The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-09-19
A House Party in Andover.

outside our door the next morning con-
veying to our still sleepy brains the in
formation that, if we wanted to go fish
ing before breakfast we'd better "get
busy" The watch beside us said five
O'Clock, but the longing for longer
nap was overcome by the fascination
of the rod and line, and it was not very
many minutes before we reported for
duty on the slip -9si - -
The wind, which had blown all night,
had not abated and the pond was tleck-
ed with white-caps, while the surround
ing mountains were Shrouded in mist.
The row out to a white birch stake spot
ted the evening before was one not soon
TO be forgotten, as it offered an entirely
new set of sensations. The sun had not
risen when we left the pier and the hur-
rying clouds which draped the mountain
sides and obscured their tops were a
cold gray, and almost oppressive in
their apparent nearness. As the sun
began its upward journey, however, the
SptttdClC lHOlCuoVtt III UCaoVy anu "OI-
der. As the first warm tints began to
glow upon the cloud bank enveloping
the hills back of the camp a new i'm.
letuS seemed to be added to the other
clouds, which raced over the hills, now
hiding them entirely now lightly veil
ing their tops, almost as if they saw
before them their impending doom and
intended making the best of their stay
US the yellow ball of fire came up from
behind the hills its warm glow struck
The distant mountain tops here and
there and bathed them in a mellow
light The clouds were not to be de-
feated easily, however, for a hillside
bright with the sunlight which outlined
It's wooded slope and made each tree
top stand out in bold relief, would the
next minute be wrapped in a thick gray
blanket Off in the distance old Bald |
pate rose, towering above the other |
-Four mountains, whose slopes were |
outlined in various tinted blues, from /
a deep indigo which rivalled that of the
lake to a soft blue-gray. AS the sun
rose higher and higher the clouds seem.
ed to flee down behind the mountains, |
leaving lacy trails of mist that tloated |
lazily over the hillsides and seemed to |
drape themselves over the tallest tree |
tops.
From tie center Of the pond. where
oar boat was made fast to the birch !
stake, there was no visible sign of habi- |
tation, and not even a curl of smoke |
betrayed the presence of the lonely |
farmhouses. Everything in the sur
rounding country added to the illusion I
that we were in a pristine wilderness,
when suddenly came the unexpected, |
faint, yet clear, "who- whoo-whoo-o'' of |
a train from over behind the hills 1t |
was the early train for Bemis, and it
served as reminder of the fact that |
there will soon be no part of our State
where the iron horse does not pene-
trate
The lake was bit too rough for sue
cessfuI fishing, but despite that fact
our boat brought home fine black |
bass OF our return for breakfast, |
which was heartily welcomed when we
reached camp again. After the meal
and a delicious one it was with white
perch as the piece de resistance
was over everybody bestirred them
selves, as breaking camp was in order
and the packing was to be done The
plan was to move over to the camp on
the island for the remainder of our
stay, and the rolls of bedding, eatables,
etc, were sent over in two boats. while
the ladies of the party watched their
progress from the slip and commented |
rather unkindly upon the successful
catching OF several crabs, as the heavily |
laden boats came in contact with the
waves
After the packing had been accom-
plished, a hunting party of five was
organized to seek grasshoppers, and,
armed with wide mouthed jar and
a tin can. they had set forth to
field not far away from camp, where,
amid much excitement, enough bait |
was secured to last week. When the
boats returned from the island the fish
ing enthusiasts divided into two parties
and set out, leaving behind the extra
boat and the few who did not care for
the sport. Our boat again sought the
birch pole, and successful mornings
fishing was the result, several black
bass and some ''pouts" finding their re-
luctant way into the boat.
About noon the welcome sign of
smoke arising from the island sent us
hurrying thither, to find the two little
camps open and the stay -at-homes in
possession. The building containing
the dining room and kitchen was soon
the scene of much sctivity, and more
fun, as the cooking utensils were not so
numerous as in our last abiding rlaces
and chairs were at a premium. Lemon
cream was made in a tin pan, stirred |
with fork, and with several substi-
tutes for the regular ingredients used |
in itS rlra1la 20 finn or1 carro5 IL, bonl