CHAPTER VII 



OUR LAKE 



MANY and beautiful are the lakes of Wis- 

 consin, varied in size and shape and sur- 

 roundings; some are filled with wild rice, 

 others covered with lotus and white water lilies ; some 

 clear with the bubbling of many springs, others 

 shallow as a river bed, and still others as deep as the 

 crater lakes of Italy. Each one has its own peculiar 

 charm, and each one its devotees. To us our small 

 lake, nine miles long and from one and a half 

 to three miles wide, is more than a mere expanse of 

 limpid water to reflect the clouds at sunset and the 

 moon's pale glow, to sparkle beneath the sun's rich 

 rays and rise to white-foamed grandeur under the 

 wind's strong sweep. It tempers the breeze from the 

 hot prairies, affords refreshment to the swimmer, and 

 is a delight to the sailor. Even to him who does not 

 sail the sight of a white sheet skimming across the 



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