The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1911-11-02
The Disturbing
Element

"No," said the girl in the gray
pongee. as she put aside her green silk
parasol and proceeded to hunt down
half dozen hatpins lost in the maze
Of tiny green buds on the gray hat.
I'm through camping!"
Her audience sat up and gasped in
wonder. The girl in the gray pongee
was the champion camper Of the neigh.
borhood.
1--WE camped for the last time!"
she said. emphatically, after allowing
a proper time to elapse. for the sake
Of impressiveness. cts grown worse
and worse every year. but this year It
was positively unbearable.
when We first started camping"
explained the girl in the gray pongee.
I'VE made an ironclad rule that We
would lead the simple life. We would
live in our gym clothes. eat our meals
IN so-as-you-please fashion and pass
the evenings in whatever garb pleased
u most; In fact. DO perfectly natural
for tho whole two blessed weeks.
1t was such . relief to know that
You could luxuriate for those two
weeks in bloomers and blouses, or in
wet bathing suits, without having to
worry lest somebody accidentally see
you. i used to count on It all winter.
when went around strapped into
DRESSES that would have burst II I
had had another eighth Of an inch Of
circumference!
Then last year some Of the girls
Informed 10 that . crowd of young
men were going to camp near US. and
we'd have to entertain them once in 4
while. Some Of US baked, not 90
much At the entertaining once in Z
| while as at the fact that there were
going to be men in the neighborhood.
It meant that we'd have to think about
our looks and that spoiled the camp
ing!
well. we had to endure the inflic-
ton. The men were there and when
they weren't invited they came any,
way and sang silly songs under our.
windows.
"The girls they knew thought it was
SO romantic. The rest of us, however,
were simply Disguised and we told
the girls SO. too. But do you suppose
It did any good? They just smiled
sweetly and went and covered their
faces with cold cream and powder be.
fore going sailing. for fear they'd get
sunburned!
"The rest of US made up our minds
that we'd not be-shall say bullied?
into dressing up every evening, even
II those who had callers did devote
their mornings to ironing and washing
to make themselves lovely. We deter
mined to go on dressing as we had
dressed before and merely to shun the
men,
"But do you suppose we could?
Mercy! We'd go for stgpll down by
the bay and there we'd meet one Of
our girls all in white with a man!
We'd dart behind trees until they'd
passed and then we'd go back along
the path thinking that we'd get into
a dark corner Of the porch and have a
good time talking. But the darkest
corners were always filled with
couples and of course we couldn't sit
in the light in our boomers! 1t was
simply case of dress up or go to bed,
80 we finally chose the former. for it
was too hot to swelter in bed. and the
men came awfully early!
'This year, when We went out. the
girls all promised faithfully that they
wouldn't invite . single man. We were
going to have . real old fashioned
camp. and. oh! how I was looking for
ward to It!
well. the very first evening who
should happen to pos b. IN IN auto
mobile but Jack etrone! One q the
girls called out to him-snd I Just
know she had been expecting him. We
al had to run In and dress IN skirts,
while he rat In his car ana waited for
10.
"ae took some C @ ~ Q ~, -
before he left he asked II b COULDN'T