Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26

years old, who called him ''gra ndad," down
10 nne bathing ha beach S. to give the boy
in the water for a while when the old gen
tleman was noticed by the people sitting
on the benches to be growing a little fdgety
and excited.
He Also Knew.
Looks pretty good out there, don't It,"
said he to man sitting near him.
Yes. the boys appear to enjoy it, said
the man.
The old man rose from his seat
by jing," said he, I'm going in myself"
kind O. dangerous for an old gentleman
TO go IN that can't SWIM l should think"
said the man he had addressed. The old
man only smiled bit quizzical1y at the
speaker. but said nothing, and went after
bathing suit.
When he came out of his dressing ROOM
In sleeveless Jersey bathing suit, the on
lockers on the bcrches were startled The
Old gentleTan's knotted arms were tattooed
from wrists to elbows with Japanese dra-
CONS. American eagles, the flags of many
nations. and all sorts of strange devices;
and the tattooed masts OF full-rigged ship
on his breast protruded above the low
neck OF his bathing jersey.
Can he swim!' they all exclaimed at
once.
The old gentleman walked with dignity
down the planking to the raft, with never
an eye to port or starboard. He walked
out on the spring board backward, and
the water clean as a we'll heaved lead,
and coming up about a hundred feet away
from the raft.
We'll. can he swimr' said the people on
the benches.
Taking Chances.
The young man who belongs to the genus
smarticus Alexius-the same chap who
rocks a boat full of women and chill
dren. points loaded pistols at nervous girls,
tc hi l.; l>tlr
when other people are walking their ma
chimes up, and illustrates In general the
need for a national fool killer-attempts to
carve out fame and win tumultuous APP
plause for himself down at the bathing
beach, as he does everywhere else, but at
the bathing beach he is squelched good and
hard. He turned up down there the other
day in the form of lunatic of young
father with pretty. thIee-year-old. curly
haired boy He logged the infant out in a
little bathing suit. Then, in his own bath
ing suit. and with a cigar stuck rakishly
in his face-the benches were crowded with
on-lookers. and the smart Alec was aware
of the fact-he strobe out to the raft with
his infant perched on his shoulder. He
sat down at the edge of the raft, still with
the little boy on his shoulder and the cigar
on his face. and slid into the water. strik-
ing out with one hand in depth of thirty
feet, just to show the people on the beach
how easy the thing could be done. He had
gotten about fifty feet away from the raft
WHtI tHe Illie Doy SuudeHiy Slippeu oll
his shoulder into the water, and was I'M
derneath the surface in twinkling. The
man seemed to lose his head at this and
looked around wildly before he thought to
dive for the little chap. By the time he
dived for the boy the life guard was on
the spot and had the curly headed three
year-old safely in his arms. carrying him
back to the raft with long strokes When
the white-faced father, no longer with the
cigar in his teeth. sprawled aboard the raft,
one of the policemen said to him:
Go in and get your clothes on and dress
the kid; and try not to be gay any more.
And the pistol pointer and boat rocker
and hill burner and kid-jeopardizer sham
bled obediently toward his dressing room.