A Sportsman 237 



a broiled trout or shad, and a sparkling bottle, with 

 an invited guest or two. Several evenings were thus 

 spent with the genial Robert Ingersoll, who never 

 failed to put in an evening there when in town, 



A curious incident occurred from this trip con- 

 cerning Mr. Brackett and one of our party, Mr. Edwin 

 Churchill, of Portland, a merchant extensively engaged 

 in the West India business. At the request of the 

 latter, a sketch was made for him by Mr. Brackett of 

 our picturesque birch camp, and of the surroundings, 

 showing the stream and scenery, which was afterward 

 elaborated in an oil painting. Somewhat to our sur- 

 prise, upon taking passage on the steamer from Port- 

 land to Calais, Me., we found Mrs. Brackett and her 

 only child, Artemas (now an artist of some celebrity), 

 then nine years of age, who were to accompany us upon 

 our excursion. Although Mrs. Brackett was a most 

 agreeable woman, possessing a strong taste for out- 

 door life, and tastes similar to those of her husband, 

 and generally accompanying him upon his excursions, 

 we were somewhat surprised to find that she was to be 

 one of our party upon this excursion, to a region then 

 considered pretty well on the frontier. When the 

 picture was completed and forwarded to Mr. Churchill, 

 he was a good deal astonished to find Mrs. Brackett, 

 holding the hand of little Artemas, depicted promin- 

 ently on the bank of the Grand Lake stream. This was 

 not very agreeable to him, as he had evidently believed 

 that he was obtaining a souvenir of an episode in the 

 wilds of Maine, where exposed to possible privation 

 and more or less of rough life, the picture would excite 

 a peculiar interest among his family and friends. To 

 have a well attired lady, and child of tender years in 



