The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-16
4 U I. IN A TENT.
Life in q City OF Canvas by the Sea In South.
ern California.

and have been one lot many months, Dut
instead Of being enclosed by four walls
of brick and mortar, like my comrades in
Manhattan and it's vicinity. my four walls
and roof as we'll are OF canvas. 1 am in a
tent in southern California.
An ehterprising man. selecting a high
piece Of ground on a point running out
into the Pacific Ocean, has erected a village
=, tents. has furnished them with wooden
an. t;fIeted floors. screened doors and
windows, soft and comfortable couch
beds. wardrobes, mirrors. centre tables
and easy chairs. whitman oil stove heater
for chilly days, the meals being taken at
a restaurant belonging to the village. or
this colony ! am one.
on this point Of land, swept by the
bfeeaes from the Pacific, one day 10 much
like another as to temperature; in fact,
we might truthfully say that We are per-
petually living in the leafy month OF June.
Never does a night pass when a blanket,
sometimes two. is indispensable. The
nights are always cool, restful and sleep
inducing.
Usually with the going down OF the sun
the trade winds cease to blow and the nights
are still. 80 still in fact that one might
imagine himself in the depths OF a deep
mine On these still nights. when the
surf Is silent along the ocean front and
the ocean lives up TO it's peaceful name,
the hooking birds have a way Of breaking
out into song, and from the chaparral
near by their limpid notes echo in the sur
rounding stiffness.
Close by my tent and visible through
my window is a large flag pole. Every
morning at 8 O'Clock Old Glory is run up,
and regularly with that event a hooking
bird comes out from the %chaparral n
perching itself upon the wooden ball at
the apex Of the staff just let's itself loose.
In the medley OF sound given forth by this
little songster IL is not difficult under the
circumstance to pick out here and there
bars Of THE Star Spangled Banner"
1t is interesting at night to listen when the
surf is breaking upon the Outbound shore
70 hear the roll OF a great comber as it tears
the beach. Gently comes the sound at
first. increasing quickly to a roar and sub
siding as the great wave. broken into a
froth, e1pends it's broken surface upon
the sands. Incessant pounding OF the
waves has worn great caverns in the cliffs,
and when the winds blow, piling the angry
surf high upon the shore, the beating OF
the waters against the openings Of these
caves creates a booming sound that all
but makes the earth quake.
On foggy nights when the bosom OF the
ocean heaves and swells, a sort OF legacy
from a recent storm spell, we hear the
whistling buoy as well as the tolling bell
anchored over the rocky shadows. 1t
a weird combination, the signing OF the
whistling buoy, deep and humanlike. AKIN
70 the struggles OF n soul striving to leave
the body and pass over the great divide.
And then comes the weird ding dong,
ding dong, as OF a passing bell helping
q knell out the struggling soul and ring
"a well a requiem over those who have
gone down to the sea in ships and nave
vhitened the still and darksome dep tbs
with their bones. Think of the sea claiming
as a tribute each year more than a thousand
ships Of all kinds and between eight and
ten thousand lives. Surely King Neptune
demands a heavy tribute of lives and treas
urC.
Our winter is with us a rainy season
and il has a very accommodating way of
usually raining at night, 80 that, the ground
being absorbent, when you look out in the
morning it shows little or no evidence of any
rain. " is pleasant to listen to the pitter
pstter Of the rain drops on the canvas over
boad.
Gently. even as the walking Of a humming
Tlt0 upon the CdllNuS, CbIllt lile advancing
drops of rain. Then the drops increase
in size and number AS If a whole colony OF
birds we're using your tent roof for a ball
room floor. Swifter and swifter fall the
drops until the impact Of water is so steady
AS 10 simulate a sheet instead OF a success
sioI Of watcrdroDs.
The wind freshens, sometimes approx
mating a gale, and great sheets of water are
dashed up against the side canvas OF the
tent. My bed is but a few inches from the
80 800 -El 49, - rAnnl. ~ate WNNv IA ~
and feel the impact of the water. The tent
ropes strain and the canvas roof and sides.
under the air pressure, wave and flap; but
the tents are quilt to stand such emergen-
cles and nothing gives way, and although
there Is water, water everywhere, not a drop
enters our tent.
To me il is a very pleasant sensation TO
listen to the onrush of the waterladen wine
against the tent and to hear the rain run in
torrents from the caves of the tent. You
snuggle up under your warm blankets and
find yourself going of into sound sleep,
ohlivious to the warning element outside.
\ peal Of thunder and a fash of lightning
now and then add TO the reality Of the situa-
ton.
At the close of the rainy season the chap
narral and fields take on a new garb. The
verba santa and wild sage spring into leaf
and blossom and the brown sunburned
fields have become as variegated as the
nature Dainted rocks Of the Crane Canon
~ VAIN ANIl " 'lN ola 80 - ~
tread upon a carpet such as no Persian rug
ever rivalled for color.
The aroma arising from these wild blooms
as one treads his way along is delightful.
Tie air is redolent with the perfume from
n" yrrba santa blossoms as we'll as the
aromatic odor from the wild sage, As you
wander along you pass an orange or lemon
orchard in bloom, and a. the breeze carries
the sweetly scented air TO you IL is easy to
ima ginc yourself surrounded by the per-
fumes Of Arabv the blcst.
In time the white orange blossoms give
place 10 little green nodules. which in time
grow large and round and then take on a
rich golden yellow, and nov we see al orange
grove IN full bearing, the limbs of the trees
actually bending to the ground under the
Weight Of the luscious fruit. To eat an
oranRe picked slightly immature and sent
away boxed to the Eastern market and to
eat one from the tree, ripened under the
rays of the sun until the pulp, developed
10 perfection by drinking in the rays Of the
sIn. Is a. soft az q peach arc two different
th'nRs II is gladdening TO the eye to see
hundreds Of orange trees with their golden
t'ut, nesting amongst the deep green
foliage OF tho limbs.
No must not overlook our friend Of the