Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-12-11
WOMEN OF THE WOODS.

The woman who longs for the real
woods and whose brother or husband
leaves home in the fall of the year to
go for his game, has only to gather TO-
gether few things aud little courage
for the first trip and she belongs to the
woods forever after, and has opened
the door TO many new and wonderful
experiences which she will be the bet
ter for as long as she lives. If she goes
every year, as she will if circumstance
permit, she will find each trip new
experience unlike any of the others.
Sometimes weather and opportunities
Immediately favorable, and sometimes
weather bad and chances few. 1t mat
ters little after the trip is over, and one
is once more at home, which expert
ence has been ones lot, the desire to GO
again the next year is just as keen, and
when the actual time for starting comes
it takes something very real and vital
to keep one at home.
j The startinto the woods is generally
made from some small town, and
should Canada he chosen as the happy
limiting ground, the train will doubt
less leave you at this town in the mid
die OF the night, only to be taken to
some wretched little hotel whose whole
working force numbers some four OF
five persons.
The road to the river is sure to be a
shockingly bad one, and after being
jolted and shaken about for an hour or
so,-it is very restfnl to get out and walk
for a time. In this way the river is
reached late in the afternoon, in time
to make camp, and there is most
comfortable little sentiment construct
ed on the waters edge almost before
you know it. One man goes for balsam
boughs for the beds, the cook puts up
poles for the crane and gets out his sup
plies, and the other man is chopping
down birch or poplar trees and cutting
them up for the big fire and placing
the tents.
A guide who is an expert at bed
making first finds as level place as he
can, and, making it even more level
with his ak, puts the small balsam
twigs he can strip from his boughs
on the ground in the same way shin
giles are placed on roof, each row
partly covering the next. He then
spreads the rubber blanket on this and
lays four thicknesses of heavy blankets
on that, four more layers to cover you.
This will be considered an ample sup
ply of blankets, but to pass a restless
night for the lack of one or two extra
ones is foolish, when every good nights
rest helps woman to s'make goodu
the next day, and look forward to the
coming night with pleasure.
The supper the first night is sure to
be good one, for the first few days is
fresh meat, and besides, if someone in
the party has little 22 rifle it has
surely been the death of a grouse or
two on the way in. Broiled grouse,
fried onions, potatoes and freshly made
corn cake-what could be more invit-
ing? One is sleepy early in the out-of-
doors, and by half past or every one
is tucked away to sleep good ten
hours. if there is no reason for an early
start. No fear of bears or charging
moose disturbs ones rest, for by the
time one has spent few hours with
the guides and heard their stories
around the fire, the woman who from
the security of home has had few
private misgivings on this point is now
hoping to have the luck to see one.
The spirit of the chase has taken pos
session of her, and in few days time
she will be perfectly astonished at her
latent capacity to enjoy the primitive
state and all that it means. The
awakening to real freedom of thought
and action is wonderful to the feminine
mind, so accustomed to deal in petty
details and the purely conventional;
and how immeasurably it broadens
woman's sense of proportion. The
hrst requirements Of primitive man
shelter, water, food and fire-which we
have hitherto regarded as matters of
course, now assume an unwonted
Importance in her mind, and the sense
OF being an integral part of nature
instead OF mere automaton, occupied
with immaterial issues like SO many
millions of others, fascinates her. She
now begins to appreciate that the great
silent woods are her natural home, and
she is never lonely there. She finds
the rough woodsman a gentleman at
heart-considerate, courteous and
thoughtful. Perhaps the most won
derful thing of all to her will be the
way in which these men adapt the
bounty of the woods to the needs of
their crude housekeeping. Tables,
chairs, plates, clothes pins, tent poles,
cranes, string any many other things
are hanging on the trees like Christ
mas presents, to see them. 1t seems
only necessary to be conscious of a
want to find the wherewithal to fill it
right at hand, and it gives one of the
most comfortable feelings to know there
is material ready for all ones essential
needs as they may raise.-Recreation.
The Diplomat.
"We have imported few Directoire
gowns" announced the conservative
merchant. "Only the more daring will