CAMP LIFE AS A NERVE TONIC. 



MRS. H. \V. ARMSTRONG. 



A few years ago everybody did not go to 

 the seaside. This I knew to my grief, as 

 mine was one of the families that could not 

 afford it. Worn out fathers and mothers 

 among people of moderate means, and a 

 fair proportion of well-to-do people did go, 

 but they were a small percentage of the 

 population. To-day everybody goes; but 

 the seaside is becoming crowded and liv- 

 ing there is expensive. 



A sojourn in the woods is more health 

 giving and infinitely less costly, than a visit 

 to the seaside. I am the mother of 8 chil- 

 dren and I have a large house. My neigh- 

 bors are lavish of advice, telling me how 

 much better I would be if I did not spoil my 

 children as I do. Be this as it may, in the 

 hot weather of last June I was threatened 

 with nervous prostration. One of my rela- 

 tives, a sportsman who lives as much as he 

 can in the woods, said to me one day, " I 

 can cure you of all this and you will have no 

 medicine to take or Doctor's bill to pay; 

 instead of that, your treatment will result 

 in saving your money as well as your 

 health." And, thereupon, he unfolded a 

 startling plan. Said he: " Four hundred 

 miles from here, in the Canadian woods, is 

 a large and beautiful lake, with many small 

 islands on its surface. On one of these is- 

 lands I have a camp — a plain, substantial, 

 well shingled wooden building. There are 

 2 rooms, one up stairs and one down, each 

 16 feet square, and an outside kitchen. I 

 want you to take your most useful boy, and 

 your most helpful girl and go there. No- 

 body else; you must be your own cook and 

 your own housemaid. You will be 1^2 or 

 2 miles from the railroad station, and the 

 steamers will pass close to you. A small 

 mail boat will leave you everything you 

 need, daily, if you wish. When you want 

 to send a letter or a telegram you can row 

 to the station. Your boy will pick up dry 

 fuel for you and your girl can help you to 

 cook. You will find comfortable spring 

 beds and good bedding in the cabin. You 

 will find a little parlor stove and on many 

 a day when your friends here are swelter- 

 ing, you will need a fire, just a little one, 

 as you get up. Every morning your boy 

 will catch for you, 2 or 3 bass, pickerel or 

 trout for breakfast. You will have chicken, 

 bacon or beef for dinner, and a light tea 

 and lighter supper." 



Thus did my kinsman prescribe for me. 

 Husband and family laughed heartily at his 

 proposition, but he spoke earnestly, and so 



perseveringly that he at last persuaded me 

 to try it for a week. He met me at the 

 lake and installed us. The charming scen- 

 ery and novelty pleased me from the start. 

 There were a few settlers and farmers 

 about, all English speaking Canadians; 

 civil, decent folk they were, and I felt per- 

 fectly safe in their neighborhood. My in- 

 tention was to stay one week. I arrived on 

 Monday, and was so busy satisfying the 

 hunger of 3; in decorating our little camp; 

 in returning the visits of 2 or 3 neighbors; 

 in fishing; and in exploring about 100 

 islands in the immediate vicinity that time 

 fairly flew. We determined to stay another 

 week, then another, until 7 weeks had 

 glided by so swiftly and enjoyably that we 

 all regretted the necessity of returning 

 home in time to prepare the children for 

 school. My husband spent 10 or 12 days 

 with us and felt he was being banished when 

 he had to leave. My friends sent me news- 

 papers and magazines by ever}- mail. I 

 really had no time to open them and cer- 

 tainly had little inclination to do so. Our 

 canoeing and boating trips were delightful. 

 The most satisfactory part of our experi- 

 ence was the summing up of our expenses. 

 We found that we had lived well on 20 

 cents each per day. It is true we had no 

 fuel to buy, lights cost almost nothing — 

 those long days in the North made it almost 

 unnecessary to have a light. Our only ex- 

 tra expense was railway fares to 2 or 3 

 neighboring stations that we visited; but 

 this was not compulsory, and should not 

 be charged against the cost of living. 



We rowed iJ-4 miles to church services 

 every Sunday morning. We had a store 

 within a like distance, where we could get 

 almost everything we needed. My husband 

 drove back one day 6 miles on the main- 

 land to some well stocked trout and bass 

 lakes. Adding up all my expenses. I find 

 the cost of living there for 7 weeks, or 

 nearly 2 months including the time taken to 

 get there, was less than it would have cost 

 me to spend one month at the seaside re- 

 sort to which I generally go, and that is not 

 the most fashionable or expensive of places. 



The station agent at the little Canadian 

 Pacific railroad station nearby told me 

 there are places innumerable in that coun- 

 try where one can camp as cheaply and en- 

 joyably. 



I am captivated by my summer in the 

 woods, and expect to return there every 

 summer. I had nearly forgotten to men- 



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