“ONE OF THE BEST”

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 80, 28 December 1940, Page 8

“ONE OF THE BEST”

Holiday Weather WHEN NATURE WAS KIND

(By

Henare.)

Somewhere in the North Island there is a party camping. They left Wellington on Tuesday morning, when the rain was coming down in sheets, and looked like coming down for ever. There had been consultations in bedrooms, living-rooms, the kitchen, and, incidentally, one very pointed exchange of opinions through the bathroom door, during the early hours of the morning, but the man of iron—the sort who uses the iron hand in the velvet glove —said that the camping party was going to camp. Asked where, he became a little vague. Suggestions that they should all stay at home, have Christmas dinner comfortably at some hotel, light a comfortable lire and read, use the liquid refreshments to honour loyal toasts at intervals during the day, stay in. bed like wise people, try a holiday at home, and many others were quietly but firmly put aside by the strong man of the group. They were, he said, going camping. He knew the spot, and w.ould lead them to it. As one of the unfortunates—-those who were not joining the expedition— I had suffered the commiserations ot my friends for some days. Ou Tuesday I became a subject of envy.. I was not going. I would have a comfortable and warm bed. There would be no draughts; such as every tent produces. There would be dry and not wet wood, with which to light the fire—if I lit one. Indeed, there was almost a declaration of hostilities on Tuesday morning. The lady of the house said it was sheer madness, “never heard of such foolishness,” and that sort of thing. International relations were never more strained than those found in our house. But the strong man was strong. They were going camping. Well, 1 carried an alarming quantity of stuff down to the cars. They were, I was given to understand, merely the things that had been forgotten, or overlooked. In that ease those cars were overloaded, for on the previous evening the leader had packed the cars, and he is good at that particular job. Awav they went, the waving ot the hands 'being of that half-hearted kind that denotes a lack of enthusiasm. The lady’s last words to me, as I tried to shut the door of the car, were about what she would like to have stated on her tombstone. I promised to remember. , . Then, shortly after the party had set out, something happened. Sorry that I cannot tell you exactly what it was, but the anticyclones, low-depression-areas, rain-probables, and snow-ou-the-higher-levels, all decided to postpone the next performance. The iveather cleared,-blue skies began to return, the breeze was from some quarter that, I was told, promised fine weather. And fine weather we have had. So have they. . , I had a ring last night saying that thev were having “a wonderful time” in a “lovely spot,” and that nil was for the best in the best of worlds. But not a word was said about the strong man. Probably nothing will be said. His firmness has been forgotten. ■When that party returns —as return it must—then I will hear a lot about the wonderful Christmas they had, the perfect weather, and so on. One will wonder, at last, if that holiday was not taken in fierce opposition to the wishes of the leader. It was ever thus. The young lady of the party, in whom I am rather interested, rang up to sav that she was well, but missing me. ' That was kind of her, but when she stated coolly that ‘‘even Dick was enjoying himself,” I snorted. There would have been no camping holiday in lovely weather but for Dick. I hope he gets his reward in some world to coined He won’t get much in this.