THE ADIRONDACKS 89 



house was still used. Every day one of the daugh- 

 ters assembles her smaller brothers and sisters there 

 and school keeps. The district library contained 

 nearly one hundred readable books, which were 

 well thumbed. 



The absence of society, etc., had made the family 

 all good readers. We brought them an illustrated 

 newspaper which was awaiting them in the post- 

 office at the Lower Works. It was read and reread 

 with great eagerness by every member of the house- 

 hold. 



The iron ore cropped out on every hand. There 

 was apparently mountains of it ; one could see it in 

 the stones along the road. But the difficulties met 

 with in separating the iron from its alloys, together 

 with the expense of transportation and the failure 

 of certain railroad schemes, caused the works to be 

 abandoned. No doubt the time is not distant when 

 these obstacles will be overcome and this region 

 reopened. 



At present it is an admirable place to go to. 

 There is fishing and hunting and boating and moun- 

 tain-climbing within easy reach, and a good roof 

 over your head at night, which is no small matter. 

 One is often disqualified for enjoying the woods 

 after he gets there by the loss of sleep and of proper 

 food taken at seasonable times. This point attended 

 to, one is in the humor for any enterprise. 



About half a mile northeast of the village is Lake 

 Henderson, a very irregular and picturesque sheet 

 of water, surrounded by dark evergreen forests, and 



