I have named my place the Wilderness Lodge, thinking how the ill-starred
Byron would have joyed in just such a spot. We found it much as 'Crombie
said it would be: a substantial, square room built of oak logs, with a
floor of undressed planks. It is covered with clapboards, and the roof
is rain-proof. The front door is heavy, and may be secured on the inside
with a large beam which drops into iron brackets. There is a second door
in the rear which leads into the kitchen, a room highly meriting the
proverbial expression--"Not big enough to whip a cat in." There are two
opposing windows, which are small. Each is provided with a shutter,
hinged at the top. They are propped up with sticks slant-wise to admit
light and air, and to keep rain out. A nice arrangement, I think. Facing
the front door is the fireplace; a huge, rough stone affair, large
enough to sleep in if one were so inclined. It has a broad stone hearth,
and is fitted with black, squat andirons. Already I am planning the joy
I shall derive from this fireplace when next winter comes. To-night I
have built a brisk fire for cheer, company, and precaution, for the
place has been uninhabited for years, and last night's warming did not
drive out all the damp. It is wonderful how satisfying the dancing
flames are; they seem to impart their glow and warmth to me.
My furniture is very simple, but enough. I have a cot with plenty of
bedding; a table, several chairs, including a rocker; two trunks and
some grass rugs for the floor. Of course, there are hundreds of lesser
things which I could not get along without, but while they have their
places, they are not worth cataloguing. It is also needless to say that
one of the trunks is half full of books. Some of these have already
found their way to the table; Stevenson, Hearn, Rabelais, Villon, Borrow
and some others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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