The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-17

y three cold days, followed
by moonlight night, to draw out all
the youth of the neighborhood, and
during the summer it has varied as
sortment of fiat and round bottomed
boats, including RATS and an occa-
sional sailboat.
But it was not until Colonel Free
man came into the neighborhood with
his half dozen boys that such thing
as boat club was even thought OF.
There had been scrub races and naval
battles and various kinds of pond
lily and picnic expeditions; but they
were only for day, and had had as
many leaders as there were boys.
A boat club was something differ
ent; and when it was learned that
Colonel Freeman wanted them to
meet in the schoolroom to discuss
plans for club, and to elect officers,
every boat owner and prospective
boat owner became eager with excite
ment and impotence. They went to
the schoolhouse in body, and
promptly seconded every motion that
was made.
The constitution of the club was
very liberal, and every boy who
owned boat of any description was
eligible to membership. A few of the
boys wished to be more exclusive;
but Colonel Freeman overruled their
objections, saying that the main OBJ
ject of the club was to stimulate
boating, and that he wished every
boy to feel personal interest in it.
Officers were elected, and arrange
ments made for an early race; and
when the boys went home they were
full of eager plans for the summers
work. Owners of scows were already
devising ways to exchange their un-
wieldy crafts for anything with a
round bottom, and those who did not
possess masts and sails were ready to
offer any of their worldly possessions
for the coveted articles.
Ben Horton was not usually count
ed as one of the boys He lived with
a miserly uncle near the upper end of
the pond, and was always very ragged
and shy. The boys jeered at him and
excluded him from their games as
much as possible; but Ben was good
natured and seldom took offense. He
would stand by and watch the others
with eager interest, and was always
ready to assist at the slightest invita-
,tion.
Much of his time was passed on
the water. He had found an old
scow somewhere, and had patched
and calked the seams until they be-
came nearly water-tight. With this
boat he had explored all the inlets
and shadows, and had grown familiar
with the peculiarities of the winds
and currents. There were many isl
ands and indentations of land, and
the wind had strange custom of APP
pearing and disappearing at unex-
pected points. Ben had been on the
pond at all seasons and in all kinds
of weather, and he knew how and
where to take advantage of every
trick of the winds and currents. The
pond was over three miles long, and
its shores curved in and out into fan
tastical bays and channels through
which the winds played unexpected
pranks. At one moment an inexperi-
enced boy would find his boat sud-
denly becalmed, and the next he
would have to spring forward and
lower sail in order to avoid being
swamped.
Ben went to the club meeting with
as much curiosity as the rest, out with
little idea of joining. He stood the
scofhng and jostling of his compan-
ions with good natured equanimity,
and was among the first to sign the