The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-11-08
VACATION IN FOG.

Biggs came into the Office with an air
of not caring who knew it, and Riggs
said to him: "What, back from your
vacation SO soon? A little earlier than
you expected, isn't it?''
eyes, I am back earlier than 1 ex-
pected, " Biggs answered, fand I don't
want you to ask me what came back
for either.
''Well, won't ask you, said Riggs
soothingly. "What is it to me?"
81 came back to get warm,' said
Biggs "if you must know"
81 don't want to know" said Riggs
''Isn't it enough" said Biggs, ''to
have everybody, from the proprietor of
my hotel to the elevator man here in
the building, worrying me about what
/ came back for?''
1T seems as if it ought to be enough, !"
said Riggs.
But it appeared that Biggs really
wanted to tell, and as soon as the two
started for luncheon together he began
of his own accord. 81 always said, /" he
began, "that New York was the best
place to be in the summer. 1t may be
pretty hot sometimes, but New York is
better prepared to stand hot weather
than any other city in the world And
SO with Manhattan Beach and Long
Branch and the highlands close at
hand. always thought that the bother
of going far for a vacation was more
than it was worth, and / seldom went
But this year my cousin Polly wrote to
me how lonely it was down on the
coast of New England where she is
staying, with 90 girls in the hotel to one
man, and how much she wanted me to
come down, and finally went down.
II don't know what / wanted to go
for. 1t wasn't uncomfortable here. The
night got there | nearly froze to death
sitting on the piazza. Polly said the
wind was little fresh, even for that
place, but ought to have been there
the week before, when the storm was
and when they all went out with their
winter clothes and rubber boots ON to
see the waves, and the fishermen said
there hadn't been anything like it be-
fore since 1878. But the wind was
blowing 35 miles an hour right then,
and that was enough for me.
1.-THE next morning put on fresh,
clean outing suit, just as if had ex-
pected summer weather 1t was beau
tiful suit that l bought on purpose to
wear down there, and Polly said she
was proud of me, though she was lit
tie afraid I might get pneumonia. Evil
IDENTIFY she was proud Of me, or Of the
suit, or something, for all that day she
just took me around and showed me to
the other girls. 1 didn't know another
soul in the place. so she had me all to
herself, and it really was worth some
thing to see how happy she was when
she looked at the other girls.
you'll die of modesty some time, "
said Riggs "You ought to do some
thing for it. .
sit wasn't altogether SO easy show
ing me to the other girls either" Biggs
went on, ''for the fog was thick enough
all that day to boil potatoes in, only
the air didn't suggest boiling at all.
But Polly said that this weather was
unusual She had been here two sum-
mers before, and sometimes it was al
most warm. She thought that 50 much
cold was sure sign that it was going
to be warm soon. 1t was foggy all the
next day, too, and for this night a
moonlight sail was announced They
called it sail, though it was to be on a
steamboat When / saw the advertise
ments and saw the fog, / was inclined
to make light of it, but soon found
that it was serious matter, for it ap-
peared that they were going to have it
regardless of the weather, and Polly
was bent on going and on taking me
with her.
81 told her / would much rather sit
on the piazza with her alone and talk
about the days when we used to make
mud pies together, or some other pleas
ant subject, She said that the disparity
in our ages was too great for us ever to
have made mud pies together, and she
didn't remember anything about it, but
it was not too great for US to go on a
moonlight sail together. l spoke about
the fog, and she said that it was likely
to clear up any minute.
ST remember that the last time had
seen the moon, before left New York,
it was past the full. looked the mat
ter up and found that it would not rise
that night till after 10 O'Clock. Polly
said that the party would probably stay
out good deal later than that so it
would be all right, and anyway moon
was of no great consequence on a moon
light sail. l found at last that she
simply regarded that moonlight sail
as an especially convenient occasion
10 dangle me before the other girls
some more 1t appears that where
there are lot of girls on a moonlight
sail men are regarded as mcommonly
desirable. didn know anything about
It before, but Polly let me into the Sc
eret.
"Well, we went We had not much
more than started when / overheard the
captain saying to the purser: we can't
do anything tonight Wait till we have
been out Is minutes and then go around
and take up the tickets, and Well go
back Oh, they're nice, honest lot,
these hardy, seafaring peoplep'
why didn't you make row about
it, +" said Riggs, ''if you heard him say
thing like thatP''
make row about it? Why, would
have given So to get back, if it had been
necessary, instead of the so cents they
asked But it was not to be. That bay
is as full of islands as a shad roe-shut
rhoA 7 nd xxvo
zigzagged about among them. As we
were creeping around the end of one of
them Polly asked me what that man up
forward was looking for. thought he
must be watching for buoy that
marked the point that the boat must go
around in passing the island. Polly said
that she had often wondered why they
didn't have those buoys placed nearer
to the shore, where it would be easier
to go around them just as she had
wondered that there was bump and a
terrible grinding noise and the boat
stopped Her question was answered,
and we were stuck fast on the rocks
just inside the buoy.
"Well, then there was row. Chill
dren screamed, women tainted and men
put on life preservers-on themselves
usually, not the women. Polly wasn't
frightened bit. She just sat close to
me and gloated over the other girls. =
"And what did you do? You were
just as brave as she, / suppose. .
"Bravel What was there to be brave
about? The boat was fast ON the bottom.
! She couldn't have sunk any farther if