St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-11-16
BABIES DON'T LIKE SURF.
But Fathers seldom Seem TO Appreciate
- .@sA Z his Fact. sI5ssa. s

Appreciate
This Fact.
i Perhaps as interesting an amusement
as quiet man has right to expect al
lConey Island, may be had by watching
the young ones who are taking their
/ first bath in the sea. Ninety-nine out
/ of every hundred of them are actually
miserable and below and baw1 ID the
most interesting way. A crying baby,
which in the house would be nerve.
scraping horror, fzzles out. at the sea
beach into mere toy with a squawk
that has no carrying power.
/ The fathers and big brothers who
take the babies into the water haYen't,
rs rule, much more sense than the
young ones, They wade out with Jim
my or Susie whimpering and gripping
| with all the strength of their little
arms and legs, and squalling whenever
the surf splashes on them. The father
treasures them by saying: ", shut
up, you little fool! I amt a-goin' to
kill yer. . That more than ever con-
vinces the young one that a sudden and
sloppy death awaits it, and it howls.
The father sets it down ii the cold
water up to its waist. It gasps while
waiting for the worst and walls: ST
want to go and see my mamma. Boo
hoo-hoe-hoo!'
sOh, no; you must stay right here
with papa. See all the people out in,
the water. They like it. It's nice.'
mo, it amt. Ool Ooi Aggle-aggle-
yol-lop-pittueep' A big wave comes
along and tips the child over and fills
1T full of sea water. Its ears are full
and it thinks it is drowning, and just
rs it opens its mouth to halloo .'Mur-
aer!" the water rushes in and cholses
1t. Of all the nasty things sea water
Is perhaps as nasty as it can be and
still be clean. The poor child retches,
snorts, coughs and cries all at once.
The father laughs mean, heart1ess
laugh that destroys the baby's faith in
mankind, and especially in it's father
While it is recovering itself and think
ing what a fend a father can be when
he tries, 1t is held out of the water.
When he attempts to put it back
again there is a life and death strug.
gle. He conquers. He is the stronger.
The child fights and squalls, and when
the kicking, struggling, scared crea-
ture gets into the water again it is
just in time to be drowned as before,
except that this time it swallows more
water, because its lungs are nearly
empty. 1t is hauled out, half strangled. |
for it don't know how to keep the salt
water out of its mouth or from going
further. Either route the brine may
choose to take is likely to be extremely
unpleasant.
About this time the father loses his
temper and slaps the young one. This
seems brutal, but it isn't noticed
Things can not be any worse a blow
in the face don't matter when you are
being drowned. The mother, who is
standing on the beach, often interferes
at this point and a jawing match is be-
gun, which somebody else will hear
carried on all the way; home on the
trolley car. Sometimes, she says moth.
ing about her husbands laundering /
remembering the time
when, as she verify believes, he tried I
20 drown her IN teaching her to swim
He always says she never was in wa
ter above her waste, but she knows it
was over her head, because it went in
1er ears and her feet were off
5he ground, and how can water
ret into a body's ears and your feetI
De off the ground unless the water ia
,ver your head? But she's not going
% begin all that over again now. So
The says: .Oh, yes; Susie must learn
% swim, like nice little girl 4 as
Nav! Naw!I don't want to go in
my more. Wah-ah-ah-ah!'' and theyl
lave to take the wretched young one
mt and dress it.
After such scare. tt will be many a
lay before that child can be coaxed
nto the water again. Once hit, twice
hy. OF course, wise folk overcome q
hi1d's natural fear Of the water by
aking it where there is no serf at first
nd coaxing it out further by degrees.
Children seem to have the most fun
q the water, however, when they are
et alone Y. Period.
How He Made Bells Ring.
Recently, at one of our large hotels, !