Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-01
FOUR GIRLS GO GRABBING"
How They Caught the Crabs aud How
the Grabs Caught Them.

From the New Yort Herald
Grabbing" 10 one sport Some people think
IL rather tame. but four young ladies Who tried
IL up the Hudson the other day have discovered
that il 10 capable, under certain circumstanoss,
OF affording considerable excitement
The four maidens 10 question embarked 10 .
boat BY themselves. not because they we're
avsrss 70 masculine companionship, but be-
cause there happened to be no young man
around to take them out Soon after starting
they found that their boat leaked . little.
Then they took Oh their shoes and stockings
and slowed them away high and dry on the
shwarts and dabbied with their shapely little
"tootsey wootseys' in the water in the bottom
OF the boat and agreed that they were ''awfully
glad" that they hadn't bro ought any horrid man
along, because then their little "tootsey woot-
seys would have had to stay Ia their shoes and
stockings, ~hich would consequently have get-
ten vet.
TIE GRABS cAuoHr.
II 10 singular fact or, perhaps not singular
at all, but merely illustrative OF the peculiar
ldiosyncraoies Of feminine nature. that a girl
IN an abbreviated bathing costume, which dis.
plays pretty near % much girl a. costume. will
make no bones about exposing her feet
Especially IL they are shapely ones) and even
something more than q good section OF her
ankles to critical masculine scrutiny; hut when
she isn't clad in abbreviated and Gloss. fitting
garments the mere accidental exposure Of one
little pink toe causes her to blush.
1t requires more luck than skill to catch
crabs, and az the girls had plenty o, luck they
caught goodly lot aud deposited them in big
basket, and had tip top good time all round.
But 10 frisking about one OF the girls acci-
dentally knocked over the basket though none
OF them noticed the accident at the timo.
THE CRABS LOOSE
The frst animation that three Of the girls
had that the crabs were loose was prolonged,
blood-curdling yell. The owner Of that yell
was the fourth girl, and the cause Of the yell
Was q crab which had grabbed her by the little
toe. She kicked 20 vigorously that the crab
was sent flying the full length Of the boat, and
In consequence was doubtless more frightened
and astounded than the girl had been.
The three other girls sLrieked. too, when
they discovered the cause of the sudden CON-
motion, and dropping their lines in a jiffy they
took refuge on the thwarts, where they gradu.
ally ceased screaming when they perceived
that the crabs could not get at them. Luckily
the boat was beamy craft. built on the scow
plan, or she certainly would have capsized, and
then the comedy would have been turned into
tragedy with vengeance.
TIE oAPToRs CAUGHT.
But the tables were completely turned ard
instead Of four girls catching crabs il was q case
Of crabs catching four girls. The crabs held
undisputed possession OF the boat which fioated
gently along the calm bosom Of the Hudson.
The girls meantime held a council OF war and
decided they would do what girls generally do
when confronted by the semblanco Of danger
keep on screaming.
In due time the screaming attracted atten-
ton, and boat shot out from the shore. ia
which were two young men from New York.
When the rescuing party Of two drew near one
OF the girls suddenly remembered something
and communicated il to her companions. Then
they oil shouted out in chorus to the young
men In the boat in peremptory tones:
RESCUED.
Don't come any nearer"
"Whats the matter?" howled one Of the
young men, as they stopped rowing.
"We've been grabbing and the crabs are all
loose in the bottom Of the boat"
We'll, why can't we come any nearer"
1t was some little time before one OF the
girls answered, in tones hardly audible:
Because we've got our shoes and-and--
| stockings off,
well, what are We to do about it," was the
abrupt but pertinent masculine inquiry.
The girls held another conference. They
finally decided that the young men must thr ow
them rope and tow their boat to the shore
When this was done and the boat with the
girls had struck bottom they directed the two
young men to retire behind u point, and made
them promise not to peep for five minutes A,
the expiration Of that time the girls we're al
ashore, and instead of "tOotsey wootseys
dainty little shoes peeped forth from beneath
their dresses.
am able to tell this story because was ont
OF the two rescuers.