ntains if answer of thine
Could rise from thy waters to questions of mine,
Methinks through the din of thy thronged banks a moan
Of sorrow would come for the days that are gone.

_Legends of the Hudson._

* * *

It grew like one of the old English family houses, with the increase
of the family, until, in strange but picturesque outline--the
prevailing style being Italian, somewhat in the shape of a cross--it
is now 114 feet long by 87 feet deep. The tower in the rear, devoted
to library purposes, rises to the height of about sixty feet. This
library, first and last, has contained between twenty and thirty
thousand volumes. Such indefinite language is used, because the owner
donated over half this number to the New York Historical Society, the
New York Society Library, and a number of other similar organizations
in different parts of the United States. As a working library, replete
with dictionaries and cyclopaedias, in many tongues and on almost
every subject, it is a marvel. It is likewise very valuable for its
collections on military and several other special topics. From it was
selected and given to the New York Historical Society, one of the
finest possible collections on the History of Holland, from the
earliest period down to the present time. "Rose Hill" was left in his
will to the Leake and Watts Orphan Home.

A ferry from Tivoli to Saugerties affords communication between the
two villages. Glasco Landing, on the west bank, lies between the
residences of Henry Corse, on the south, and Mrs. Vanderpool (sister
of the late President Martin Van Buren), on the north.

In locating the residences along the river and dealing so often in the
words "north" and "south," we are reminded of a good story of Martin
Van Buren. It is said that it was as difficult to get a direct answer
from him as from Bismarck or Gladstone. Two friends were going up with
him one day on a river boat and one made a wager with the other that
a direct answer could not be secured on any question from the astute
statesman. They approached the ex-president and one of them said, "Mr.
Van Buren, my friend and I have had a little discussion; will you
tell us, does or does not the sun rise in the east?" The ex-president
calmly drew up a chair, and said, "You must remember that the east
and west are merely relative terms." "That settles it," said the
questioner, "I'll pay the bet."

* * *

How grateful is the sudden change