The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-08-16

boldly lie about their ages, some of
them claiming to beseventeen or eight
cen years old, when they are but ten or
twelve. The officer manages them
good-naturedlv and they all like him.
He says: II would rather support and
raise family of seventy than to look
after those boys; but I'm detailed for
this work and must do it. The boys
are regular water rats and it is only by
the greatest diligence that 1 an able
to keep them from being in the water
all the time. They will stay in until
they are blue in the face, hurriedly
yank on their clothes while they are
wet and run over to 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 sneaking back. II
l remember their faces as having been
in before / make some inquiries, but
haze never yet been able to get an ac-
acknowledgement from any of them that
they have been in the water. They al
ways appear to be highly indignant at
even the suggestion of such a thing,
and invariably say: why, what's the
matter with you? 1 amt been in the
water this year. Deed, you must mis-
take me for some one else. l reckon
brother Jim must have been down here.
He looks heap like me and he told me
he was coming down to the beach
To man who either can't swim or
don't want to swim, it is very interest
ing to look at the motley sizes and
shapes of humanity parading the beach,
going down into the water and coming
up out of the water. There are fat
men and fat women, and lean men, but
no lanky women. The shadow girl
never sheds her laces and fluffy gar
ments to appear in a bathing suit. She
is sweet Summer girl for the parlor of
the ice cream saloon; and she does not
exhibit her scrawniness to cold. cruel
and unsympathetic world. Some wom-
en- at the beach are disgustingly 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 so faithfully on the
sands that they look like giant turtles
webbing along.
The men and women who can swim
have many games to play in the water.
There are two alright barrels anchored
a short distance from the shore which
afford the most amusement. Two or
three people will get on them aud then
with the kindly assistance of some one
will be turned over so that 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 to get out of his
mouth before he can take a breath or
speak a word il the success of the
sport. The boys and young men try to
duck" each other occasionally, but
there is rigid rule against that sport.
Some fellows imagine that 1t Is great
fun to push a friends head under wa
ter and nom II there a couple of min
utes. But there was a 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 only care to get the
benefits of the bath, there is a space
inclosed within which the water is
shallow. and there is not the least
danger of accident. For the older and
more experienced men the spring
boards that extend from the wharf
afford the most amusement. Some Of
the swimmers are quite venturesome
and go beyond the prescribed limits.
They are always warned, but if they
persist all that can be done is to keep
an eye on them from the hfeboat.
Some of the most venturesome OF our
swimmers are young ladies who have
recently learned how to keep them
selves afloat. 1t is a weakness of our
sisters that, where there is a man in
sight to be captivated. they will take
great risks to demonstrate their brav-
cry, which is another name for fool
hardness. They look very pretty
floating on the waters surface, near
the shore, but they excite alarm when
they venture beyond their depth. A
stalwart life-saver swan out to
venturesome girl the other night and
warned her to go nearer shore, as she
was in danger of getting cramps and
drowning. She saucily 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 the life-saver be dis
charged. The superintendent, how
ever, replied: Il am only sorry that he
not kiss you. 1 am sure that he will
next time. But 1 think you will DO
inclined to obey regulations hereafter,
withoat being threatened with such
dire disaster as a kiss"
SMITH D. FRY.