54 2 The Halcyon in Canada. 



Coming from the mountainous regions of the Hudson, we saw- 

 little in the way of scenery that arrested our attention until we 

 beheld the St. Lawrence, though one gets glimpses now and then 

 as he is whirled along through New Hampshire and Vermont that 

 make him wish for a fuller view. It is always a pleasure to bring 

 to pass the geography of one's boyhood ; 'tis like the fulfilling of a 

 dream ; hence it was with partial eyes that I looked upon the Merri- 

 mac, the Connecticut, and the Passumpsic, — dusky, squaw-colored 

 streams, whose names I had learned so long ago. The traveler 

 opens his eyes a little wider when he reaches Lake Memphremagog, 

 especially if he have the luck to see it under such a sunset as we 

 did, its burnished surface glowing like molten gold. This lake is an 

 immense trough that accommodates both sides of the fence, though 

 the larger and longer part of it by far is in Canada. Its western 

 shore is bold and picturesque, being skirted by a detachment of the 

 Green Mountains, the main range of which is seen careering along 

 the horizon far to the south-west ; to the east and north, whither the 

 railroad takes you, the country is flat and monotonous. 



The first peculiarity one notices about the farms in this northern 

 country is the close proximity of the house and barn, in most cases 

 the two buildings touching at some point, — an arrangement doubt- 

 less prompted by the deep snows and severe cold of this latitude. 

 The typical Canadian dwelling-house is also presently met with on 

 entering the Dominion, — a low, modest structure of hewn spruce 

 logs, with a steep roof (containing two or more dormer windows) 

 that ends in a smart curve, a hint taken from the Chinese pagoda. 

 Even in the more costly brick or stone houses in the towns and 

 vicinity this style is adhered to. It is so universal that one wonders 

 if the reason of it also be not in the climate, the outward curve of the 

 roof shooting the sliding snow farther away from the dwelling. It 

 affords a wide projection, in many cases covering a veranda, and in 

 all cases protecting the doors and windows without interfering with 

 the light. In the better class of clap-boarded houses, the finish 

 beneath the projecting eaves is also a sweeping curve, opposing and 

 bracing that of the roof. A two-story country house or a Mansard 

 roof, I do not remember to have seen in Canada ; but in places 

 they have become so enamored of the white of the snow that 

 they even whitewash the roofs of their buildings, giving a cluster 



