Lake Umbagog
1907
August 9
(No 5)
too expensive kind as to be far less attractive than the office.
But in it the wives
and other female following of the sportsmen and fishermen
were doomed by established and seldom violated custom to 
spend their evenings, reading, sewing, chatting with one another
or perhaps playing on the cabinet organ.
  The whining, groaning sounds of this organ often disturbed
me at my writing for my chamber was directly over the parlor.
It was an attractive, simply furnished room, just sufficiently
shaded from the sun by the foliage of a elm and commanding
a wide view over the marshes. From my west windows
I could trace all the windings of the river that flowed 
through there, either by its shining waters or by the lines 
of stubs which fringed its banks. There was (and still is, of course)
a muddy pond several acres in extent, surround by open
marsh and not over two hundred yards from the house.
This was much frequented by large wading or swimming birds.
Often while dressing of a morning have I watched
Great Blue Herons stalking along its shores,
Ducks swimming and diving in its shallow waters and
Fish Hawks dropping like huge plummets on their prey.
The chamber over the office was almost equally desirable.
In the rear of these rooms were two others of much 
larger size but with less pleasing outlooks. The only remaining
chambers were four or five small ones, with
dormer windows, under the attic roof where transient guests
found such comfort as they might. Usually they were quite
content there especially when, as not seldom happened, some
of their companions were obliged to put up with cot beds
in the shed or were with blankets spread on the hay
mow in the barn.
Lake House