Camping Out

Charles Asbury Stephens (1844-1931) who also wrote under the pseudonym Wade, was an American writer of short stories and articles. He was born in Norway, Maine, and wrote under the name "Stephens" to avoid embarrassing his family. He attended Bowdoin College starting in 1866, but dropped out because of lack of funds. For most of his career he was under contract to The Youth's Companion, and was their most popular and prolific contributor. Stephens himself estimated that he had written 3,000 short stories. The Youth's Companion put him through medical school so that they could have a staff physician to write scientific articles; he earned his M. D. from Boston University in 1887. His works include: Camping Out (1872), Off to the Geysers (1872), On the Amazons (1874), Pioneer Boys Afloat on the Mississippi (1907), When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine (1912), Haps and Mishaps at the Old Farm (1912), A Great Year of Our Lives at the Old Squire's (1912), A Busy Year at the Old Squire's (1922) and Molly's Baby (1924).