Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-07-13


put your foot through.
81 got the boat lifted and pulled it
off, and Of course the water poured
in SO that there was no hope Of keep
ing afoat. | jumped back into the
stern, pulled off my shoes and swung
them around my neck, tied together,
and lowered myself into the water.
The boat was completely water
logged, and l knew / couldn't use the
oars, but ! thought / could swim along
behind the boat and push it back to
the hotel. tried it, but it was slow
work, because a live breeze had sprung
up from the north and the waves were
rolling against me. / saw that it
would take me an hour or more to get
back to the hotel working that way,
and / remembered all at once that /
had to catch the five o'clock train. |
was at least mile from shore, con-
siderably over two miles from the
hotel, and a good long mile from the
railway station at the south end of the
lake. / saw that if / expected to reach
the shore at all in time to catch the
train l would have to make for the
south shore. ! let the boat swing
around and started to swim behind it,
pushing it with the wind. made
more Roadway, but it was pretty mean
work, because the boat was half-full
of water, and was as heavy as drag.
l knew that the hotel people would
recover the boat all right, so | simply
let it go, and / started for the shore
alone. figured that l had no time
to waste if l wanted to catch that
train, so l swan with my long over
hand sailor stroke-I've always found
that l can make much better speed
that way. The wind kept getting
higher, and for the last half mile or
so L was riding in the white caps. /
want to tell you, gentlemen, that even
in a little lake, four miles long, you
can get up pretty good sea if you
get the wind to coming right. /
didn't mind the waves, however, be-
cause they sort of helped me along.
When / was about a hundred yards
from the shore [ heard the engine
whistle for the station at the north
of the lake. | was somewhat ex-
hsusted by that time, naturally
enough. l had often swum longer
distances than that, but never before
had I attempted to keep up such
speed. | could see the train coming
along through the woods, and | made
a final squirt.
"Just as / came out on the bank the
train stopped at the station and l had
to make a run. ] swung on the plat
form as the wheels began to turn. l
got on the train on the side opposite
the station and, for that reason, the
people on the platform didn't see me.
81 remained on the platform until
the conductor came along and then
explained my predicament to him.
Luckily herecognizedme- had been
over the road two OF three times with
party of gentlemen in private car
and he put the baggage car at my
disposal so / could dry my clothes.
81 intended, of course, to write to
the hotel people next day to inquire
the amount of my bill and the damage
done to the boat Then had to have
my baggage forwarded also, because l |
had left that at the hotel. 1t was late
in the evening when l arrived in Mil
waukee. l took a carriage up to my
hotel and when l walked in the clerk |
gave a yell and threw up both hands. |
You see, the hotel people up at Plank
nae had found the boat and they sup
posed, of course, that / had been |
drowned, so they had telegraphed the |
news to Milwaukee and from Milwau-
kee it had been sent all over the coun-
try by the Associated Press. / hur-
ried around to the newspaper offices
to deny the rumor. AT one place they |
had an obituary notice about two |
columns long already set up.
"The funniest part of it all was
what the people up at Plankinac said.
They declared that no man could have
swum ashore in such rough water, but
the conductor told his story and they
had to give in"
"Got anything to do next Sunday, |
Doe" asked the "lush."
mo, not that I know Of"
'IePs go over to St. Joe. I'll 60 on
the boat and you swim"
II told that story because I sup
posed it would interest these gentle
men," said "Doc," strengthening him
self in his chair.
Certainly" "It did" "That's
right" came from members of the
colony.