The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-05-19

be little brother TO thousand
sea gulls? Sounds like fairy
tale, doesn't it? Certainly; but
read this advertisement that appeared IN
New York newspaper
w.ANTED-A man cor woman for that natter ,, e
nom shore; food sothnE ~ shelter 51EnSn S
g IS" s Herald po oV '''
AIluring, no doubt ITO live on an
island in an inland lake" Nothing to do,
no cares, no worries about anything-just
to doze and dream in the soft sunlight al
day and then be soothed to sleep by the
swish of the wavelets and the cooling
breezes at night time.
Delicious! The more you think of ii
the more it makes you feel ike crying
out:-"Smoke on, brother; smoke on, tel
me the rest Of your beautiful vision"
But II is no vision. That is the inter
esting part of this story. The advertise
ment is every bit as genuine as if it called
for a cook, the only difference being that
an advertisement for a cook would bring
responses from cooks only, while the
above advertisement brought more than
100 of the most interesting letters prob
ably ever written in answer TO New
York newspaper advertisement. They
told a most wonderful story of the long
ing for solitude and desire to get away
from the big city with all of its griling
responsibilities. They came from men Of
millions, eager even to pay good money
for the opportunity of getting to a place
where women could not follow them, and
they came from pennileSs young men who
begged for the chance of earning their
food and shelter. There were apphca-
tons from romantic young women and
disheartened old men; from artists,
writers, inventors, professional men, stu
dents and from hundreds of both sexes
in every walk of ufe-those who were
weary of the world and yearned for soil
tude and isolation, no matter where the
place might be. Men in hospitals and
in prison applied. !
A Score of Applications.
A score of mere world wanderers sent
in applications. Young married couples
wanted to go to this mysterious island
for their honeymoon. Many OF the let
tiers were written on dainily mono
grained stationery, revealing names well
known in the social circles Of New YORK,
and many came from the fashionable
clubs and hotels. OF course, the very
mystery about the thing lent added charm,
and now let US lift the veil of mystery
and get at the real story.
Expressed IN plain matter of fact terms,
the advertisement would have read about
like this
WANTED-A man or woman to live
on one of the -Four Brother islands in
Lake Champlain and watch over a colony
of herring gulls that have their abode
there. House, clothing, food, motor boat,
fishing tackle, guns, books supplied. The
only requirements are that you be good
to the gulls and see that no one disturbs
them. Apply to Edward Hatch Jr., owner
of islands, 156 Fifth avenue. New York
city.
So there you have the whole secret.
Edward Hatch, who for several years
has been fighting to prevent the pOIlu-
ton of Lake ChamplHin, the Hudsonl
River and other water supplies of the
State, is the mysterious Summer Time. >
For twenty years he has owned the four
dainty little islands in Lake ChamplainI
and has protected with the greatest care
the colony Of gulls which have their
breeding grounds there. Eight-yeArs ago