The Argosy — page 254: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Camping Out. 237 sensation and looked about him. He beheld his bed quite flat, and realized he had not tightly screwed the air valve. A general dampness of clothing caused him to remark that he had not success- fully tied his bath into shape, the many jugfuls of water with which he had filled it having gently poured over him in the night from one of the relaxed places in the rim. ‘¢ Horrid bother, new inventions!” he growled inwardly, straighten- ing himself, and feeling his damp flannels. ‘“Sha’n’t take a bath this morning.” Indeed there was none to take, unless he braced it up and refilled it. Warm sunshine tempted him outside, and he had just emerged when a sharp terrier’s bark was followed by a lady’s voice exclaiming : ‘“ Another of those tiresome camping-out people! ‘Too bad!” And he looked up to meet the stern reproof of an elderly maiden’s eyes, and the half amused, half angry gaze of a bright blue pair, pos- sessed by a girl of eighteen. ‘“T beg pardon,” he said, bowing, in happy forgetfulness of his un- brushed head and general déshabille. “I thought I might camp here—saw no notice-board.” “Tt is never allowed,” said the spinster, firmly, with a glance of intense contempt at the cooking-stove. Poor Tom was quite distressed, but a bright young laugh cheered him. “You look very wet! Have you tumbled in ?” “No,” said Tom, colouring painfully. ‘It isn’t the river—it’s my bath ! ” Upon this a fit of laughter threatened to seize the young lady, who suddenly forced herself into supernatural gravity. ‘Damp clothes!” exclaimed the elder of the maidens; “terrible risk. Put some dry ones out in the sun at once, and then change. Come home, my love.” They vanished, and after that graceful figure, that laughing face, went Tom’s young heart! All damp as he was, all cheerless as his wraps were, he threw himself down hopelessly on the flat air-bed. “Tt’s a shameful thing for a man to be sold likea slave to a woman he has never seen—as / am!” was his damp lament. The necessity for action roused him; and having clad himself in some of the admirable flannels with which what he now regarded as his uncle’s bribe had richly provided him, he vigorously pulled down his tent and bundled his possessions together. | “Now Ill make some coffee.” The stove was ready, so was the water, but, alas! the matches had shed their last chance of lustre in the overflow of the bath! Tom at the moment revengefully reflected on the peculiarities of an old great- aunt he possessed, who contentedly averred that one of her chief ideas of happiness in the next world lay in the hope that she should there meet and converse with Noah ! CONnniclooolkks (CO)