Outing . ng morning. At anyrate, we were nature-lovers, my friendand I, and as we had been in the cityfor a whole day and two nights, weneeded but a hint to make us sit down onan old stone wall by the side of DudleyRoad, Newton Center, and try to forgetthat we were within seven miles of theState House in Boston. It was only an overgrown old pasturethat we were looking at—one of the thousands to be seen up and down NewEngland. In the foreground there werea few ancient apple trees with bluebirdshovering about them; behind and in themiddle of the pasture a gray and batteredbarn with a phoebe on t
Outing . ng morning. At anyrate, we were nature-lovers, my friendand I, and as we had been in the cityfor a whole day and two nights, weneeded but a hint to make us sit down onan old stone wall by the side of DudleyRoad, Newton Center, and try to forgetthat we were within seven miles of theState House in Boston. It was only an overgrown old pasturethat we were looking at—one of the thousands to be seen up and down NewEngland. In the foreground there werea few ancient apple trees with bluebirdshovering about them; behind and in themiddle of the pasture a gray and batteredbarn with a phoebe on the end of thegable, and beyond, on rising ground,clumps of cedars, white pines, and othertrees, leading the eye to denser wood-land behind and above them. Away tothe left was the old farmhouse on aknoll, and farther on a swamp, wherea red-winged blackbird swayed amongthe alder catkins. I remarked pessimistically that itwould not be long before this interestingold place would be cut up into city lots 231. TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES IN THE HEART OF THE MAINE WILDERNESS. and covered with Mary Ann cottages,but my friend answered that he thoughtit had a brighter future, as it had justbeen bought by Frederick H. Kennard,the landscape architect, who planned tokeep it intact and to make it his home. Three years later I was again passingalong Dudley Road, and I thought ofthat old pasture long before I came toit. I knew it would be changed and wondered what its owner would havedone to it. The old apple trees wouldbe gone, I feared, and with them thebluebirds. There would be flower beds,of course, and I hoped they would beneither circular nor star-shaped, andthat they would not contain coleus, can-nas, geraniums, or other hot-house-bredfads of society. Presently the old farm came into view, 232
Size: 1411px × 1771px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectsports, booksubjecttravel
