Back to Baker’s, Part IV | News, Sports, Jobs – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Group photo, 1898, at entrance to the present day Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage, Saranac Lake. At far left is Andrew and Mary Baker, gun within reach. At far right is twin daughters Blanche and Bertha. (Photo provided)
“Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Baker had five children, of whom only two are now living, Blanche and Bertha, comely young ladies of nineteen, who strikingly resemble each other and are pupils in the Plattsburgh Normal School” (now SUNY Plattsburgh).
— Biographical Review, Essex and Clinton counties, 1896
Blanche and Bertha Baker were 10 years of age when they played with their two cats in front of Robert Louis Stevenson, the verse maker behind “A Child’s Garden of Verses” and creator of Long John Silver, the ambiguous villain of “Treasure Island.” According to an essay Bertha wrote while she was a Normal School student, “Stevenson would sit hour after hour, watching the four together. He made the girls many presents …” It’s probably safe to assume that these events were played out in the author’s rented living room space with fireplace in use, the same room in which Sam McClure and RLS were up until 2 a.m. planning the great Pacific cruise to be.
One gets the impression that Blanche and Bertha were happy twins who did things together but only Bertha makes herself known to us through her college essay, “Robert Louis Stevenson,” and her six letters to a fellow named Mr. Duncan, answering questions he had about the famous author using their house for the winter of 1887-88. Questions like, how did the unusual living arrangements between the Bakers and their unusual tenants happen to come about? Was there a pre-arrangement? All of Bertha’s letters to Duncan are from 1899. On May 18, she recalled how her father made contact with the scouting party from the Stevenson expedition, on their way to Saranac Lake on short notice. It was Sept. 27, 1887:
“No, the meeting with Mrs. Stevenson was not pre-arranged. It was an accidental meeting. Papa was on his way to town and on reaching the village, he saw one of his neighbors standing in the street talking with Mrs. S. It seems this gentleman had just given directions to Mrs. S. as to finding our house. He then said that she could speak to papa since he was coming. She did so and arrangements were made for rental of the house. There was no communication whatever between the S.s and papa.”
Bertha’s memory didn’t always fit with the facts as we have them. The fact is, Stevenson was with his mother and their Swiss servant when they drove into town on Oct. 3, not Sept. 28, the date she gave Duncan; also, they arrived in the evening, during a rainstorm when “Mrs. S.” was preparing dinner, contradictory Bertha, who said they showed up “in the morning, about eleven o’clock.” Bertha went on to assert that “the Chateauguay rail-road was built only to Loon Lake and the author came into town from Loon Lake by stage.” Wrong! According to Mrs. Margaret Isabelle Balfour Stevenson, the mother of Louis, “At Loon Lake we found a nice buggy waiting for us; it had two horses and had been specially made for invalids, with good springs which we fully appreciated while driving twenty-five miles over very bad roads.”
Bertha’s answers to some of Duncan’s questions give away their aim, e.g. “Stevenson quite often remarked about the mountains, Marcy, etc. Don’t remember that he ever said anything about his trip from New York … Occasionally he played the flute; but more oftener Osbourne did … Papa does not remember of ever hearing him say anything about his work. We often heard he and Osbourne discussing characters (“The Wrong Box,” the first of three novels the duo co-authored); but he was a man who seldom spoke of his work or characters, to any outside of his family.
“… I remember the article of which you speak, in regard to Stevenson’s visit to the ‘Mountains.’ Dr. Trudeau did not learn of Stevenson’s being at Saranac until days after the author arrived. As to his staying at the doctor’s house this, of course, was an erroneous statement …
“In regard to the Christmas dinner. Very little preparation was made, for the author’s wife was away at the time. His mother was with him and from what we remember there were no special preparations more than for every day meals. The day was very cold and stormy and some of the family went out for church. We had a very windy winter and on this account Stevenson went out little, and them alone.
“Yes, Stevenson rec’d visitors on Saturdays. He saw his friends at his own convenience. Never allowed them to come if either he or the callers had colds, for he considered these catching. Owing to the fact that he could not endure the winds, he had the front door fastened and enclosed in an extra casing. On Saturdays, Valentine, their servant, scrubbed the Kitchen for this was their front entrance for visitors. He however rec’d few callers at any time.
“As to these young men, mama says that she remembers having heard Mrs. Stevenson speak of two young men callers who had tramped a long way to see the author. These fellows, however, were turned away without any interview with Stevenson (It was not a Saturday). He seems to feel that every one was curious and was very much afraid of reporters. I know nothing of these fellows and do not know for a fact that those were the ones.”
Another account of these strangers says that they had walked the whole distance from Elizabethtown to see Stevenson and were unaware of the Saturday rule. They had been turned away until someone mentioned the 35 miles between the “Hunter’s Home” and Elizabethtown, which made for a quick turnaround and long sit-down for the young literary pilgrims with the author of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
“Have nothing to say in regard to the Stevenson letters (recently published letters of RLS edited by Sidney Colvin). We think that the peculiarities of the man are well portrayed, however. Were quite amused at the way he spoke of his wife being discontented everywhere, for we realized this fact also. She claimed that she had heart trouble and the air in the Adk’s. did not agree with her. Anyway she was away most of the time. Stevenson does not speak of her health calling her away, but that she was not contented anywhere.
“The trip to the Pacific Coast was never spoken of. They did not then intend going farther than Manasquan. They intended on having to return to Floodwood Pond in the Spring. Papa has a letter from Mrs. S. (Margaret, Stevenson’s mother) written while she was at Manasquan (N.J.), and making arrangements for their baggage which was left in Saranac, owing to the fact that they were expected to return. Papa had gotten guides for them and in the next letter the author had decided to get to San Francisco …”
The above-mentioned letter to the Bakers from Stevenson’s mother in New Jersey is currently an artifact in the Saranac Lake collection. It is brief and to the point:
“Union House, Manasquan, May 23
“Dear Mr. Baker–I enclose cheque for $7. with many thanks for attending to our wishes about the baggage. We all unite in kind wishes to hearty goodbyes to you all. I am yours very truly–M.I. Stevenson.”
Andrew and Mary Baker may have even believed that this communication finished business with the name of Robert Louis Stevenson.