn
and other improvements, would cost at
least 5000. and such an investment was
not to be thought Of for a while, but the
roof provider was impatient Of delay.
Looking over his stone wall, he saw q
weetherbeaten cottage built century
ago and 30 sturdily framed that It should
last as long as the house in which Shake
speare was born. It was finely placed.
with Q barn, q garden patch and chicken
run behind 1t. q hundred apple and other fruit
trees on the two and q half acres, and the
cottage only q minutes walk from his knoll.
which commanded the superior view.
This property was soon added to the
earlier purchase. and the year after the
first land was bought the family bade
good-by to mountain boarding houses and
became country folks, off and on, for the
whole summer season.
A new Kitchen was added to the cottage
to give more space for sleeping rooms
and the work began In which all concerned
take the greatest delisht-the improve
ment Of the place In all homely ways, as
fast Is time and funds permit.
Not too much meddling with nature Is
permitted, for there Is no landscape garden
ing In this nook Of the fair plateau, nothing
to make it less IN harmony with the things
around It. But this harmony is not dis
turbed by giving greater variety to the
trees through transplantings from the
mountsinside. BY introducing new vege-
tables to the garden, grating better fruits
on the old stocks, enriching the titled and
the grass lands, increasing the variety
and quality Of the small fruits, enhancing
ths comfort Of shady or secluded places
where one may swing in hammock or
lounge with book and in many other ways
adding to the convenience Of work indoors
or out and o the pleasure ofrsst.