The Washington herald., 1913-07-06


Thompson likes best to be
known. For three years she has led
the life of the forest. mountain and
plains. has lived on dry jerked beer
and alkali water, "bathed in pools
among vast pines where none but
four-footcd things had ever been be-
fore, been sung asleep by the coy
otcs' evening lullaby, looked in the
morning on the big, round footprints
of mountain lion where he had
sneakcd in darkness past her saddle
pillowed head, driven Il four-in-hand
over corduroy roads and ridden horse
back over the painless spaces of two
continents. No wonder she loves her
ma jcstic primcval title-'the woman
who goes a-hunting with her hus-
band!" And he is II famous natural
list and author.
II just suits the dark, deep spaces
of the forest and the lonely wind
swept heights, for when she creeps
cautiously along the base of n rocky
cliff. or concrals herself behind Il
tree in order to gain n closer APP
proach to the game she is stalking,
she seems like an Indian woman,
born and bred to the fascination of
the wild life. TO see her ready for
one of her mountain expeditions is
lesson in the possibility of feminine
attire: for she wears n sort of suit
of whipcord. grayiSh-brown. the color
of the landscape. and the most SEN
sihlc boots! leggingS and cap imagin-
able. "Why should II woman look
like freak, even in sport?" she de
mandS in her irrrSiStihly lively.
breezy fashion, and answers her own
question by proving that II woman
can do all sorts of things in the out
door life. do them we'll. cover herself
with glory from athletic frats. and
vet look as wrll-brcd and charming
in whipcord roughing suit as in
the laces and frills of the drawing
room.
WHEN am under the spell of the
mountains and desert" she an
nouncrd once to n circle of wonder
ing friends who cOnidnf see why she
wanted to do such singular things.
"the mantle of civilized life slips Off
from me as easily as n discarded
cloak. simply don't care for any
of the things of my town life;
neither for people, nor pleasant
friends, nor social amuscments, nor
city devices. They just fade away.
become merely n healthy animal. 1t
is joy to eat, to use ones muscles.
to buffet with wind and rain. to en-
dure long hours of riding. jump an
obstacle instead of going around it
and return physically, at least. to
ones pinafore days. I know now
why the birds sing. The wild life
is n glorious eNhiaration. a feeling
that existence is rosy dream. and
that all wrong. fever and fret is
of mans making and mere illu-
sion. Real life is to he frce-to
fly over grassy mountain meadows
with never fence or house in sight.
with the eternal peaks towering
above you, terrible in vastncss. vet
alluring. The fascination of hunting
lies not in the killing. but in seeing
wild creatures at home amid their
glorious surroundings. in feeling
frcely-rushing blood, hcalth-giving
air. and a splendid sense of the joy
and life in nature both within and
without. | don't think woman has
really lived until she feels the pull
of the mountains and plains"
When Mrs. SetOn-Thompson goes in
for anything she goes in thoroughly
determined to see il through and to
gain all the experience possible in a
limited time. When she rode II cow
pony in California roundup the
cowboys gathered round to listen to
her arguments why she should be al