Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-31

garden the statcIy elms, oaks ana pines
cast their grateful shade over the north
porch, but the master was not there and
missing him We turned our eyes toward
beautiful Mount Auburn, whore he sleeps
near his friends Longfellow, Motley and
Holmes.
Tn 1875, he wrote MY Wow is very dear
to me, for it is what my eyes first looked
upon and l. trust will look ON last. A
group of tail pines planted by my father.
and my lifelong friends, murmurs to me
as l write: A horse chestnut. OF which 1
planted the seed, more than fifty years ago.
lifts it huge stack of shade before me ana
loves me with It's leaves"
IN 1890 on his seventy-first year he Thus
describes the house: 4" IT'S a pleasant old
house Just about twice as old as 1 am.
FOUR miles from Boston, in what was once
lhe country and is now populous suburb.
But it stu has some ten acres Of opao
about it and some fine old trees. II IA a
square house with four rooms on a floor
like some houses Of the Georgian era T
have seen in England, only they arc OF
brick and this is of wood But IL Is solid
with its heavy oaken beams, the spaces
between which IN the four walls are filled
with brick, though you must not fancy a
brick and timber house, for toutwardIy n
Is sheathed with wood. Inside there il much
wainscot (of dead painted white I'm tho
FASHION or the time 1t was built. 1t is very
sunny. There Is a pretty staircase with the
quaint twisted banisters. My library o.
cuples two rooms, opening into each other
by arches al the sides of the ample chIrn-
heyS' The trees ! look out on are tina
earliest things I remember. The two Eng
lsh elms in front of the house havenk
changed, the sturdy islanders. trfle
thicker in the waist, perhaps, as IS the ,yont
OF prosperous elders. but looking inst as
l. flrst saw them seventy years ago and ~
Is balm to my eyes, There you have me
IN my old quarters. But you must moi fancy
large house. rooms sixteen feet square
and on the ground floor, nine high. II was
large as things went here when II was
punt ,and has n certain air OF amplitude
about II as from some inward sense ~
dignity"
Lowers library comprised some T. 600 vol
umes' among them many valuable editions
AIDED during his diplomatic service at
Madrid and London. One who visited him
III 1903 mus describes the hours spent in
the ElmWood study: - remember. with
a curious witness, the chairs I'm which
we sat by the fireplace / look AT the dedi-
cation OF Under the Willows and feel
'hat / too nave heard his lGImwood CHM
ney's decp-throated roar All round us were
the cfoNed book shelves whose Appearance
showed them 90 be the companions Of the
true literary workman. Students tools. not
more ornamental playthngr. He would sit
among his books pipe In mouth, q booI, in
hand, hour after houu. or he would looIr
from his study window and dwell lovingly
upon the beauties OF the American elm or
the gambols OF the gray squirrel on his
lawn, TO see Lowell in his home and the
home Of his father was to realize more
distinctly what is indeed plain enough I'm
all his books-how deeply he had struck
his roots into his native earth Cosmopou-
tan as he was In knowledge, with the 1T
crature not only OF England, but OF France
ana ltaiy At his fingers ends, the genuine
Yankee, the Hosea Biglow, was never far
below the surface"
In 1876 Lowell wrote, II have changed my
quarters and moved out Of the library into
the front room where a long window gives
me more breeze and where / shall have the
morning sun In winter, which l crave
more as | grow older" His easy chair sun
stands beside this window. His desk is
near at hand. while above the fireplace Is
the lifelike and exquistely lovely portrait
OF Maria White Lowell.
Some day soon / shall go to Lexington
and Concord over the route OF the British
troops and Paul Revere and am hoping
TO visit the homes OF Emerson, Hawthorne.
and the Alcotts while there VIII try to
write you regarding that excursion, as IL
will emphasize your history and literary
work. Lovingly,
CLARA B. MASON,
Principal Train School