Lake Umbagog
1907
August 9
(No 4)
letter or renewing the camp supply of milk or of tobacco.
But the old-time guides are not all dead as yet - nor
even crippled by rheumatism - and among the younger ones
one may still be find, a few men cast in
the primitive mould, hardy, truthful, self-reliant, too conscientious
to shirk their work and too self respecting to ever fail in respect
towards those who treat them rightly. A guide of this stamp is worth
thrice [his hire?] the compensation he receives and fortunate indeed is the
sportsman who secures him.
Lake House
  The dining room at the rear of the Lake House was 
long and narrow with a low ceiling and four large windows
opening towards the lake. In the earlier times its table, as
I have said, rarely lacked fish and game. At a later period,
when the house had passed into other hands and when animal 
food of whatever kind was not always to be had I was
alone at table one day when a tall uncouth-looking
countryman entered the room and seated himself directly
opposite me. Just them the maid brought in an attractively
roasted Black Duck and placed it beside my plate. I was
about to offer some of it to my vis-a-vis when he deliberately
stretched out a long sinewy arm and impaling the bird 
on his fork transferred it bodily across the table to his own
plate. Although it was the only Duck I killed for a
week or more I was too much surprised and amused
at the incident to make any remonstrance.
  The office connected, by means of an entry, with a room
of about equal size situated in the opposite (ie south west)
corner of the house and serving as its parlor. Like most rooms
devoted to this sacred purpose in the remoter parts of New England
it was carpeted and furnished with such utter lack of good
taste and with so obvious a striving for elegance of a not