OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



pleased with the same effect, there have been moments 

 in my existence when I sympathized with the long- 

 suffering woman who, after having had her home re- 

 modeled every other year, finally presented her hus- 

 band with a carload of bricks and an acre lot begging 

 him to work off his surplus energy on them. It must 

 be acknowledged that thus far I have never needed to 

 provide the bricks, as, after numerous near and far 

 connections had been safely furnished with homes of 

 their own, institutions of various kinds utilized the 

 architectural tastes of the Constant Improver, to their 

 great advantage. 



But one year there seemed to be nothing especial on 

 hand, and I detected a brooding gaze on the plenty- 

 good-enough garage, and overheard sentences begin- 

 ning, "If I were going to build again" — which were 

 ominous signs. Luckily at this moment the subject of 

 boathouses came up. Now we had no boat; and if 

 we had had, the Constant Improver did not approve 

 of boathouses, as they disfigured the shore. But our 

 neighbors who had boats did approve of them, and 



152 



