The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-19

ner path, she was WIG with delight ana
struck out with her little arms and legs as
though she wanted to swim.
Lolita was not quite a year old when
we went to Santa Cruz to spend the sum
mer. She could not walk at the time, but
We used to put her in a little bathing suit
and let her creep on the sand.
Zone day the waves rolled up higher on
the shore than usual, and somehow she
got mixed up with them. There We're
bathers all around VINO saw hsr, and at
least a dozen of them started to the child's
rescue. You can imagine how surprised
every one was % see the baba swim as cas-
lily as the most accomplished swimmer.
She took to the water as though she be-
longed IN it. Af5er that we simply could
not keep her ous OF it.
"Though it was weeks before Lolita
could walk, yet every morning she went
for O swim with her father. Then she
would sit quietly for hours and look at
the ocean, never making q snand, but
screaming and crying if any one a attempted
to take hsr away.
"it worried me dreadfully, and l came
home. / made up my mind 1 would never
let the child go swimming. After she
learned to walk / used to take her along
the beach to look at the water, but ] never
let go Of her hand for an Instant.
ssOne day, however, while walking on
0 lake shore she broke away from me,
threw herself in and swan to the opposite
shore.
The lake asked me to come in, was
all she would ever say about 1t.
eve have d little fountain In the yard,
and Lolita would sit there for hours run
nirg her fingers through the water. She
never has tasted fish, but for the matter Of
! that I cannot even bear the sight of n
myself.
ssShe went to school when she was 8,
and I feared that she would suffer from
the careless remarks of the other children
about her skin, but through the applica-
ton of oil l managed to have her skin
look almost natural.
81 never permitted her to go swimming
at the baths here or in Alameda, although
I could not prevent her from constantly
slipping away to look at the ocean. she
would never say whether or not she went
in swimming on such occasions.
sThis summer we went to Santa Cruz.
Lolita had not been there since b~abyhood.
When she went down to the beach, she
burst into violent tears. She could not
wait, she was SO impatient to put on a
bathing suit and swim. She would stay
in the wafer almost all day long, but 1t
never seemed to disagree with her. Peo-
pie began to talk about her wonderful
swimming and then about-well, about
other things, so we came home.
aBut Lolita was so unhappy here that
sent her down to Santa Barbara. From
there her father took her to Coronado, and
then they came home.
"We have to let her go swimming every
day now. She goes in the morning be-
fore school. | forbade her going at first,
but she grew so strangely silent and went
around so ~piteously that / had to let her
60. She swan in the surf at
this morning and is out in the yard now
drying her hair. I'll call her in. Lolitai
Lolita /"
Lolita came quickly, throwing back her
golden hair and showing an oval face
with delicate features and beautiful sea
green eyes. She is not as tall as the aver
age child of II, and she has an odd, piteous
expression.
ssDfd you enjoy your swim2" I asked.
eyes, but I had to come home, and
when the waves calhyou all the time it is
SO hard to get away from them.
"You love the sea?" I said.
ssOh. yes, and the sea is my friend. 1t
would never harm me. Even when ! was
a baby it let me ride on it," She moved
over to the window, and the rays OF light
falling on her face showed the peculiar
scaled skin. In the shadow it was scarce
" noticeable.
People say / am like a fish, she con-
tinued in a voice as young and fresh as an
ocean breeze.
nAt first I felt dreadful about it, U
| now I do net care. / can swim better
than any Of them. And, oh, if yon but
knew the things the sea says to me when
/ am swimming-all about coral reefs
and mermaids and beautiful fish, / know
there is something in the sea that plays en-
some sweet instrument, because when 1
swim with the side stroke 1 hear the most
heavenly music. No one else can hear
these sweet things, so I do not care.