The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-07-20
CAMPING OUT.
Hurdotts DIscour.os on The Beauties of the
Wall Tent,

BurdCttO DIscOurAes on the BeautICs Of the
Wall TOnt.
Buydaie IN Brooklyn Eage,
My boy, when you 60 out a camping,
don't trough it, too much, Don'tgo with,
out tents, A camp without tents is like
an orchard without apples. And don't
move into a hotel cottage and call II
camping" That is "a much like camp,
ing as paying 81 a pound and ishlng in a
stocked fish pond ia like trout fishing.
Take a tent, the army wall tent Is the most
comfortable, and enjoy yourself. The
guide book will tell you, as 1t told us, that
q tent is unnecessary. That "the author
and his friends have csmped in the Ad-
irondaCks sleeping In the open air
every night, for" l forget whether
1t was three months or three years, and
never felt a drop Of rain, Well, maybe
that is true. We caught i've weeks OF
rain in the month Of June, but that was
an unusually rainy June, You had better
take a tent, There may be some more
rare Junes where this one came from,
But the great charm Of the tent does not
lie in its utility.as an umbrella. 1t shows
of TO the best advantage N windy night.
That Is why | recommend the wall tent
rather than the "a" or wedge tent. We
have both yanities In our camp, but when
the winds are bolsterons the wall tent has
a few fancy steps that tho "a" tent can
never hope 10 initiate, Night has fallen.
On the other hand, the wind has gotten
up. l retire to the cot that says down
like a water trough to receive me, and the
circus begins, l am not afraid that the
tent will blow over-ittakes a terrific wind
to capBlze a well pinned, neatly adjusted
tent. But don't see why II cant stand
still. l hear the wind waving among the
trees. | look at the cot whore the Prince
Is sleeping and half wish l hadn't
brought him out into this land
OF furious storms. l lie down
again, look at the swaying lantern and
think l will get up aud put it out. Sud-
denly the tent Equats down like q col
lapsed balloon, and then before l q
throw my arms over the Prince to keep
the ridge pole from hitting him, the tent
stands straight up three feet higher than
Its best standing record. Another roaring
tempest through the trees; tho four sides
Of the tent bulge out until II Is az round
as a Sibley tent; then 1t Collapses and
sucks In until there is hardly room inside
for tho lantern. Then three sides stiffen
up like sheet iron, while the fourth flaps
itself mad for NO particular reason. The
tent sQuats again, and when 1t stands up
this time, the fly begins to flap aud pound
over your head, faster than you ear think,
with the roll OF q mufled drum, varied
now and then by q crack like the shot
OF o gun. A moments lull, suddenly
the winds seem to be rending tho forests,
and both tent poles, lorG and aft, are
seized with the dGlerium .tremens, and
SILVER and shake and tremble In o~sCillla.
ting spasms, while the walls dance up and
down, ilutter, bulge, collapse and stretch,
and the frantic fly, "as fast as mill wheels
strike" smite the top Of the tent in fu.
rious, loud sounding whackH, that make
the very lantern burn blue with fear; the
moaning OF 1.-The wind In the woods rises to
a shrek; under the impression that the
whole mountain IL flowing away, l spring
to my feet, rush 10 the tent door and tear
it open.
The bluent skieV, the brightest stars, the
loveliest night in ali ibis land greots me
with the blessing Of peace. The night
wind is signing softly in tho gently sway
ing tree tops, u lullaby Of the summer
night, u liquid whisper, the very under.
tone Of the zephyr, scarce so loud as the
purling murmur Of the dreamy little brook,
growing itself to sleep in the starlight.
That is all.
But why should IL sound like Bedlam
inside the tent? That Is what l want to
know.