28 .CROOKED LAKE. 



we gratified it, in most cases interweaving a chain 

 of events portraying the proverbial love-lorn beautiful 

 darnsel, the despairing lover and the wicked villain, 

 ending with a tableau of tragic action in which the 

 point of interest found a conspicuous part. With as- 

 siduous perseverance we traced back to the darkest 

 ages the why and the wherefore of the many sights 

 of interest to the tourist, supplying data, romance, the 

 supernatural and blood-curdling historic events "se- 

 cundum artem;" and in those cases (which were ex- 

 tremely numerous) where authentic information failed, 

 supplying the deficiency from our imaginations. 



We flooded the smaller journals with our communi- 

 cations on this siibject; and, as the old adage says, 

 "In throwing mud some sticks," so it was in this case; 

 although most of the older and more experienced 

 papers refused to accept our versions, still many of the 

 smaller ones gave credence to our fairy tales and cir- 

 culated much information which became accepted, and 

 has since been embodied in many of the guide books 

 of the locality. I remember at the time we both con- 

 sidered ourselves public benefactors and entitled to 

 the thanks and general homage of the Swiss public at 

 large. 



I have no doubt if my friend Muller was now on 

 hand he could, without greatly discommoding his in- 

 ventive faculties, invest the various waters of the lake 

 region with an amount of interesting legendary lore, 

 possibly of the Hiawathian kind, which, although it 

 might give rise to much discursive comment and sur- 

 prise among the older residents, would still have to 

 be received in silence because of their inability to con- 

 tradict it. At any rate, I am confident that if young 

 Muller was only on hand and given half a chance 

 in this matter, I should not have to confess my inability 

 to furnish any interesting history regarding the deriva- 

 tion of the names of the various waters which I am 

 to mention in these articles 



Crooked Lake affords very fine pickerel, perch and 



