The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-10-25

From Longman's Magazine.
The summer after our very trying ex-
periences at sandyport--where most Of
our months holiday was spent in turn
ing away from the cottage We had rented
oil other families TO whom Mr.. Joseph
Scorer had also let it-my wife insisted
| on trying the east coast You see, she
comes from the north herself, and she
had, think, an idea that as Fast Anglia
lay nearer her native land than Sussex
or Wessex, the inhabitants would be
more likely 10 be imbued with, or at all
events 70 some eXten tinctured with,
| some OF the more prominent virtues, In
cluding that OF honesty. than she had
found I'm the Southrons. These latter snc
considered spoiled by the annual thrush
of Lon6oners all I'm a heap in August
which made the natives masters of Ine
situation and gave tnem opportunities for
haymaking OF which Il WAS altogether
too much 10 expect human nature not TO
1 take advantage.
/ We fixed on Fellxstowe as our head
| quarters. and with our last years expert
ences still very fresh i'm our minds we ma
turally reverted to lodgings. IL they
be desired-are such TO be found this side
| OF Hesven?--we could at all events leave
! them for q whole day at time without
the certainty of finding a furious father
and an anxious mother and brood of
| distressful children ciamoring for pos
session when We returned.
And II the Felixstowe beach I'D not
fully answer the family requirements
| in the matters OF sand and pools, Laere
were compensations TO be found else
where
On the low lying standy spit near the
! old fort was soldiers camp, with dr: i
! ing ground and shooting ranges. and In
these things my youngsters took the
keenest interest and delight. They lay
! by the hour I'm the wire grass and watch
ed the shooting. and wandered over the
/ butts when IL was over ana dug up treas
! ure trovc in the shape OF long metal
/ Lee Metford carthage cases and conf
cal bullets which had wandered wild
among the sand hills. We bequeathed
| nearly a cartload OF such spoil TO our
! landlady when we went home. much 10
her surprise and disgust. They were
never tired Of lingering through the cam
vas streets Of the camp. the houses OF
which bore fanciful legends in uncouth
charcoal characters, the marks at once
Of burned stick and a pointed II none
TOO polished wit. and possibly something
OF retaliatory spirit. The Home for
Lost Dogs" struck us as hardly iikely 70
have been so labelled by It's inhabitants,
but as being more probably reply In
kind from the occupants Of the RAT
Pit" next door, or possibly ia quoque
from the Flea Trap or Monkey
House" or "Cockytoo Lodge or the
''Monerels Parlor" all Of which were ad-
| jacent. or possibly II was the tangible
evidence Of midnight raid by ne
Laughing Jackasses" at the other END
\ of the camp
Our young folks haunted the camp
! and cam. TO know II in all--well, say, IN
/ most of--its phases. They watched IL
work and they watched 1t play-at cards
| and draughts and dominos, at FOOTBALL
cricket and auoits. They criticised its
| cooking arrangements and it's various
| methods of devouring its food, which.
| am bound to say tended rather toward
business-like dispatch than toward ele-
! gancc of manners They watched 1t re-
| ceive its letters and retire into corners
! 70 read them. and lie hat on its stomach
] IN write it's replies with much arduous
toll OF hand and tongue. lney heard II
sing and laugh an grumble They saw
! il receive its modest pay. and then creep
dingy and grubby, into It's triangular
| darknesses whence. after orief period
( OF retirement, II emerged radiant IN put-
! terfv scarlet, with shining face ana pias-
! tered hair ornamented with precaTiously
/ clinpinr can. and thor. with diminutive
| cane twirling 'jauntily, they saw IL strut
I nroudly away to the town on conquest
bent.
Roth my boys were going TO be soldiers
| the moment they were big enough. bo'h
my girls We're going 10 marry s"Iolers 90 90
| soon as they grew up. ] felt II my duty
! 10 beg them 10 become. and To choose, OF
I Ncers and my mind was relieved when
! they stated that such, or course was
their intention.
But one morning there sprang up on a
| vacant plot among the sand hummocks
between the camp and the town sudden
mushroom growth OF white peil teuts ar
( ranged in symmetrical lines around the
/ four sides of a long parallelogram, with
I large square mess tents at each end and
! cooking ovens dug out OF the sand nils
| beyond the lines The work was execut-
/ ed i'm businesslike fashion by soldierly
men Of graver aspect and more soper
| rnien than the light hearted irresponsi-
/ bles OF the Rat Trap" and the Home
! for Lost Dogs beyond. some of whom
/ strolled down 10 offer suggestions, which
1 were received with chilling lack OF at
| tenton.
Presently with a shrill squeak of many
J fifes and much rattle OF kettlcdrums, there
! marched in from the station regiment
| of boy soldiers, the eldest l should say
| not more than 1b but every man OF them
bearing himself with all the conscious
| pride OF n bemedalled veteran Of So
! Thenceforth the Rat Trap" and the
! "Mongrers Parlor" and the home Of the
Laughing JaCkasses' knew us no more.
| A.. our attention was centred on the
yo thful warriors of the new camp, and
we soon came TO know them in the lump
as well as we mad known their elders
/ further along the shore.
But even warriors In the lump are not
as interesting as individuals. and as we
/ became familiar with the machinery of
| the camp our chief enjoyment began 20
| r....nl..o nrnuI,d narlicmlar utIla unit