The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-06-17
Entertained His Friends, the
Newspaper Reporters, at
His Camp on Lake Scat
tering Rice.

Billy Mason OF Illinois was love-
able. The veteran congressman made
companions of his sons and lived in a
delightful free masonry with his neigh
bors. The newspaper boys" were his
playmates.
Whenever Billy Mason went fish
ing on Lake Scattering Rice in the
North Wisconsin woods. 1t was his
habit 70 have several Of the reporters
from the dowastate or Chicago news
papers IN the party. Boarding the
train Mason would put on his spectaclcs
dig UP an old black pipe and begin
Rhunl game lasting until bed time.
There was tact understanding that
nothing was for publication. The emin.
emf representative would talk Of Wash
ington affairs freely with his report
orial friends. He never blamed a re-
porter for the editorial policy OF his
paper and a. time when certain Chi
cago dalies were attacking him he was
not IN the least put out at the boys
a member OF The Times staff was
fortunate In sharing the hospitality of
the Mason camp two summers ago.
Reaching Eagle RIVER. WIS. early one
Saturday morning IN August the party
left the Pullman TO SILVER in the biting
cold. The sun was a daub OF red erner-
gIng from the forest on the Deerskia
river.
The fire in the big wood burner at
the little hotel was welcome to the
amateur fishermen who wore sweaters
and overcoats and talked Of the change
OF climate from the torpid loop Il was
natural 70 feel almost contemptuous of
the perspiring thousands milling over
the dirty streets IN that human bake
oven back in Chicago
Breakfast was devoured rapaciously
end the party was led to the boat house
where the mornings work OF loading
the camp outfit and provisions began
It was almost noon before the launch
was IN the river chugging IFS way UP
the winding Wisconsin stream through
the chain Of twenty-one lakes. each
more enhancing than the other. Past
all resorts and cottages the boat plow-
ed on until il reached the shores OF
Lake Scattering Rice. The camp site
was ideal--a little plateau reached by
steep ascent from the water and
skirting the majestic pines. A little
spring dubbed cold clear water from
beneath tha hill.
LEWIS F. Mason was the cook and
assigned each member Of the party 10
his chores. After the tents had been
raised and everything put in the place
II was TO occupy for three weeks to
come. the boys began telling trees and
cutting hrewood with q zeal that they
regretted when they tried 20 raise their
aching bodies from the hard camp cots
in the morning.
The second day lirped by and II was
two or three days before the soreness
was gone. Then began the sport in
the water, fishing for muskiAs in the
rain. diving from floats into the ice
cold lake. wrestling and the horse-play.
Every once in while somebody got
hurt but there was no use being mad.
The party kept getting rougner as the
hides of the participants got tougher.
How those boys could eat Billy Ma
son said they should be ashamed Of
themselves. filing UP to the bursting
point and then laying down in the sun
like negroes on the levee TO sleep. No
body so much as asked for q newspa per.
And when Arthur Evans of The Chi