Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-09

This is the forest primeval with
murmuring pines and its sprucelocks. I"
breathed Dad Blank fervently as fol-
lowed by Ma Blank and the five kid
Blanks he wound his way through the
forest depths. my kingdom for a
biscuit" yelled Point Blank. the old
est of the kids. Patience, son." coun-
selled Ma Blank, there lie but five
miles now between us and the sweet
pine grove where we will make our
home midst the scent Of :: balsam and
the music of dropping cones. ice
cream cones, MAJ" queried Alb Blank,
the 10 year old girl athlete of the
Blank outfit.
The Blank family, as the above con-
versatton intimates, has made its way
into the forest grove where it will re-
main for two months. living the life Of
the primeval human, joining with the
wit and experience of the Goth cen
fury mind all the cunning and craft Of
the paleolithic age. That the Blanks
went light clad anyone acquainted
with the family might know: they
couldn't have taken much in the
clothes line for they left on, the
clothes line seven full outfits, and
ordinarily under such conditions one
would know that the Blanks were
either all in bed. or all in swimming.
Let the world know the bare truth; the
Blanks have gone into the woods gar
mented only with girdles of coon skins
in order that they may pass their two
months of forest delights with renude
interest in nature.
The seven left their home before
dawn Thursday morning and just as
the sun was busting over the horizon
they one at a time dropped off their
bath robes and skipped through the
dense hedge Of foliage which shuts
the world q ordinary persons from a
view into the forest. Dad Blank led
the way and Ma Blank was close at
his heels. Next followed Point Blank,
named when he was such a small
blank he was naturally called Point;
after him went Cleo Blank, fair lass
of Is years named after Cleopatra;
she was followed by Leo Blank, a lad
Of IL years named after his sister
Cleo but with the C silent like the T
in ice; tripping lightly behind Leo
went Alb Blank, the 10 year old ath-
letic girl named after Absolute; and
in the rear trod six-year- old P. M.
Blank, named afternoon. ~.i> 49, -.
1t was long past the hour at which
habit burdened folks partake of the
noon day meal when the Blank family
anchored itself on a gently sloping
hillside in a pine grove deel in the
heart of the Maine jungle, 100 miles
from nowhere (also called Brewery.
Dad Blank explained that he had
chosen the slope because in a rain the
water would drain off quickly and
that though the little Blanks might
slip down the hill in their sleep now
and then such accidents were prefer
able to slip-ups.
Don't make your bed on the steep
PITCH" Dad advised as he picked out
for himself the smoothest spot in the
grove with a gentle grade. "Ain't GO
ing to make my bed on any pitch"
promised P. NJ, Il just got some of
the darned stuff stuck onto my knee
and it's wors'n glue"
Now you folks make deep beds of
pine needles while Point and 1 do a
little hunting" said Dad; 1.-THE winds
have sowed the needles all through
the grove and 1t won't take long to
gather bushels of them" HUH"
growled P. NJ, reckon the needles
have sewed the wind over here where
you told me to make my bed; there
amt morn a handful Of 'um to begin
with. What are you goin' to hunt for,
Dad?"
"A mosquito, son." Dad replied:
Point and I saw a huge one Just be-
fore we arrived. We will go hunt him
at once lest he disturb our slumbers.
Upon our reurn we will erect water
proof coverings over the beds and
make a fire" Thereupon the twain
sunk out Of sight in the shadows Of
the valley, only to return empty hand
ed within half hour. They had fol-
lowed a hum. which they believed to
be mosquitoes, for some distance
but when Dad finally overlook the
cerature and tripped it onto its back,