and an old-fashioned country well-sweep as water supplies. Hunt up a piece of broken looking-glass. This will make
Fig. 406. an excellent substitute for a miniature lake of real water, reflecting the beautiful green shore, the overhanging trees, and the graceful little craft which we will moor to its shore. If the mirror is the requisite size, its shape does not matter. Place the glass near the front of the board at the left-hand side. Move it further back, then forward, a little to this side and that, until you find the precise spot best suited for the lake. Experimenting in this way, you will gain unconsciously a slight insight into the art of landscape gardening, and when you have an opportunity you will find yourself studying the arrangement and beauty of grounds laid out by professional landscape gardeners. You will notice in what direction the water lies from the house, the arrangement of the trees, if they are many or few, in groups or scattered, the surface of the land, and various other details that appeal to the close observer.
Having located the place for the lake, lay the broken mirror on it and glue a strip of paper, half of it to the edge of the glass and half to the board. Fig. 406 shows the method, the dotted line giving the extreme edge of the glass under the paper. Cover the paper with a light coat of glue and sprinkle clean, fine, dry sand over it while the glue is wet that the sand may stick fast and conceal the paper. With a lead-pencil draw two parallel lines as a boundary for
The Walk
from the house to the front edge of the board and, recollecting the old saying, “A curved line for beauty, a straight line for duty,” make the path curve in some such way as seen in Fig. 407. Extend the walk almost diagonally across to the right hand of the board. If the first lines do not give a satisfactory path, try again and again until you have the walk to suit; then, if possible, obtain sand of a yellowish color and with the aid of glue make a sandy walk.
Fig. 407.
Fig. 408.