River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-08-15

Iemorial Association in NeE York City.
lister their names and s3tisfy the officer
of their age, before teey can go in
swimming. Some OF 1.-THE little boys
boldly lie about their 1ages. some of
them claiming to be eytnteen or eight
cen years old, when thdE are but ten or
twelve The officer manages them
good naturally and thdE all like him.
He says: II would rather support and
raise family of seventy than to look
after those boys; but IN detailed for
this work and must do it. The boys
are regular water rats Snd it is only by
the greatest diligence That l am able
to keep them from bel ing in the water
all the time. They wig stay in until
they are blue in thd face, hurriedly
yanlx on their clothes while they are
wet and run over tot the monument,
where some one is always playing base
ball. They will perhaps be gone about
half an hour or Just loNg enough to get
warm and then come sAealxing back. If
l remember their faces'as having been
in before | make soIle inquiries, but
have never yet been alee to get an ac-
acknowledgement from any of them that
they have been in the tvater. They al
ways appear to be highly indignant at
even the suggestion II such a thing,
and invariably say: Why, what's the
matter with you? | PIT been in the
water this year. 'Def, you must mis-
take me for some one ielsc. | reckon
brother Jim must havdbeen down here.
He looks heap like nj e and he told me
he was coming down tS the beach
To man who eithtr can't swim or
don't want to swim, itfs very interest
ing to look at the Itotlcy sizes and
shapes of humanity pafading the beach,
going down into the fater and coming
up out of the wate1 There are fat
men and fat women, afd lean men, but
no lanly women. The shadow girl
never sheds her laced and fluffy gar
ments to appear in htthing suit. She
is sweet summer girl for the parlor OF
the ice cream saloon; kand she does not
exhibit her scrawnin IS to a cold, cruel
and unsympathetic w@rld. Some WON
en- at the beach are klisgustingly fat,
and yet they have no guardians to
teach them that they would better
adorn their homes than parade the
bathing beach. WHERE the moonlight
casts their shadows Sc faithfully on the
sands that they loolHile giant turtles
webbing along.
The men and won3en who can swim
have many games to play in the water.
There are two airtighE barrels anchored
q short distance FROM the shore which
affovl the most amusement. Two or
three people will get bn them IA then
with the kindly assistance of some one
will oe turned over soft that a somersault
is made. The spectators will wait for
the coming up and, according to the
distress of the swimmer and the amount
of water he has t{ get cut of his
mouth before he cad take a breath or
speak word Is til success of the
sport. The boys ndIyoung men try to
duck" each other occasionally, but
there is rigid rule against that sport.
Some fellows imagiIte that it is great
fun To push a friendf head under wa.
ter an noiu IL therGI a couple of min
utes. But there wa fla drowning case
last year. the result of such sport,
and the young people are carefully
watched now to prevent further trouble
of that kind.
To the men and children who are un,
able to swim, and OILY care to get the
benefits of the BATH there is a space
inclosed within wikch the water is
shallow, and theret is not the least
NFN
danger of accident. For the older and
more experienced nen the spring
boards that extend from the wharf
afford the most Arrangement. Some OF
the swimmers are Huite venturcsome
md go beyond thei prescribed limits.
They are always Warned, but If they
persist all that can be done is to keep
an eve on them fromithe lifcboat.
Some of the most tenturesome of our
swimmers are yourE ladies who have
recently learned hbw to keep them
selves ahoat. 1t is X weakness of our
sisters that, where fhere is a man in
sight to be captivattd. they will take
great risks to demonstrate their brav.
cry, which is another name for fool
hardness. They look very pretty
floating on the wtter's surface, near
the shore, but they eXcite alarm when
they venture beyond their depth. A
stalwa-t life-saverl swan out to a
venturesome girl :ae other night and
warned her to go NEARER shore, as she
was in danger of getting cramps and
drowning. She sducily told him to
mind his own business. Thereupon the
life-saver told the young lady that he
would kiss her right then and there
and started for her with swift strokes.
The girl screamed and hastily swan TO
shore where she Indignantly told her
friends that she had been insulted and
demanded that tho life-saver be dis
charged. The terintendent. how
ever. replied: Il any only sorry that he
not kiss you. / amt sure that he will
next time. But II think you will be
inclined to obey regulations hereafter,
without being threatened with such
dire disaster as KISS"
SMITH ID. FRY.