The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tent Dwellers, by Albert Bigelow Paine

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Title: The Tent Dwellers

Author: Albert Bigelow Paine

Illustrator: Hy. Watson

Release Date: October 7, 2010 [EBook #33846]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Tent Dwellers

[Illustration: "He was swearing steadily and I think still blaming me
for most of his troubles."--_Page_ 83.]

THE TENT
DWELLERS

BY
ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE

_Author of "The Van Dwellers," "The Lucky Piece," etc_.

_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HY. WATSON_

[Illustration]

NEW YORK
THE OUTING PUBLISHING CO.
MCMVIII

COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY
THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY

Chapter One

_Come, shape your plans where the fire is bright,_
_And the shimmering glasses are--_
_When the woods are white in the winter's night,_
_Under the northern star._

Chapter One

It was during the holiday week that Eddie proposed the matter. That is
Eddie's way. No date, for him, is too far ahead to begin to plan
anything that has vari-colored flies in it, and tents, and the prospect
of the campfire smell. The very mention of these things will make his
hair bristle up (rather straight, still hair it is and silvered over
with premature wisdom) and put a new glare into his spectacles (rather
wide, round spectacles they are) until he looks even more like an
anarchist than usual--more indeed than in the old Heidelberg days, when,
as a matter of truth, he is a gentle soul; sometimes, when he has
transgressed, or thinks he has, almost humble.

As I was saying, it was during the holidays--about the end of the week,
as I remember it--and I was writing some letters at the club in the
little raised corner that looks out on the park, when I happened to
glance down toward the fireplace, and saw Eddie sitting as nearly on his
coat collar as possible, in one of the wide chairs, and as nearly in the
open hickory fire as he could get, pawing over a book of Silver
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