Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-07-15
QUEEN LOG.
HAM AS NECESSARY INGREDIENT FOR
SANDWICH.

Ours was purely petticoat party,
that Summer, at Crab Falls. Now and
then husband turned up to spend
Sunday; but to the eight of us who
had no husbands these arrivals imported
nothing, and for the rest of the time
the composition of the household was
exclusively feminine, except for sundry
babies in knickerbockers, who did not
count. Do not, however, think of us as
miserable. \ stray man or two would
have been welcomed, but since they
came not, We amused ourselves very
we'll without them. Our resources were
various. Some of the girls sketched;
two of the girls painted Carpathia
May had hobby for botany, and pur-
sued it in such a pretty, esh-fower
way that we all more or less followed
her lead. Alice Weir and Marian
Berkeley professed trout fishing. They
went off by themselves for whole days,
and were real experts, bringing home
whole baskets of the speckled darlings
which would have done credit to ex-
perienced anglers. Then there was
dear little Annie Tinkham, who read
aloud in voice like trained brooklet,
and was never weary OF reading. Alto
gether, there was no lack of occupations
and we enjoyed ourselves very we'll, in
spite of an occasional malcontent sigh
OF the thought of what might have been
had fate been a little kinder.
We are all nice, you know" said
Esther White, in ah exasperated mo-
ment-" very nice, indeed; but, after
all, it's all one taste. One does like
something different at times. It is as
tonishing what Il very little bit of ham
it takes to flavor whole mountains of
bread and butter"
"Oh, Essie! Shocking" But some
of us privately agreed with her.
One brilliant morning in late August,
we, the unattached eight, agreed to lay
aside all private pursuits and combine
for a picnic. How we'll I remember it
all-the hot climb uphill, and the de-
lishtful spice smell of the pine woods
as we passed into their shadow! 1t
seemed different zone, all coolness
and fragrance, with winds making vi
brant murmuls overhead, and under
foot melodiOus rustling, unlike other
wood rustlinss; echoes, perhaps, of
that secret, half revealed and half with
held, which pine woods hold and which
to impressionable people is such per-
pctual fascination. 1t was infinitely re-
freshing after the outside heat and
glare, and we flung ourselves on the
cushiony needles with sighs of pleasure
and relief.
"What q dear place this isl" said
Alice. 81 am never tired of it,"
Why don't we come here oftener-
every day?" asked Rosa May, gushing
k.
"Well, can hardly say. There are
other things to be considered. Duties
sketches, for example. There's moth
ing to sketch up here, you know"
And trout" put in one of the trout
ing girls. ''There's nothing to catch
here, you know"
"Pm not sure of that" retorted
Alice. Piny brook is pretty swift,
and tumbles good deal, I confess;
but there are pools below which might
hold trout. I'm going to take look
at them by and by"
:" It must take trout OF a strong con-
stitution to swim in Piny brook" OBJ
served Carpathia. 81 should think
he'd he bruised black and blue in five
minutes"
ESQ he would in the rapids; but be-
low it is not SO bad. I never heard of
any there, to be sure, but there may
be-"
Much hangeth on maybe, "
quoted Sarah Stanley.
Here I lost the thread of the CONVEX
sation. The pine needles were elastic
and soft as mattress, l was weary with
the walk and heat, the light tanning
wind lulled me unconsciously, and I fell
asleap. Certain soft touches aroused
me, and tickling in my ear. Isleepily
turned and half set up, but a hand
pressed me down, and laughing voice
said:-
ooh, lie sill little longer. We've
made you into a log-such lovely log
Do keep still. You'll spoil all if you
move"
But what is this in my carp"
"Oh, nothing but toad-stool.
There, I've moved it, and I'll lift this
licheu off your eyelid, SO that you can
take look at yourself. You can't
think how beautiful you are."
The witches had covered me all over
with a dust-colored shawl, and had
covered that with sods and MOSES and
strips of bark to simulate half-decayed
trunk, scattering pine needles over all I,
and sticking into interstices, ferns, lich-
ems, and fungi, till, as Amy said, it did
look precisely like log. Lastly, they
threw down shawl in careless folds,
sat lunch basket on my chest. and
stood off to see the effect, which they
declared to be " wonderful"
"No human being would guess, -
said Esther. "You'd impose on
Leather-stockings himself. Oh, girls,
call Alice and Marian. They must be
satisfied before this about those wretched
trout. Don't breathe word, but just
ask them to sit down on the log and
make themselves comfortable.
"On me! Thank you,' said, I,
speaking as we'll as I could through q
mouth full of lichens.
"Oh, they shan't really sit down.
Lie still-quite still, dear Dolly. Don't
move an inch, please don't; promise
kl,ot IA l..