346 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



in that town in the days of the Alcotts. Amy Alcott was 

 his first drawing teacher. A treasured possession is a 

 picture of Louisa M., drawn by Amy in 1865. We 

 camped here at the close of our hardest day of travel, 

 over a hundred miles on a hot day over the "washboard 

 road" of the Connecticut River Valley. This artist has 

 been a teacher of drawing. He is a ventriloquist, a mu- 

 sician, a plant breeder. We became acquainted with all 

 of these accomplishments during the evening's enter- 

 tainment that he and his wife treated us to. So busy are 

 they being happy and giving happiness to others that 

 this old couple know nothing of lonesomeness on their 

 farm on the Connecticut River. 



Si.x nights for one cause or another we spent in hotels, 

 where nothing re- 

 garding us was 

 of interest but 

 the size of our 

 bills and tips. 

 They were the 

 lost nights of our 

 vacation. Twice 

 we paid a dollar 

 for the privilege 

 of camping in a 

 meadow on the 

 Peabody River in 

 New Hampshire. 

 A iiotel proprie- 

 tor collected this 

 toll, but not 

 many miles away 

 on the road be- 

 tween Lost River 

 and Haverhill 

 the proprietor of 

 Wilwood Inn led 

 us to a trout stream, not visible from the road, for a 

 week-end camp, suggested that we build a fire and helped 

 to collect the wood for it, refusing any remuneration save 

 for a trout dinner that we shall long remember. 



We camped one night in a public camp at Gale River 

 in the White Mountain National Forest. This is a new 

 camp and not as attractive as the Dorothy Copp Camp, 

 near the Glen House, where there is an excellent spring 

 and an attractive fireplace. We pushed up among the 

 firs and spruces and had our first experience of the little 

 woodfolk running over our tent roof during the night. 



The Story of 



"Here is a pretty state of things," said the traveler. 

 "Dying for a smoke, only one match left, and that cer- 

 tain to miss fire! Was there ever a creature so unfortu- 

 nate? And yet," thought the traveler, "suppose I light 

 this match, and smoke my pipe and shake out the dottle 

 hero in the grass the grass might catch on fire, for 

 it is dry like tinder; while I snatch out the flames in 

 front, they might evade and run behind me, and seize 

 upon yon hush of poison oak ; before I could reach it, 

 that would have blazed up. Over the bush I see a pine 

 tree hunt,' v.ith moss; that too would fly in fire upon the 

 instant tn iti. (,.,.>,w.^t K..t, aj iU_ a ._ _r j.v,_j. 



The forest ranger called on us with a permit to build a 

 fire and before the tent was pitched a "happy-go-lucky" 

 young fellow from our own state gave us a friendly 

 greeting. He was enjoying his camping vacation, but 

 with no apparent purpose other than to make mileage. 

 We had seen a wonderful sunrise that morning from the 

 top of Mount Washington and I asked nim if he had 

 gone to the top. "I am out to see scenery not to climb 

 mountains," was his answer. Either his knowledge of 

 natural history or mine of up-to-date slang was lacking, 

 for when I spoke of a loss that we had had through chip- 

 munks, he said "I don't doubt it. A fellow down the 

 road told me those fellows are abroad in summer and 

 have passkeys for every hotel and take everything that 



isn't nailed 

 down." Public 

 camping grounds 

 are a necessity 

 where travel by 

 campers is heavy, 

 but one does not 

 bring back a 

 knowledge of the 

 people of the 

 country any more 

 than if he stayed 

 at hotels. He 

 meets the travel- 

 ling public but 

 not the friendly 

 farm folks. To 

 these friendly 

 people who made 

 our summer so 

 pleasant we ex- 

 press our grati- 

 tude. Time after 

 time as we left your hospitable grounds we quoted : 



"Let me live in a house by the side of the road, 

 Where the race of men go by,' 

 They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong. 

 Wise, foolish; so am I. 



Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat 



Or hurl a cynic's ban? 

 Let me live in a house by the side of the road 



And be a friend to man." 



May the campers who apply to you in the future re- 

 ceive as kindly a welcome as we did. The fault will not 

 be yours if they do not. 



Two Matches 



long torch how the trade wind would take and brandish 

 that through the inflammable forest! I hear this dell 

 roar in a moment with the joint voice of wind and fire. 

 I see myself gallop for my soil, and the flying conflagra- 

 tion chase and outflank me through the hills. I see this 

 pleasant forest burn for days, the cattle roasted, the 

 springs dried up, the farmer ruined and his children cast 

 upon the world. What a world hangs upon this mo- 

 ment !" 

 With that he struck the match, and it missed fire. 



"Thank God," said the traveler, and put his pipe in 

 1,:., ^i,. Di,-.. T ...v c<^.>. . 



THE CAMPING PARTY ON THE ROAD 



When traveling none of its equipment is visible. The box on the running board car- 

 ries eight blankets, mosquito net and outing flannel night clothing. The tent and stools 

 are compactly stowed in the rear deck of the roadster together with two suitcases, 

 two army cots, a folding table, kampkook stove, tin provision box, nested kitchen 

 utensils, tarpaulin, towline and tools. 



