The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-09-09

told us in what direction to walk to the
lake, and we walked. Wekept on walk
ing, and not a sign of lake was to
be seen. At last we found our way back
to the trolley line, and asked one of
the railroad men where the Arlington
lake was.
Oh he said, I guess they have not
turned the water on yet. There isn't
much of crowd. Last Sunday there
was a big excursion, then you could
have seen the lake full of water
Turn the water on!' I exclaimed.
I thought they advertised sailboats
and pond lilies and all that sort of
thing% u. e.. g.. ~. ~.
$50 they do, ma'am,' said the troll
ley man, but you know it's pretty dry
country down here, and they can't
afford to waste water on that lake I'M
less there's crowd Drifter bristled
up and said: What we want to know is
where the lake is when there is any
water 49,
''The trolley man was accommodate
ing. He walked along with us, took us
up what he called hill, and then
pointed out hole in the ground about
so yards round, and as dry as the hotel
porch. Of course, I was amused, but
nevertheless disappointed.
"'Never mind, said Drifter. I will
take you for a sail on the Trinity river
some afternoon. They are talking now
of running line of boats up the Trim
ity from Galveston, and it will seem
like old times to get on a real big ex-
cursion steamer
"For the next week or two Trinity
river navigation was thoroughly agi-
tated in the Texas papers. AS near as
I could make out, the principal diff
Guilty seemed to be that they were clear
ing the river of snags. I read that snag
boat No. had accomplished wonders;
that snag boat No. had just left Dallas,
and fairly revelled in the anticipa ton
Of trip on the, broad bosom of the
Trinity. Then the newspapers began to
print columns about the need of rain,
and it was reported that the snag boats
were tied up, owing to the drought.
Zone day Drifter took me on the
train over to the banks of the Trinity.
Sure enough, there was the boat, an
excursion steamer On small scale, to
be sure, but boat, nevertheless. Be-
lieve me, there was not two feet OF
water in the deepest part OF that won
derful river. One of the Texans got real
mad when Drifter suggested that it
would be good idea to put the boat on
trucks, so as to give an excursion up
and down the river on wheels, at any
rate.
"'You wait until we have rain,' said
one of the Texans, 'thenyou won't poke
any fun at Trinity river navigation
''The rain finally came, and there was
enough Of it to satisfy all Texas. Now
we will have our boat ride, said Drifter,
and we hurried over to Dallas. Alas,
Trinity river was then so high that the
excursion boat would either have to be
pulled over the bridge or stay at it's
dock. They couldn't afford to cut
hole in the bridge, you see, just for an
excursion, and the river had risen to the
level of the bridge.
eat last accounts the Trinity river
excursion had been abandoned. Drifter
told me that the boat couldn't make
much Roadway on account of the dust
in the river bottom, and believed him.
Why, actuallysthey. have to wait for a
rainstorm down there before they could
have outdoor 'baptism~ services, for you
see, it wouldn't look very well to have
people lie down in the bed of the river
and have water poured over them from
a sprinkling pot.
If we didn't have river excursions or
sails on the lake, there was always
something to make it lively during our
stay in Texas" continued Mrs. Drifter
Il wish you could have been down there
when croquet was in season. went to
croquet party one evening when we
first settled in Fort Worth. I enjoyed
it very much, but didn't understand at
that time that one ought to wear hip
boots or armor in simple little game
like lawn croquet.
"The next day was sight to behold,
I hadn't seen any mosquitoes, but it
was evident that had been settled upon
by a swarm. My lower limbs were
spotted with the most irritating and ex-
asperating mementos of the bites of
some insects. confded my trouble to
one of the ladies in the house, and she
said, consolingly:
"'Oh, that's nothing. You have beer
bitten by chigres, that's ALL
'Chigres. what are they?' asked.
''Why, a chigre is little red bug
she replied, the most persistent insect
you ever heard of. Yon got them play
ing croquet on that lawn. We have not
had one at our house this season, but
they have them over there. You ought
to put some salt on the places where
you were bitten. Rub them with salt
an6 water, and you will get the chigres
Off
Surely they are not on me now:
I said.
eyes, they are,' said the lady.
'Chigres bury themselves under your
skin. If you look closely you can see
them
''By the aid of Drifter's microscope,
was able to detect in the center of each
inflamed spot little bright red insect.
something like a spider. When poked
it with the point of needle it ran with
incredible rapidity. It is needless to
say I didn't play croquet on that par
ticular lawn again. Drifter told me
that chigres in Texas were like the
chills and fever in Missouri. The ma.
tives didn't mind them. ..~ --- - .-.,,.
II found Dtt in time how the natives
protected themselves against the in
roads of the spider-like chigre. Having
been invited to a picnic in the woods. T