The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-27
A CAMP QUARREL.
And 1t Was All About a Young
Man Who Was in Love.
Triaes That Sometimes Cause the Best Of
Friends to Become Enemies From Refiec-
ton to Reason, Reason to Repentance.

nnlShed and Peter had gone Ned was in
capital spirits and joined me in hunting and
prospecting with sportsmanlike zeal. Then.
as the last day of October CAME on dull,
cold and cloudy, with indications of snow.
his spirits tagged, he mOped about without
the heart to go mile from camp, and
gave unmistakatle signs Of inconsistencies
Here was nice fix. II his heart
failed him so early In the season
when we had everything comfortable
about us. with fish and game as plenty as
we could ask OF expect. how would it be in
the dead OF winter with ths snow several
feet deep and wood to cut, split and pack to
camp, when the mercury was at zero? We
had made rather extensive preparations for
an all-winter trip, had declared our inten-
tons rather audibly to all our acquaint-
ances and friends, had dwelt on the pleas
ures of hunter life and communion with ma
ture to garrulous extent, had promised to
add important facts to the natural history
OF the country, and had lat least one of us
had) taken several Quires Of foolscap into
camp on which to record these facts and
keep general summary of our Crusoe-like
proceedings, for the benefit of any one who
chose to be bored with the reading thereof.
All this and much more I pressed on
Ned's consideration In a rather extended
lecture, and he took it all meekl y-did not
offer word IN reb uttal until 1 CHANGED to
remark that "a man who would leave such
camp and such hunting grounds for gig
Cling, apple-faced girl, ought to trade his
rifle for set of knitting-needles and join a
sewing society" This brought matters to
focus. II might abuse him to my hearts
content, but l shouldn't abuse decent girl
on his account; he was his own master
when he wanted my advice ne would ask it,
etc., etc.. etc. In short, we Quarreled. IL
was fool sh thing to do, and we have both
been heartily ashamed OF it for years !;
nevertheless. quarrel we did. and nearly
came to blows. | made some rather pointed
observations on Eastwood men generally
and loyesick spooneys in particular, which
Ned took to heart; and
HE GAVE HIS OPINION
Pretty freely concerning blush vagabonds,
who were OF no account in society, and the
height of whose ambition was hunting and
fishing. For his part, he expected to do
something in the world besides hunt and
fish,"
"Ah, really? Marry farm and tannery,
perhaps join the church, and become stump
candidate for deacon" 1 retorted.
Ned thought it quite possible. There
was sort OF respectability about farms
and tannesies which was not the case with
hunting that he ever heard Of"
l advised him, il he was so out of sorts
with hunting, to go home by all means; also
1 suggested the prOprietv OF taking herb tea
and soaking his feet in warm v alter regu-
larry. With this and the precaution OF fan
mel night-eaps thought he might manage
to pull through the winter. l really intend
ed, when began, to give the particulars of
our quarrel verbatim ct literatim as nearly
as l could remember, but it was so con-
foundedly ridiculous that l am getting
ashamed.
Let it suffice, that after bandying sarcastic
hits to the best of our ability for some time,
one of us gave the lie. There was an in
Simultaneous recognition of belligerents,"
mutual grasplng for reciprocal wIndpipes,
mutual missing of the same and q Selling
OF coats and collars instead, violent shak-
Ing and hustling Of some seconds duration,
in which l, being much the lightest, got the
worst of II, and we stood still gazing def
antly in each others faces. two of the big
gest fools that ever shouldered a rife
wish could add that we shook hands
and laughed at our foolishness, as we ought
to have done. but we did not. l knew that
Ned was dying for sight of Hannah Need
hams pretty face, and that nothing else
allied HIM. He knew that 1 was aware of
this, and also that despised loye-sickl ess
beyond any other weakness or illness that
flesh is heir to; likewise he felt to resen. my
remarks on his duleinea, and l
FELT TRIFLE SORE
AT the unmerciful shaking l had got. so IL
happened that neither of us chose to make
any remarks OF conciliatory nature, but
Ned commenced packing his knapsack at
once, while watched the operation in surly
silence.
There were two adjuncts to our, Camp.
which l ought to have mentioned before;
these were mongrel dog, which Ned had
seen proper to bring with him, and handy
little dug-ont or log canoe. which Peter had
mysteri0usly brought to light from some
hidden recess ON the day after our arrival in
camp. The dog had turned promising
venture Tor still-hunting-aS almost any dog
VIII when taken out every day and properly
lnstructed-while the canoe was indispensa-
bic for trapping, fishing, or crossing the
river.
/ had opposed the dog at first, but finding
he was to be an inmate of the camp had
finally taken him in hand for q course of in
struction, aud as be was not only eager and
pucky, but tractable, had ended by taking a
fancy for him.
When Ned bad got his bareback, tobacco.
blanket. rifle. Ratchet, and pint flask OF
rnm all In marching order he led the dog os.
tentatiously into the cabin, sprung the snap
Of the chain into ring ON the collar and
then marched s'iffiy toward me, holding
a cent on his curved f0refinger with
his thumb-nai under the edge of it. saying,
This is for the canoe-heads or tails?" /
took at once, and as the cent spun high in
the air said, Heads" Down it came and
heads it was. The canoe was mine.
las to the dog" said /, 'if he is worth
anything to you take him along. l can get
along without him very WELL"
He Is worth nothing tome" said Ned,
with majestic air. IF you don't want
him shoot him. l am done with hunting"
lie Sung his knapsack with great deliber-
alton, whistling oil the while, then filled a
pipe leisurly. lit it with friction match
which he ignited by rubbing on his trowsers
leg, shouldered his heavy single-barreled
Billinghurst. and
TURNED HIS BACK ON THE CAMP.
watched him until his gray coat tails dis
appeared downth trail and then went into
the shanty, built rousing fire. caressed the
dog, wiped the rifle and tried to convince
myself that didn't care-in fact was glad
he was gone. l tried the quarrel over again
In my own mind. and made out wonder
fully clear case for myself took the shak-
ing into consideration aud waxed irate
exceedingly, but it would not do. The little
monitor which turks in the bosom of every
decent man espoused Ned's cause, reminding
me OF many little items, such as bitter
sneers, unkind remarks and surly sarcasms.
offered to an old and tried friend, for
what? Just because he had not the heart
TO enter into my schemes with spirit and
ardor; because l mistrusted him of giving
way to q b0yish lovesick within, and wanting
to go back. What ihena Was he not his
own master? Had he pot proved himself on
many occasions reliable friend, a.plucky
hunter and true-hearted fellow? And I
had taken the liberty Of calling him in plain
words BOBBY! loyesick spoon, and no
hunteri
The mental mercury in the psychological
thermometer sank rapidly from wrath to re-
feetion. from reflection to reason and from
reason to repentance The more reflected
the more ! grew ashamed of the foolish
quarrel, and ere Ned had been gone two
hours l would have given much to have
shaken hands with him, told him 1 was
sorry, and parted with him, if part we must,
In decent manly way, as friends should do.
l remember feeling an almost irresistible
impulse to follow him down the trail, find
him at his first camping place. and own up
like man. As the sun was less than two
hours high when he started and there was
good moon, could easily have done this,
but self-iove, wounded vanity and pride ali
conspired to keep me- back, and did not