The Hickman courier., 1873-07-26
The Pleasures of the Picnic.

This Is the season OF the year Wheh
picnics are most frequent. For real
solid enjoyment we, for our part must
prefer well-oonducted funeral TO am
ordinary picnic. You generally reach
the grounds about eleven o'clock, and
the exercises begin with climbing hill,
if there is one, up which you are com
PEELED to carry two heavy lunch bas-
kets. When YOU reach the summit you
are positively certain the Thermometer
must be nearly six hundred and fifty Ia
the shade. You throw yourself on the
grass. and Ia a few moments brigade
of black ants begin to crawl down the
back of your neck, while phalanx OF
ticks charge up your trowser leg. Ana
just as you Jump up, your Oldest boy
who has been oft in the woods, where
he stirred up a yellow jackets nest
come in with his head and face swelled
to the size of water-bucket convey
ing the information that your other boy
William Henry, is mp tree and can
get down. After laboring to release
William Henry, the thermometer seems
to have gone up two more hundred de-
erees. and you think you will take a
swim in the creek. While you are III
the water, young Jones strolls out WIN
Miss Smith. and unconscious OF your
presence they sit down close to youI
clothes and engage in conversation 10
three-quarters of an hour, while yo
lie down in the shallow stream, atrhi'
] to bulge and ueasly killed with the IA
sun When they leave you emerge an
find that some wicked boy from tll
neighboring village has run off wit
your shirt and socks. You fix up
well as you can, and when you get baq
with the party they are eating dinne
from a cloth laid on the ground.
spider is spinning a eobweb from q
pickle Jar to the little end of the col
ham: straddlebugs are frolickr
around over the pound cake, caterpi
lars are exploring the bread plat
grasshoppers are jumping into the bt
ter. where they stick fast, the bees a
so thick around the sugar bowl that y
are afraid to go near it, and there Z
enough ants in the pie to walk 90
pletely offgith it. You take a Sc
however, determined to try TO eat son
thing, but you get up suddenly, all
once, as it were, for you have sat do
on briar. Then William Henry, "
has auaffed an unreasonable quantity
lemonade, gels the collie, and his mo
er goes into Mysteries because
thinks he is poisoned with poke berr
You lay him under an umbrella,
proceed TO climb tree in order TO
a swing for the girls. After Skim
your hands, tearing your trousers,
running your coat, you get TO the
tie the rope, and undertake to c
down on it, You do come down,
velocity, and your fingers are rut
entirely raw Just then it begging
rain furiously, and the whole p
stampedes to the depot for she
When tbs shower slackens you go
TO the ground to get the rope, and
as you get up in the tree the owne
the place comes along with gun
dog, md threatens to blow
brains out and eat you up if You
leave Immediately. Then you
down again with CELEBRITY, and get
the fence as if you we're in ca
Going home in the train all the p'
gers regard you, from your appea'
as nm escaped convict, or lunatio
has broken from his keepers
when you reach your home you 2
into a shirt, cover your hands
court plaster, and register
, VOW never to go on another
And we are with you we nevf
} either.