Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-22
Newburg. where you can catch q train

New burg. where you can catch train
either way.
Idlewiid is one OF the loveliest little
places in the world. and. as one OF his
contemporaries once said: willis has
bought an enchanted glen with brook
in 1t, and has built. lot OF dams ana
sprouted, he has scraped acquaintance
with feathered and furry neighbors. and
he talks to his trees as il they were
| human friends
A Beautiful Glen.
The glen is about 200 feet deep. and ex-
tends from the main highway. where 1t is
| bridged. down to where the creek flows
| into the Hudson, and has been kept In Its
natural condition. There is q drive along
| the brink which is shaded by venerable
| trees whose branches arch overhead like
tunnel. At the bottom OF the glen where
it wodens out. are COW STAPLES. ane
and brick cottage for the farmer and
his men. There are vegetable and flower
gardens. big blackberry patch. an or
! chard. group OF greenhouses and a
pumping engine, which forces water from
| the creek up to the house. The stream
| is fed chiefly by the overflow from the
| reservoirs that supply Cornwall and New
burg with water.
The nearest neighbor on the north is the
New York Military Academy, where about
I 30 young men are being educated. On
| I he other side is the village of Cornwall.
which Tor many reasons is one OF the
most favored suburban residences on the
| Hudson and contains the homes of large
| numbers of literary people. Or. Lyman
| Abbot and Julian Hawthorne live there.
| The late Rev. r. P. Roe. the minister
| novelist. the author of Barriers Burned
| Away and other stories which had an
enormous circulation a quarter Of CEN
/ fury ago, made 1t his home. and was one
Of Cornwalls most effective advertisers.
4 YSyt llo-l 49,
Croft, Mrs. Amelia f. Barr. the novelist,
/! lives with her son-in-law, Mr.. Monroe.
She is a widow, seventy-five years old.
but In excellent health. and continues to
turn out q novel every few months.
Career Of Willis.
| Willis was the most famous OF all
| the people who have lived at Corn
| wall. There Is no more attractive or
| romantic home in the United States than
| "Idlewld''-not even Wolfert's Roost.
| Nathaniel Parker Willis was born in
| Portland. Me. January 70. 1907. His
| school life began under the tutorship
of the Rev. DR.. Mcfarland of Concord.
\. II. Afterward he was successfully
student OF the Latin School OF Bos-
ton, Phillips Academy of Andover and
Yale College. He graduated in 1897 Cat
| the age Of twenty with high honors
and brilliant hopes. His first appear
ance in the literary world was as a poet,
| in which character he was winning
| bright fame before he was known as
| prose writer. While in college he pub
lished various religious pieces. over the
| signature of Roy and bore off the
chief prize offered by Lockwood. pub
| Usher, for the best poem which should
be contributed to his gift book, The
Album"
After leaving college he became editor
| OF the Legendary and THE Token a
series Of sketches and tales. published by
Mr. s. G. Goodrich. known later as Peter
Farley. In the following year, 1923, he
established the American Monthly Maya
zine. He conducted this enterprise tor
| two years and a half. when it was merg-
| ed in the New York Mirror. and the
! interesting literary fraternity of the re-
spective editors. n. p. Willis and George
| o. Morris, began.
! No sooner was this partnership form
ed than ne set sail for tour in Europe.
! OF which the Mirror readers had piquant
| and palatable reports in "Pencilings ny
| the Way"
Residence Abroad.
| This residence abroad was long and
eventfuI. 1t led Mr. Willis 20 many
| lands and gave him opportunities to ac-
qure much material that was used there
after for the entertainment of the world.
The most interesting result. however,
was his marriage in London in 1885 to
tinguished army officer who, at that
| time. was in command of the royal ar
senal at Woolwich. She was a woman
of great personal beauty. grace and
Willis life very happy.
In 1897 he returned to Ametira and
bought place on the Susquehanna riv-
er near the village OF Owego. where he
| York infrequently. until he was attracted
| to Idlewild and made his permanent
home there.
The house is kept very much as he left
| it. The interior has not been changed at
| all and the library, in which Mr.. Willis
| did his literary work for several years,
| has been preserved with jealous care.
The literary world owes debt of graft
| itude to the owners who have succeeded
| him at IdIewild for preserving the place
with 80 much care. Doubtless the drives
are better kept and the trees are better
| trimmed. and they are larger and the
| foliage is more dense, and the lawns are
better groomed than they were in his
days. but there has not been any great
change in the place. apd we can see 1t
| practically as he left 1t.
When Mr. Willis came to Idlewild he
knew that he was doomed. He had ac-
| quired tuberculosis in his travels, and felt
| the earth slipping away from under him,
| but he lost none of his bright and cheer
full humor, and his writings never showed
the least symptom of dependency or
anxiety.
His Second Marriage.
His first wife died in New York shortly
after his return to this country and left
| one daughter-Imogen. In 1s45 he mar
ried second wife-Corneia, a daughter
OF Joseph Grinnell, a New Bedford mer-
chant In the Chinese trade-and by her
had two daughters and two sons, who
are Mr.. Grlnnell Willis, wholesale silk
merchant of New York and Morristown,
n. j., and DR.. Bailey Willis Of the United
States geological survey.
The grandfather Of n. p. Willis founded
the first newspaper established in Ohio
the Scioto Gazette-and was at one time
| state printer of that state. He was an
apprentice in the printing office Of Ben
| jamin Franklin. He was one Of the pa
trots who, disguised as Indians, threw
the tea overheard In Boston harbor, and
during the revolution he published the
Independent Chronicle at Boston.