Evening star., 1939-08-27

which wound a tortuous stairway
built into the sides of a declevity
four years ago by the hands of the
jolly Treasurer and his chosen aides.
just after the war was ended. On
the summit of the hill I found an
encampment of tents and therein
such galaxy of beauty as might
have driven Mohammed mad.
Twelve maids fairly engrossed the
view when the grand picture of
mountain and river had crossed the
horizon of my vision.
"One lay in hammock and slum-
bered as If she slept on dormouse
pie with sauce of sirup of poppy,
and she snored like a gentle por-
poise. Another, who was wide awake,
lay by her side and sang like
mermaid. There are no hotels, no
stores, no dwellings. There is not a
mouse on one Of the many acres Of
solid ground. But when summer
comes, the whole island puts on the
appearance of an improvised city.
Large tents are pitched upon the
ridge, which commands an extensive
view of the broad river and the dark
hills On the Virginia side. Canvas
shelters are thrown up here and
there, hammocks swung, flags hung
out, and by June Is the camp holds
happy garrison of from 20 to 80
as jolly people as one could wish
to see.
THE officer in charge is Gen.
Skinner, the gentleman whose port
ly form adorns the 50-cent notes
and whose remarkable signature is
stamped on every greenback by the
Government. Gen Skinner holds
the island by right of discovery, hav-
ing taken possession of it during the
late war, when he was the only
civilian privileged to navigate the
Potomac from Washington to Great
Falls. He commands the camp by
the unanimous vote of his guests.
They are all favorites of the general.
and to them he is the embodiment
of all that is good, jolly and gen.
erouS. Ever since the war it has
been one of the pleasures of the
generals existence to make up par
ties of young women connected with
his department and take them down
to make merry. I warrant the fair
lady clerks who do his bidding dur
ing working hours are never better
satisfied than when ordered to ap-
pear at Camp Halcyon, fully arrayed
for wood life.
One Sunday not long ago, there
was a grand time at the camp, but
unfortunately I wasn't there to en-
Joy 1t. Present as honored guests, I
am informed, were Gen. Marcey,
Gen. Myers, Gen. Miles and Acting
Secretary of the Treasury Richard
son. When I reached the camp,
was greeted most heartily. thought
l might be running risk, but in q
few minutes I was thoroughly at
home with the ladies. Two of them,
one stately blond. and the other q
brunette, with flashing eyes, oc-
cupied a swinging hammock near
the main tent, and grouped about
this center of attraction sat the
other members of the galaxy of wit
and beauty, some singing, some
chatting, and some preparing for a
sail in the generals boat, the
Josephine.
There was not hoop skirt to be
seen within the lines, except on a
remarkable-looking and seemingly
lnexhaustible keg near the icebox,
There were no f1ounces, no furbelows
and none of these unpronounceable
things without which one couldn't t
write a readable fashion article.
The toilettes of the ladies were ex-
ceedingly simple, and I can say as
much for those of the gentlemen.
Gen. Skinner wore a skull cap, a
threadbare black coat and a pair of
drab trousers turned up at the bot
tom. We all went fishing. On the
way. the girls kept up a perpetual
popping of gay repartee, like so
many bottles of champagne, bonn
harding each other with corks and
answering with foam. But when we
came back, We found that the
gracious and glorious Treasurer of
the United States had suffered a
chill, and he was stretched on his
back, assiduously attended by many
fair creatures to whom his every
sake was pang."
That was all the scandal the Days
Doings correspondent could find on
the island of women, and he made
the most of it. Apparently, he had
stumbled on to the first summer
camp for women set up anywhere
in the United States and the fore
runner of all the summer camps
that have been increasing on the
Potomac shores ever since. In those
days, 1t was an unheard of thing,
and tongues wagged all over the
country at such "scandalous" be-
havior.