The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-11-01

flesh under the skin, and broad, thin slices
in each, fatwise. "Now. boys, 60 down to
the pond and get half dozen smooth stones
about as big as your two hands and put 'em
large pieces of birch bark. These great kind
don't roast through well before the fire."
Mr.. Aston threw on an armful of the dry
birch wood, having shrewd suspicion that
there would soon be work for bed OF hot
ashes and substantial hard wood Goals.
While Frank took a swim, having hung his
clothes in the sun, Eddie brought the stones
and laid them among the glow ing Goals, and
Ben came with the birch bark, which ne mad
soused well in the spring brook. Having
wrapped one of the trout in two layers OF the
tough bark and tied strip of the same
around it, and improvised maple shovel, he
proceeded to dig trench as close In under
the fire as he could reach. As soon as the
stones were hot en0ugh to sizzle smartly un-
der wet finger, they were put into the
trench, the enveioped tout was laid on them
and covered as quickly as possible with hot
ashes, and the Goals were raked out over the
whole.
The other was wrapped carefully in the
same way, but with additional slices of pork
and an outer covering of wet leaves, and put
in behind the pillow log to be kept for break
fast the next day.
"Now," said Ben, sin about half an hour
we'll have our supper. Run TO the spring,
sonny, and get some water while /! get out
the tea and things. Tomorrow we'll have ev-
erything fixed up scrumptions." Eddie got
the water and set the dppers on the Goals,
and then ran off to see how Frank was get
ting along. He found him swimming about
with his hat on, the afternoon sun being very
hot, though in the woods the shade of the
trees and the light breezs which had not
ceased to come over the water all day, made
the temperature quite comfortable. The
clothes were hung up by the button-holes in
the sun, and were already quite dry. Come
out, Frank, you mustn't stay in that fresh
water too long"
"Oh, haven't been in half the time, I
have had my clothes to see to, and then I
buried myself in the sand to keep the flies off
Come in.''
''No, supper is ready, and if you feel as I
do, that is the best news you have heard to-
day."
1t proved good enough 10 bring Frank out
| hastily. "We have had hard day of it, Ed,
said he as he dressed himself. but hasn't it
been just one streak of fun all day, and won't
we make up for the tired part this evening~
L''That's SO, said Eddie, ''if we canonly keep
awake. We will have two or three hours
anyway. l just longed to 60 into that camp
and stretch out as soon as it was done, and
that will be fun enough If we don't do any
thing else.'' ''We will get some kind of
story out of Ben or father to begin the exer-
cses of the evening""
II was now five o'clock, and on returning
| to camp, the boys found the tea steaming on
| the Goals, loaf of bread and some hard bread
| and doughnuts displayed on the two halves
of one Of the maple logs, and the inevitable
junk of pork occupying the stump Of the tree
ON piece of birch bark. Ben sat on log,
hpfOra tho fro rnsbinU haoLr tho rti al Ito
dead Goals from over the trout, with hooked
branch for poker, and supplying their places
with live ones. Their father was toasting a
slice of pork and looking very happy about it,
| and if the truth were told, was anticipating
quite as much pleasure as the boys from the
| perfectly careless rest of body and mind and
rough and ready comfort which you can find
| in a well ordered camp in the woods if you
can anywhere. He could have given reason
| for the faith that was in him; they only knew
| generally that it was fun, but their convic-
lions on this point were very thoroughly es-
| tablished.
81 can dig hole and catch a trout out of
| it too," said Ben, sand here he comes" and
| having pushed away Goals and ashes together,
he inserted his wooden shovel and lifted out
what might have passed for dwarfed num-
my, but certainly bore no resemblance to trout
or any thing else pleasant to the eye or good
lOr lOOu. 1u0 0uter Wrapper Was CTlSpcu duu
| charred, and didn't it burn when it was strip
ped off in pieces and thrown into the fire; but
| the inner envelope though crisped in places,
had protected the fish entirely from the ashes,
and served now, with careful handling, as
platter to keep it together in presentabe shape
alongside the pork on the stump.
seThere's a trout that never was eat" said
Ben, blowing his fingers after laying back the
wrapper and displaying the fish, steaming
hot, studded with bits of nutty richness, and
ON the whole, l will not say anything more
about the trout. Take very early breakfast
some day, and then take tramp in the
| woods, go without your dinner, and about
| five O'Clock fancy such royal dish as you
have welcomed in camp if you have lived
there and can imagine if you have not, and
| see what effect it will have on your appetite.
suppose 1t would be impossible to secure
| che adoption of hole in the ground for the
| general purpose of household cooking, but
something equivalent ought to be invented to
take the place of the stove or range oven, and
even the open rooster before the fire fails to
afford all that caloric is competent to perform
on provand.
1t was sorry day for US when the open
wood fire, with its draught that made the
children fain to hold on to the settle, and the
Dutch oven and tin kitchen and Mercy or
Meribah went out, and anthracite and Bridg-
ct came in.