San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-09-05

They tumbled into his boat with a
shout. They were SO glad. Nearly every
one had brother, sister, cousin or
something of that sort along. True.
there were two or three young men
who DID not have their own sisters.
but they had some other young mems
sisters and so did not complain. There
was one pale and plain little girl who
seemed quite alone. She was very plain
~ clad too. Her dress was black. And
there was blond young man. who was
all alone. The pale little girl looked up
to him and seemed TO like him. But he
was clearly in love with himself, and
did not very graoiously accept the seat
which Jonah assigned him by the side
Of the solitary little girl in black. But.
still. as everybody else was happy, he,
too, must make merry, and as the great
boat, with its fluttering flags and living
passengers, pushed Off and swung about
with its head toward the island the
blond young man shouted out:
81 say, old duffer, what's your
pame?"
Jonah. And the word came up like
the growl of grizzly bear as the old
man leaned heavily to his oars
The name and the manner. too, of
the old man seemed to dampen the spir-
its of the handsome blond boy who sat
by the side Of the plain little girl in
black, and he said no more. but sitting
himself over to one side he drew out
bunch of nasty cigarettes, and. without
even asking anybody's leave, lighted
one and puffed away, as II he had been
smoking ever since his mother had left
off his long clothes.
The old man pulled hard and steadily.
The pretty girls from up in the Sierra
Nevada mountains glanced out from
under their bonnets and all took in the
sunlight and the sea and were silent
with Joy and admiration. The young
men counted the many huge battleships
that bore the flag Of England, and they
marveled ct the size Of the mighty iron
ram that had almost destroyed the navy
of Peru and had made Chile the great
est naval power in the Pacific.
Twenty four bands of martial music
loaded the delicious air with melody.
1t was stirring scene.
But long before the clumsy big whale
boat, with its one pair Of oars in feeble
old hands, could make the landing the
ladder was drawn up and the cere-
monies were we'll under way.
/ In this state of affairs all that could
be done was to pass on around toward
the Golden Gate and get as near to the
music and the speakers as possible.
This the old man did, and, casting an
Choir, was soon nodding in his seat, for
the sun was hot, and, then, his work had
been long and hard for one SO old and
worn.
The big boat swung about, pointing
toward the Golden Gate, which opens
into the Pacific ocean some five miles
distant. This brought the rope by which
the anchor hung close under the arm Of
the blond young man with the ciga-
rettes, where it creaked and squeaked
continuously. The music ceased, and
then the speaking began, but the party
In the boat could not hear what was
said, and some of the less thoughtful
began to grow restless and mischievous.
A freckle faced boy with small eyes
and a sunburned nose tried to tickle the
sleeping old Jonah on the neck with
wooden toothpick, but could not quite
reach. This inspired the blond young
man. and, sticking his burning cigarette
ON the point of his penknife, he leaned
over, and, In the midst Of giggles from
the whole party, with one exception,
perhaps, he held 1t close under the old
mans nose.
fortunately it did not harm him,
and, after coughing slightly from the
smoke. old Jonah again doubled up like
a pocketknife and soon was sound asleep
as before. But the spirit Of mischief was
now abroad. and the handsome blond
boy, with his penknife In his hand,
turned his attention to the creaking.
squeaking rope that held the anchor.
At first he only cut 1t little. just for
fun. And how they all did gigglel All
but one, and that one put out little
brown hand feebly from under black
shawl and laid 10 reproachfully ON the
blond boys arm.
This only angered him, and. setting
his teeth, he severed the rope and let
the great boat swing loose and drift as
IL liked
TIE giggles burst into laughter,
laughter loud and furious. as the old
mans head bobbed up and down under
the action Of the swiftly moving boat,
and his hands, from force Of habit.
held stoutly to the oars
81 hear the music again. but 1t seems
a good way off," said the eldest of the
girls suddenly. She half arose, and,
looking In the direction in which the
boat was drifting. cried: "And the
Golden Gate is close byl And the great
ooeanl Lookl Here is the open ocean,
Wake mp, JONAH Wake up. JonahP'
Blanched faces and silencei No one
moved or spoke But down from over
the side of the boat little white ciga-
rette slid, and falling into the water
with a scarcely audible ''sizz" was soon