The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-08-04
The Joys of Camping.
The Bugs and Bees They Bark and Bite.

everybody lays aside his business
and goes to the woods for spell to
rest up. There is nothing one looks
forward to with lighter heart
than a summer picnic on Clear
creek in fly time. Everybody en-
joyed himself hugely in anticipa-
tion, which Is good thing, indeed,
for otherwise it is exceedingly
doubtful If he would see the joke.
My summer home is not com.
plet ed yet, hence go picnicking
and enjoy myself rs we'll as l can.
I began building summer home
once, but 1 didn't finish it, NY
grocer became so attached TO 1t
that he took 1t for groceries. Prob
ably there are others who spend
their vacations at their summer
homes who owe considerable
around town for provisions. |
shall not complete my summer
home now un til the financial strin-
gency lets up little. The giocer
may keep the one he attached. 1t
didn't suit me very well, anyway.
l enjoy myself better going to pic.
mics.
like to go to a picnic on a red
hot day in July when the ther-
mometer is trying to crawl ont of
the top, trying to lift itself up by
its boot-straps, as it were, and then
90 fishing while dinner is being
prepared. F. am great success
fishing, but not always so success
full at catching fish, although l
catch everything else along the
creek, from mud turtles to wood
ticks. / believe all kinds of "crit-
ters" wait for me when they learn
that l am going fishing and get
ready for good time. l get more
bites than anybody, only to find
that something has swallowed the
bait and left me to hold the sack.
fed enough fish worms into Clear
creek to sustain good sized
aquarium, with no substantial re.
suits, while my neighbors landed
members Of the flnny tribe right
along. / use the expression "finny
tribe" more because it sounds class
ical than because | know its mean
ing. l engaged in brilliant con-
versation with the rest of the pic
nickers and the fish would come in
great schools for the purpose OF
listening to my gay and witty re-
marks and they would laugh
heartily whenever / make n good
point, which pleased me. 1t al.
ways pleases me to have others be.
sides myself join in the laugh. 1 do
not feel so lonesome when they do
And they weren't suckers, either
although some envi0us folks might
claim that as the reason why they
laughed.
There must have been a great
many OF them by the way bait dis.
appeared. 1t kept me busy batting
the hook and then to find the bait
gone and my guileless and child.
like nature imposed upon, | con.
cluded that the biggest fish was al
the other end of the line. Here.
after, when go fishing, shall use
six bits as bait and go to butcher
shop.
fastened to dinner, which was
spread ground through the timber
very neatly and tastily by the
men folks and enough had been
spent upon the meal to buy real
good banquet at Delmonico's, but
minus the environments. Said
environments consisted of all man.
ner Of bugs and insects and flies
and worms ard creeping things
and crawling things, all without
extra charge.
am naturally very dainty
feeder. Folks notice it and wonder
greatly. | had other business be
sides eating on the occasion of the
picnic on the banks of Clear creek
All manner of animal life marched
by in proc ession, like they march
ed past Noah into the ark, one by
one. If all had marched past,
should not have objected. but too
many stopped 10 interview me ant
become better acquainted. Many
strange bugs called on me anC
chatted for a moment among them
selves and sought new worlds Il
conquer. They seemed to get tn,
idea that l WAS q naturalist and en-
joyed animal life. They must have
judged me by my scholarly look
Appearances often deceive. Al
learned looking man as know
lives off his wife's mother.
And then the bugs would go ou
into the woods and tell Others
about it. They came in ever in