Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-11-13
A CONGRESS PICNIC.
Wanderings, Trials and TrIbulations of Party of Pleasure Seekers from
 the Bug Gold Camp.

spOnuence.) )0Ounuay party or IOur ladies of Congress, Mrs. Evans and three of the teachers of the Congress school, the Misses Thayer, Dysart and Steele, sallied forth with lunch, can teen and field glass for days tramp to Fools Gulch, a mining town seven miles from Congress.
 MT. Morgan, foreman of the Con gress Gold Co.'S mine, conveyed them over the hills to Martinez ranch and placed them on the trail.
 The veracious ranchman said it was two and half miles from the ranch to the Gulch and MT. Morgan said it was a fifteen minute walk by the field glass, but the ladies aver that, by the cyclometer, it was four miles over and five miles returning. They followed the faint, winding trail over the num- erous knolls, into numerous gulches before The Gulch at last rewarded the weary travellers. They looked frequently and longingly through the glass for the gulch but were fully re- warded when, at last, on reaching the summit of a slight hill the magic scene burst on their enchanted vision.
 The party arrived at 11:25 a. m. and took possession of one of the de- serted houses-there are but three families at present living In the gulch where, after refreshing themselves from the canteen and resting, they partook of lunch. They then took a much needed siesta on the spacious veranda. They think they can intel ligently sympathize with the genus hobo, for there were no hammocks, rugs or downy pillows to be found; but, as they are ladies of resource, Mrs. Evans reposed her weary head on Miss Thayer's shoe, Miss Dysart used the bare boards of the floor un- til they became so hard that she had recourse to a stone, when she enjoyed solid comfort. Miss Thayer had an umbrella and paper bag; Miss Steele declared she had the most comforta- ble pillow of ala tin pan with a dent into which her head fitted.
 After a refreshing sleep they fin ished the lunch, and longing for more, started out to see the town. They were accosted by the guardian of the peace, diminutive Miss Cynthia Hall, aged ten, who warned them not to take the rare species of cacti from one of the deserted houses, and pre- vented their breaking into the house where they saw an inviting cot and sofa. She escorted them past the row of closed saloons, standing guard in front of their barred doors and boarded up windows; nor did she leave them until she saw them retrac- ing their steps over the more hospita ble desert.
 They were sorry they had not in- cluded gun in their outfit as they saw, while going over, several rabbits and covey of quail; they brought away a ramrod from the house where they lunched, hoping they might en- counter some game on the return trip. They followed the trail home with no tagging step, although Mrs. Evans had watched the road longingly in the morning for stage or carriage. that might prove an easier means of returning in the afternoon. The only conveyance available, however, was a wheelbarrow, which they tried to pur- loin, but were discovered in the act by the juvenile city marshal. Like many other travellers on the desert they suffered for water, and one of the party was almost overcome; but while she lay fainting on the desert sand the others tipped the last drop of the contents of the canteen down her parched throat and revived her sufficiently to reach Martinez ranch, where they were warmly welcomed and hospitably entertained by Mrs. Ritter. After half hours rest they climbed the mountain, stopping on its summit long enough to put on their collars and rejoice at the sight of Congress, which is "a very nice town for its size" As they descended the mountain and came down the street their neighbors stood at the doors to watch for tagging footsteps, but were disappointed, for, on near ing home, they ran at no mean speed to see who would reach the gate first and demonstrate the fact that they were not tired.
 The only casualties of the trip were the dropping along the trail of ap- pies, sandwiches and cookies from the lunch dangling from Miss Thay- CTS shoulder and the catching of Miss Dysart's foot between two boul- ders on the mountain side.