The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-08

N1NS try house on the hltter-
TS silk River earlier than
~ usual; and my Aunt Lou
Ripley. my cousin Mable Cornell, and
her brother Frank were visiting us.
Aunt Lou is young lady, Mabel is
eleven.-almost as old as | m,-and
Frank is nine.
We had been in the country about
two weeks; and it had rained good
part of the time, 80 we didn't have
our row boat put in the water. But
at last one Saturday morning the
weather turned warm; and on his way
to the station father told Sam. the
coachman, that he could get Tim,
the gardener, to help him launch the
eLily," and left permission for me to
take Mabel and Frank for the first
row of Che season. So none of US
minded being left behind on the
carriage drive which at lunch mother
proposed to take with Aunt Lou down
to Ocean Pines. They were going to
stop for father at train time, and a
seat would have to be saved for him.
Pink was to go, though; but just
before the carriage came mother
found him with chicken bone under
the parlor table, and for punishment
Aunt Lou took his best blue ribbon
off, put on his everyday one, and said
he should not have his drive.
"Now, Dick" said mother the last
thing, s'take good care of Mable and
Frank, remember not to venture near
the channel, and be sure to be back
by half-past fve."
''I'm going to row you to the cutest
place." | told my cousins, when we
were left standing on the piazza. 81
call it the shore channel; but it isn't
a bit deep, and mother meant the
regular steamboat channel, out in the
middle of the river. This one winds
in and out among the sedges about a
quarter of mile below the house,
and we can have no end of fun down
there"
"Oh Dick" exclaimed Mabel, "then
can't we take Pink with us? He al
ways feels so bad when Aunt Lou
scolds him. And I can hold him on
my lap, so he won't be in the way"
eyes, | don't care" l answered;
and so the pug was put aboard, and
we swept off down the river at fine
rate.
"Just wait, though. till we get into
that shore channel" l exclaimed.
E'Then you'll see her scoot."
And scoot she did, but it had been
so long since I had had anything to
do with the river that the real cause
of this never struck me till we had
got more than two miles from home.
Then | suddenly realized that l must
have had the tide with me all the
way, and that therefore it would be
against me going back.
II must turn around" said, after
looking at my watch. cts aquarter
past four now, and We ought to get
home before the carriage does"
But l soon discovered that some
thing else besides the tide was going
to be against the Lilly" on the return
trip, and that was the bottom of the
river. That inside channel was now
so narrow that had to get Mabel to
help me head the DO It the other way.
Then took to rowing again with a
will, for knew l must beat the tide
if | wanted to get back in time for
dinner.
But at last there came time when
/ couldn't get her to move. Bow and
stern were both stuck fast; and after
Mabel and | had pushed on separate
oars, and then united our strength on
one, and finally got Frank to help,
too, and then couldn't bulge the
'Lily" either way, just dropped
down on the seat and gave it up.
But what are we going to do,
Dickg" asked Mabel.
"Oh, it isn't the doing of anything
that is going to trouble us" l replied.
laughing. "It's the seeing how long
we can sit still without doing any
thing. But wait minute" l added,