The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-18
TRICKsEY,s SWIM.

TRICKsEY'S SWIM.
Washington Post.
Tricksey is messenger boy; short OF
stature, deep ami thoughtful. as to mien.
A youth who has fame as fellow mes
senger to Tricksey. when asked as TO how
and why Trlcksey was so-called. said:
Because he's so sudden; that's wy
they calls him Tricksey."
wherefor any brevity. whether Of thought
or motion. on the part of our hero should
lead up to such a title as Tricksey was
not explained. 1t is however, of no mo-
ment in this story. which after all is
meant merely to be the record of one small
achievement of Tricksey.
There is the bathing beach. There is
also gentleman very prevalent at the
beach, whose mission is TO give aid to
water idiots, and keep little boys from
drowning. He supervises such aquatics as
come or at the beach. and imparts a
knowledge Of swimming to those who have
no acquaintance with the gentle art OF
keeping ones nose above water.
This officer Of the bath did not know
Tricksey. This lack OF acquaintance was
mutual. for Tricksey did not know the
bathing man.
1t was the last week one day when
Tricksey decided to battle. How he came TO
this healthful decision has not been divulged
by Tricksey, neither is it important.
The earliest notice any one mad OF Ii was
Trickseys appearance in the presence OF
the Neptune who ruled the beach as afore-
said, with the information:
Il wanter learn to swim. seer
Tricksey seemed proper candidate LOT
water. His proposal to learn to swim was
well received. The man of the beach, while
preserving a distant dignity and holding
Tricksey at decent length, readily told him
where to store his buds, and caparison
himself in the jimcrow garment meant 10
Tricksey took his directions and went
away. He was back again in what some
people call mo time arrayed for the water
There were no spectators TO speak of.
Tricksey had come without escort, and as
they walked into the dreamy Potomac
Tricksey ana ms org Gnaperoh hao u''e S'e''e
Wow" remarked Tricksey as the water
At this point Tricksey tried to wriggle
"What's the natter" said the beach
man at the same time OBTAINING the craven
I'm 'ifraid," said Tricksey. still fighting
.Sonsensei', said the beach man. your re
not going to be hurt, and you're not going
TO drown. Come on; / thought you sald
you wanted to learn to swim; You ought ut
to- all little boys t Gngnt gr TO n tbeV NAV
swim. linen Nsld wnen i'm tney gro" up 'ne' may
say "Tm s' 'fraid It'll croak me-" shivered
Tricksey, AN rye, changed me +, nina na
Tricksey struggled with his mentor to
force a release. :,
But the. beach man wouldn't nave IL;
he must So, screaming, struggling, and
gasping, Tricksey. clinging frantically to
a ns still further out, until the water in
Tricksey's vicinity was four feet deep:
Tricksey was swallowing no little OF the
struggle out of 1t ALL The beach man was
rather pleased than otherwise Tnat SORT
of thing is beach Joke ss wherein bss m yoGh5
Keep your mouth shut and stop yell
ing" said the beach man. and you won
and spluttering TO advise with him in the
matter had apparently no more enect' as
Than throwing water on crowned
rat"
the unhappy and fear-bitten Tricksey a
fair long journey from land, that the beach
man WAS about to cast Tricksey loose and
make him swim ashore.
He released Tricksey. That miserable
urchin after beating the water two or three
times after a style known locally as DOG
fashion" suddenly went down WITH a. de,
seemed to come from two feet beneath the
water. This did not alarm the beach man.
he knew Tricksey would come up.
But his horror began to grow when one
minute went by and Tricksey did not come
I'D. 1t was more horrible still when two,
three, five, ten minutes elapsed, and still
no Tricksey shrieking on the surface
The beach man was not idle.
Tricksey wasn't under water fifteen Sec
onds before that official was searching Ior
him. He dived and dived; and explored the
region where Tricksey disappeared, near
and WIDE for the submerged young one
His efforts were futile; he never touched
hand or foot Of Tricksey. Clearly the
1t was an awful thought for the beach
man. He went ashore and called for aid
to find the body. Even the Joe Blackburn
was summoned to the scene. A crowd be-
gan to gather, while all sorts Of gear was
being rapidly brought to the place to be
used In recovering the dead body of Trick.
sey.
No one attempted to account for the
catastrophe more than to surmise thai
some undercurrent unknown before had
suddenly seized Tricksey and borne him tC
But life is full of the unexpected Prep.
arations to drag the waters had about
reached a climax. when a shrili voice. full
of earnest interest. spoke no from the rear
OF the crowd.
"Whatre youse people loolin' for?" II
said.
1t was Tricksey. He had not drowned
but. sinking from under the nose of the
beach man. Tricksey had dived a full -
chaperon. He had been a concealed but
interested spectator of all the excitement
To let the world into a secret Tricksey
could swim like frog.