Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1893-12-07
AN EVENING BATH.



night which came near being the
end of me- said one of the members
of the Columbia yacht club, during
a post-prandial seance on the clubs
wharfboat last summer says the
Chicago Times. He didn't look as
though he had gone through any
particularly harro wing experiences.
but the Columbian fellows are good
audience till tale is done and so
they listened and he continued,
~ l been out sailing with certain
member of this club whom l won't
name, but who is tho only man in it
capable of keeping bloodthirsty
bulldog on his boat"-and the
raconteur directed fierce glance
into the for'ard starboard corner of
the club barge-"and as we were
shorthanded I'd worked like fore
mast hand on a lumber hooker all
afternoon.
1--WE got into the basin late, furled
sail and made all snug, cooked us q
bite, and sat on the afterdeck smok-
ing and resting. That Internal dog,
was fawning around me in the most
friendly manner and | was feeding
him scraps OF meat in the fond belief
that l was sealing u friendship that
might some day prove convenient II
not valuable.
! Well, the gentleman who owned
the ship and the dog-being too lazy
torow ashore decided to stay aboard
all night, and asked me to stay like
wise. live away out south, aud |
was tired and the friend does have
comfortable quarters in his cabin
and so l consented. Al II o'clock
we decided to turn in. IL wse a
beautiful night 1T had been a bit
cool all day, but south wind had
blown up and it was case of August
weather again. got about ready to
turn in-he was already under
blankets and snoozing like cook s
boy-wheu | looked out the compan-
ionway and over the water. II
looked awfully inviting-so inviting
that forgot how chilly it had been
all day and for several days past
and forgot several other things, In
GLIDING that dog which had disap.
peared somewhere alp forward and
gone to sleep.
Anyway, with the spell of the
beautiful night and the convenient
water beside me, | cnucked OIL my
clothes. put a rough towel on the
seat in the cockpit, turned up tho
blankets of my bunk then went or
deck amidships and took header of
into the seductive blue water SHIN
mering in the moonlight
u well, say, I've fallen through the
ice while skating, but the sensation
wasn't in IL with that experienced
when landed in old Michigan ant
my cuticle nerves had a chance t.
communicate sensations to the res
of my system. Cold9 1t must have
been near the freezing point Icamt
up and struck out for the bob-sta
about as lively as ever did any
thing. and when | grabbed the rat
lines and hoisted myself out of the
water that balmy south breeze
seemed to have changed to norther
/ didn't lose any time climbing up u
the bowsprit can tell you, but jus
as ! stepped on deck there was Il rusl
and growl and that cursed dos
made dash at my bare shanks Will
his mouth wide open and all the
bristles on his neck on end.
al was freezing by this time. NJ,
teeth were chattering and the win,
stays were cutting into me lik,
knives. There was only one thini
left to do. had to yell to my lat
friend-understan | say late-t,
, come and call his dodgasted dog off
OH he came out-afver / had re
sponses from dozen different vessel
around and the life-saving crew wer,
burning blue lights to see where tn
agonized howls came from. Yes, II,
came out and went into a paroxysr
of that inane, driveling, blithering
idiotic laughter that betokens pri
mary paresis. He had siege of it
1t lasted half an hour or so. The
as he heard the sailors on the Mich
gan called to quarters to rig searcl
lights and lower boats he caught hi
breath and called his id dog off.
"What do l want? Whisky; lot
of it. I've got the quinine in IN
pocket and plasters all over my per
son. If escape pneumonia mayn'
have anything worse than inhamma
tory rheumatism, but either of 'em'
] preferable to hydrophobia, and that
all the choice had.
An Engineers Nerve.