The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-07-30
" CAMP SUNSHINE"
In His Own Way Camper Tells How the
Party Spent jolly Week.
Did you over 20 camnlng Z


with jolly lot of fellows lovely girls and
charming chaperones. II so, read the following
sketch OF Camp Sunshine" and let your sport
ing blood Jingle, But II you are bilious, dys-
peptic, cynical, rheumatic mean or stingy skip
it, for it will worry you to know there is so
much innocent pleasure to be had at your very
doors.
Camping Is pure fun for weeks before and
after going. There is the fun of preparing and
the joy OF celebrating. TO get ready u chosen
few meet to organize this is u quiet evening;
then meeting to add to the party-a stormy
evening then to choose a plaee-an unsatis-
factory evening then to arrange about tents
beds, bedding, hammockS, stores, etc. q busy
evening. But one evening needs fuller de-
scriptlon-it was the evening for making out
the menu"
The crowd had gathered in the beautiful
drawing-rooms of Mrs. w. p. Harris and was
busy chatting and laughing when she entered,
bowed graciously and asked for quiet The
wittcism of the bright young man just from
college died away to the accompaniment of
the summer girls expiring giggle and silence
reigned.
An innocent but exceedingly personal ques
tion What you eat ?" put by her, started each
one at hard labor on the tower OF Babel, and
out Of the confusion of tongues, in deep bass,
shrill falsetto, futy tenor and piping treble,
the following likes and disllles were revealed
One young lady hated cheese but adored
sliced bacon; another wanted "Sardnes'
and turned up her nose at ham: another Of
fered to sell her birthright for "caramels" and
pooh-poohed chicken" The fire insurance
agent said he wouldn't go If they didn't have
"devied ham and chocolate cake; the
preacher offered his resignation il the deacon-
| esses didn't furnish plenty of Jelly and AN
gels food" The preferences of the hardware
man, the commercial traveller, the two Yale
men and pair of University boys were cried
down, for it was evident that to cater to the
wants of all it would be necessary to hire
Delmonico chef and carry negro cook besides.
To prevent rioting young lady was selected
| to act as secretary and jot down u list OF the
eatables For the benefit OF future camping
parties a partial list is here given
Number OF camperS-lf; days out-6
30 dozen eggs (alldanta hlle-none were left).
| 2pounds OF butter (not enough left for red
| bug pnrpoSeS).
| 6bottles of olives (six girls.
! s cans of condensed milk Zone baby.
~ l0aeeS or bread "a bread iamlne).
IL assorted cakes mo crumbs for LaZaruS).
| IL glasses Of Jelly GLASSES SaVed).
The absence of meat is noticeable The fish
ermen of the crowd were to supply enough fish.
One fsh-length inches, weight ounces-waS
consumed. The party was vegetarian.
| Sunday night it poured, Monday morning IT
rained but not hard enough to drown the Jobs
COnfOrterS" who were at the train indulging
| in eephantine humOr scintillating wit, wither-
| ing sarcasm and valuable advice
The train reached EliZabethtOn with only one
mishap. A telegram was received from Tom
Hurst regretting his inability to join the crowd
was read, when someone lsex withheld, as 1t
might prejudice the cause Of the advanced wo-
mani said Tom knew 1t was going to be a
week He's up to snun, " and six cravats
were turned green.
A convention was called and balloting for a
name began. A classical scholar, who loved
Aristophanes, championed The Frogs" as pc
culiarly appropriate, considering the weather
and the number of croakerS along, but he was
silenced by the Yale YELL A biblical scholar
suggested Noah's Ark" and versed in Scrip
| ture he gave such q realistic account of the
deluge that when he tragically pointed his fin
ger at a submerged corn field, to show that the
water was fast covering the earth, the ttmid
girls began to pull on their rubberS and the
| boys reached for their storm coats. But just
| then the sun peeped over the mountains and
rainbow spanned the gorge and sunshine Hooded
| the valley, when girl cried out Let's name
it Camp Sunshine" everybody yelled Hurrah
| for Camp Sunshine :"
Cranberry was reached at noon and the lunch
baskets were not so heavy after lapse of ten
minutes. Three hacks and surrey were in
| waiting. Much time was wasted in SkirmiShng
for partners and places, and when the battle
was over the chaperones and preacher were
located in the surrey
A mountain still on the way gave a thirsty
driver an opportunity to throw light on liter
airy conundrum. The mystery OF The Lady or
The Tiger" is partially solved, for he estab-
| liShed the fact that the heroine of that weird
| tale iC n n nrOhibitiOniCt lint iS wet.
A three hours drive over beautiful mountain
roads fringed with laurel and rhododendron,
and cut by sparkling streams, brought the
party in sight OF the camp. On O beautiful,
well kept lawn the tents were pitched and Ma
jor Watkins invited the party to 90 up to his
lovely home, and they inspected his beautiful
works Of art gathered from the four corners OF
the world. The visit over, a young lady volded
the sentiment of the crowd by exclaiming 1T
is civilization but it isn't outing.
We learned from the Major That he had sent
his overseer with William, our cook to all
the romantic spots and that he had selected
his front yard. and while he was charmed to
have us he thought it a peculiar selection, and
so did we and Immediately two boys and two
girls were appointed to select more suitable
spot
By sunrise the boys were up and had con-
verted the corner of q rail fence into barber
shop, and paSSerS-by would have wondered
much at the strange sight of six men with ra-
zors in hand and lathered faces on the public
road, using the branch as basin.
Breakfast was announced, and such break
fast and such appetites and such genuine
comradeShip
Having eaten, we struck our tents and pre-
pared to move. A great big farm wagon was
loaded with cots, bedding, ETC., and the girls
and boys piled up on them and went singing
and shouting through wheat and corn fields
and the meadows all aflame with tiger lilies or
Sprinkled with daisies Right through the
beautiful Linnville river we went and ON Its
bank we camped. The boys hard at work put
ting up the two large tents looked liked circus
had reached town.
The camp being put in order we made an ex-
ploring tour, and found so many lovely places
that there was no claiming tete-a-tete spots,
The were enough to go around and they were
needed.
After dinner we went up under the laurels,
by the waters edge, and listened to the reading
of short stories. And then for wade or a
swiml Unless you have been with jolly party,
hand in hand In water waist deep, laughing and
splaShng. fighting your way in clear, swift
mountain stream, you can't appreciate the run
| we had.
Supper over. out on the trees that spanned
the river to watch the sun set and the moon
rise and to sing college songs Then into tent
with lights out to tell ghost stories and love
stories and true stories.
Excursions fishing and shooting and love
rGaking made the days pass swiftly. A trip to
| LinnVille Falls took up one day all the girls
walked 1t was five miles. 1t was the greatest
day OF all. To sit at the foot OF the falls and
have the water bubble up at your tctt and the
spray dash up in your face and the roar OF the
fall mingle with the voice of your best girl, is,
to quote one of the fellows, heavenly"
Six days all filled with laughter and joy and
innocent pleasure. Friendships formed that
will last through years. and perhaps relations
that may last for life. Who knows Perhaps
the preacher might tell-if he would.
Those composing the camping party were :
| Misses Nena and Sallie Chandler, Florence
| Harris, Mabel Shown OF GreeneVille Dora Car
| gille Nettie Shortrldge and Miss Bowser of
| Louisville, KY; Rev. +. w. Barnett, George
WoGord. Jas. Summers, John and Joe Tilson
ChaS. Odom VIII and Allen Harris and Mes
L nafnno IInr IT, IA L A rrnl,r