238 Reminiscences of 



bold relief amid the otherwise primitive surrotmdings, 

 destroyed in his view the particiilar features he wished 

 to convey. 



There is a very sensitive sense existing with 

 painters, poets, and in fact with all artists, in having 

 their works changed after completion by others, and 

 it is deemed very unprofessional, and contrary to 

 good form, for rival artists, however critical they 

 may be in review of merit, to personally amend or 

 touch up the works of others. Mr. Churchill, feeling 

 a delicacy, in opening up the matter with the artist, 

 employed a somewhat prominent painter in Port- 

 land — and it is soniewhat surprising that he should 

 have undertaken the change — to bury Mrs. Brackett 

 and her son beneath a huge boulder, which restored 

 the primitive appearance of the picture. By some 

 means Mr. Brackett heard of the liberty which had 

 been taken with his work and the metaphorical inter- 

 ment of his family, and became much incensed; 

 which led to an acrimonious correspondence with the 

 Portland artist, which finally found its wa}^ into the 

 papers, and was continued at some length. 



When our time for leaving the pleasant shores of 

 Grand Lake stream arrived, I felt very loath to go 

 away, and the day before breaking camp, two Indians 

 came along in a canoe, bound for the wilderness of 

 ponds and lakes above for wild cranberries and musk- 

 rat skins, with whom I made an arrangement to go on, 

 and made a somewhat reluctant farewell to my com- 

 rades, wno were to return to civilization. In this 

 canoe excursion we passed over a dozen lakes of from 

 five to fifteen miles in extent, in a wilderness of waters 

 and forest, camping for two or thsee days here and 



