ORXITHOU )GV 



45 



The Bird Woman at Home. 



It is always interesting to learn a bit 

 of the home life of an author — espe- 

 cially of one whose books we have read 

 and whose characters we have loved. 



SHOWING THE SWAMP ANGEL JUST WHY A 



FLOWER IS RARE 



Photograph by G. B. Monroe. 



Copyright 1915 by Gene Stratton-Porter. 



Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter is such an 

 author, and through the kindness of 

 Doubleday, Page & Co., who have re- 

 cently issued her latest novel, "Michael 

 O'Halloran,' we are permitted to show 

 our readers some hitherto unpublished 

 photographs of Mrs. Porter at her 

 home, "Limberlost Cabin," in northern 

 Indiana. The accompanying pictures 

 were taken by G. B. Munroe and are 

 copyrighted by Gene Stratton-Porter. 

 One of the pictures shows Mrs. Porter 

 sitting between two of the splendid 

 oaks on her property near the lake 

 shore. Her present home is about sev- 

 enty miles north of that alluring spot. 

 "Limberlost Swamp," so accurately 

 described in her books, and about which 

 center the themes for most of her 

 stories. On account of the gradual cut- 

 ting off of this swamp for commercial 

 purposes, Mrs. Porter felt obliged to 

 change to her new location, at the head 

 of the swamp in Noble County, of 

 which she says, "There are many lakes, 

 miles of broken marsh, and a far greater 

 wealth of plant and animal life than 

 existed during my time in the southern 



pari. At the north end every bird that 

 trequents the Central States is to be 

 found," and "in one season 1 have 

 located here almost every flower named 

 in the botanies as native to these re- • 

 gions and several that I can find in no 

 book in my library." 



In the third picture Mrs. Porter is 

 shown kneeling among her beloved 

 flowers, at work with bottle gentian. 

 Those who have read "The Harvester" 

 cannot fail to appreciate this picture, 

 which shows just such a scene as she 

 describes around the swampy margins 

 of "The Lake of Lost Loons," and 

 wherein she depicts them with such 

 wonderful vividness that we are com- 

 pelled to love them as she does herself. 



In her story of "Freckles" Mrs. Por- 

 ter, in telling us about "The Bird 

 Woman," chronicles a bit of her own 

 painstaking work in photographing the 

 nests and eggs and home life of some 

 of the western birds. Her accurate 

 observations and careful recording of 

 data along this line have long since 

 been recognized by scientific authori- 



SE ARCHING BRITTON AND BROWN TO IDEN- 

 TIFY THE FLOWER FROM MEDICINE MAT. 

 Photograph by G. B. Monroe 

 Copyright 1915 by Gene Stratton-Porter. 



