OUR LAKE 



stones of the cribs were picked up from the bottom 

 of the lake, carried on the ice to the new location on 

 our eastern boundary, piled in their cribs again and 

 the ice cut under them, so that they sank easily into 

 place. In the spring when the pier was put out, we 

 found it a much more attractive spot at which to 

 anchor, and a stone bench under the drooping maples 

 beside it soon became a favorite resting-place. Where 

 the pier formerly stood a long seat now commands a 

 lovely view of rippling water and dented shore. 



About this time we began to realize that our house 

 was slowly but surely becoming enclosed in dense foli- 

 age, and that our beloved lake was gradually disap- 

 pearing from our sight; but we had not yet learned 

 the value of the ax and the saw in landscape gar- 

 dening; and the old sentiment beginning, "Oh, 

 woodman! spare that tree!" still swayed us. So it was 

 a momentous day when we finally made up our minds 

 to open the lake view at the east. In order to keep 

 up our courage we said over and over again to each 

 other: "We must not get shut in. We must have the 



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