The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-27
How to Take a Vacation With
out So Much Travelling.
A Big Party of Topeka People
Stays
A Week i'm the Woods ON Mission
Greek.
ADJUSTMENTS
Fishing, Swimming, Boating
and Resting i'm HammOcks.
Party Captures a ''Bee Tree"
With Interesting Results.

'gThere are some people in Topeka
who think a vacation will be failure
unless they can go to the seaboard or
Colorado" said Lawyer T. F. Doran as
he sat in his Office tilted back in his
chair with a contented look on his good
natured face. Those people tire them
selves half to death with a long trip"
he confined, ''and if they expect to feel
well they have to take a second vaca-
ton after they get home. But have
solved the vacation problem. 1t is not
necessary to leave Shawnee county to
recuperate. There are natural summer
resorts without number within easy
driving distance of Topeka and I have
just tried one Of them and spent the
most enjoyable week of my life and
came home thoroughly rested"
The party to which Mr.. DOran be
Eonged was made up of the following
Topeka men and their families: Sher-
if Porter S. Cook, Representative E. D.
McKeever, John T. CLANCY, Frank Lag
erstrOm and L. L. Kiene. The only I'M
married member of the expedition was
Miss BERTHE Love. who accompanied Mr..
and Mrs. Kiene. The camping place had
been selected beforehand. 1t was on
Mission creek, twelve miles directly
west or Topeka, only a stones throw
from the old Pottawatonlie Indian vii
1age where many of the old settlers of
Topeka witnessed Indian feasts and
the stream is precipitous hill from
the top of which the homesick urban
wanderer may catch a glimpse of the
state house dome. The stream tum-
bles over stones between quiet pools
an front of the camp ground and the
trees are large enough to furnish shade
and make people forget that this is a
prairie country.
Tt was at this spot that a wagon piled
nigh with tents and sundries arrived
one morning a week or two ago. A
man had been employed to do the cook
ing and under the direction of T. F.
Doran the tents were put in place by
noon. A conveyance was sent to Va
1encia to meet the members of the par
ty who were to come by train, while the
cook busted himself preparing the first
meal Five large tents were arranged
an semf-circular form and the kitchen
tent was pitched 100 feet away. A few
1eet from the cook tent a. canvas canO-
py covered a table of rough boards up
on which the meals were to be spread.
e The bill of fare was by no means
meager and every woman in the camp
who was Just sure" she could not eat
a thing pronounced the cook a Jewel
before she had risen from the table.
There was no worry about dish washing
or what there would be to eat All
that was left to the cook
There are always some things left I'M
dOneand the stars were blinking through
the tree tops before any one remem-
bered that the tents had not been
''ditched." The ditching of a tent con
SlSlS III digging a little trench around
the walls to prevent the water from
running into it in the event of rain
But the sky was clear and no one
thought of rain. The men were all
assigned to a large tent while the wo-
men and children were distributed
among the rest. There was no sIeep to
be thought of in the men S tent the first
night. There were too MANY stories to
be told. But about midnight a rumble
OF thunder was heard in the distance
Tom Doran was on his feet in a mo-
nent He was followed by Frank
1agerstrOm who was reiterating for the
twelfth time a fear that he would run
against some poison ivy somewhere and
become inoculated. But everything was
forgotten but the thunder and the two /
men went out in the night and dug
trenches around the tents occupied by |
their families. It took an hour. and |
when they returned E D. McKeever
was breathing heavily.
Come, get up" said Mr.. Doran.
KICKING the next speaker of the Kansas
legislature in the side. TT is going to |
rain and you had better ditch your
Wife's tent"
"Oh, let me alone" grunted Mckee
YER I don't believe it is going to |
ram and If L get up and ditch that tent |
kick myself
1t did not rain that night, but the fol- |
rowing evening the rain came down in 1
torrents and the Mckeever tent was |
still 'iunditched''
John Clancy and Tom Doran
brought in mess of squirrels the sec !
ond day and the camp had its first taste |
OF fresh meat. At the same time one |
OF the lady members of the party |
caught several fine catfish so that the |
and game.
The second night in camp a regular |
Il K minstrel show was organ ized |
with Tom Doran as interIocutor Fv-
every man and woman had to tell a sto- |
~, sing a song, or PROFOUND a comm |
rum While the logs cracked on a |
blazing camp fire the merry party |
cracked Jokes The woods rang with |
lAe SHOUTS and laughter and a farmer |
Who hved a mile away was awakened |
by the noise and hunted up the caun |
ers 10 ind out what was the matter |
DuI mere were no arrests for disturb |
ance OF the peace.
Sherln and Mrs. Porter s. Cook ar
rtNeq the second day. Mr.. Cook apolo- |
gized tor his hardness and was for |
given From the moment Sheriff Cool |
arrived he became an iron0r+e1+ eoo 800 |
IN the camp. He acted as guide for |
the uninittated. He fastened DOWN |
tents, carried water and made himself |
generally useful. He even listened |
sympathetically to the man who bad
q IrlghtfuI dread of poison ivy. who nv
this time had discovered a little minnie |
on his wrist which he declared was fbe |
beginning of terrible infiction. The |
day after Sheriff Cook arrived there |
came near being a tragedy in the ranks |
OF the campers. Representative Nc
AeeVer donned pair of heavy shoes
and some old clothes and accompanied |
several other members of the party 11p |
the creek. A boat was tied al the end |
OF long, deep eddy. Into this boat |
Sheriff Cook piloted the legislator. The
oH1cer rowed and things went well for
some time. Finally Mr.. Cook tilted the
boat to see what effect it would have
on his passenger. Mr.. McKeever smiled |
and tried to look happy. Another tilt |
and the boat half filed with water. Mr..