The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-05-06
The Tent Lady's Conquest of Youth

NV hau cohie 10 see her. People VINO live
IN a tent are not always desirable ac-
quaintances, you know-so much tubercu-
losis, you see and you don't know Just
what KIND of persons they re-an any
way it hardly pays, don't you know, to
get acquainted for they're only transients
after all-and all the rest of it.
So the Tent-Lady was a little lonely
Just a little. 1t becomes mOnotonOus in
time TO cOnfne all ones remarks to the
grocery boy, be he ever SO friendly.
Long before 10 o'clock the eager guests
arrived in a body. Petey Smith, full of
importance, with a flour sack over his
shoulder half full of potatoes; Jim San
derson with a can of salmon and no can
opener but his trusty iackknife; Fatty
Watson with a bakery cake crushed under
one fat arm; Scrubby Pierce with a berry
pie already ooZing crimson juice through
the newspaper wrapping; Scrubby's small
sister, Pearl, who had tagged al0ng,' he
disgustedly informed the other boys,
bearing a loaf of bread and her chum,
Gladys Donovan, who had also tagged"
The Tent-Lady welcomed them all and
in a short time the gay procession started,
the boys laden like pack mules with tin
plates, cups, frying pan, baskets and
boxes.
On the way the Tent-Lady and the girls
picked up and carried every bit OF wood
they came across and when they reached
the clump OF eucalyptus trees over beyond
Temple street and deposited their burden
there was a goodly pile of fuel.
The boys, with wild wh0ops of Joy, scat
tered in search Of more-all but Petey
Smith, who, under the Tent-Lady's in
struetions, started to construct a wonder
full furnace of cobblestones on which to
boil coffee and set the frying pan.
1t was a glorious dinner. The Tent
Lady in her big all-over apron kneit be-
fore the fire and buried the potatoes in
the hot ashes, fried the bacon and made
the coffee, ably assisted by all-too-willing
hands.
The Tent-Lady would have made a good
general. She set the two little girls to
work spreading the newspapers on the
grass and arranging the tin dishes with
some semblance of order; kept Fatty Wat
son eagerly stuffing in more fuel and col
oring his round face crimson with his
exertions and the heat; got Jim Sander
son to open his can of salmon and made
use of Serubby Pierce as general utility
man." Not one but was allowed to help
about that dinner and at last it was ready
and they all sat down.
Why do baked beans warmed over in a
tin pail taste better than any other way?
Why do strips of bacon, smoky and curly
from toasting on the end of a green
switch ever the fire taste better than in
a restaurant or hotel? And why do
baked potatoes, too well done on one side
and a little rare on the other, taste more
Jali.tono than Whan carVcd at homo in
the usual conventional way?
That was the beginning. Every Satur-
day the Tent-Lady and her happy crowd
repeated the delightful performance. Sat
urday morning work was done on Friday
after school, candy money saved to spend
for stuff to cook" other boys struggled
in and a girl or two added until the Tent
Lady declared a round dozen of them was
surely enough.
And when school closed for the Sum-
mer vacation and the handsome homes in
that section closed too, and the families
went to the various beaches, envious
glances were sent toward the Tent-Lady's
little white tent and the poor rich boys
would gladly have stayed at home all
Summer because it was fun to go over the
hill and camp out.
For they kept it up all Summertime
Tent-Lady and her jolly crowd of wor-
shippers, BY this time she had become
the rising and setting sun in every boys
heart, while the girls told one another
over and over again how sweet and
dear" she was.
BY the Fourth Of July when, frecrack-
ers and all, they sought the well-knOwn
clump of eucalyptus trees and made
preparations. for a wonderful dinner in
honor of the day, every last little bit Of
the Tent-Lady's cough was gone. In fact
she had forgotten how to cough. Her
laugh was like a peal of silver sleigh
bells and she could lead the boys and
girls straight through a glee club song
without stopping once to clear her throat.
And there were pink roses blooming in
her cheeks and she could run up the
steepest little hills on the way to the
camping ground without even Petey
Smiths grimy paw to help her.
In September when school re-opened
there was a wonderful surprise for the
sixth-grade boys and girls. There, at the
teachers desk--sweet and happy-faced, in