A Perennial Southern Slope of Mt, Mitchell Fed by Water Stored in the Forest ^covered Slope Above 



these white, upholstered walls, and be- 

 fore the father appeared on the scene 

 a very habitable little home had arisen 

 like magic from out of its bower of 

 June roses with their mass of bloom 

 and brightness. Hammocks were swung 

 under the tall maple, and a rustic seat 

 placed under the "climbing trees" — a 

 name given by a little child of the circle 

 to the grove of aspen trees a few rods 

 away from the house. 



The sequel has proved the wisdom of 

 the purchase, for both health and hap- 

 piness have been the order of the hour 

 in every summer day spent in that quiet 

 retreat. The cost of living has been 

 slight : plenty of fresh eggs, spring 

 chickens, and milk have been available 



from the neighboring farmers ; no ser- 

 vants were required, for the living was 

 simplicity itself. 



After the first year the nearer fields 

 were placed under cultivation, the soil 

 enriched by phosphates, and the family 

 soon had the deep, satisfying pleasure 

 of watching the growing grains and 

 vegetables. It was found that the soil, 

 which is a sandy loam with a substratum 

 of clay, yielded plentifully, and that in 

 the autumn the home cellar in the city 

 was regularly stocked with these rich 

 returns, and that when the stay in the 

 country could be late enough, the deli- 

 ciously toothsome delicacy of sweet corn 

 and other succulent vegetables, such as 

 no citv hotel could boast, were there in 



great abundance. 



54i 



