Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-12-28
WHAT JOE DID KNOW.


 Joe Cove1l was just beginning to have a really good time with the Centerville boys. He was supposed to be paying | visit to his Uncle Frank and Aunt Em- | incline, but he really put in the day l finding out how different Centeryille | was from New York, and how like boys | are the world over Nice boys in Gen. terville went barefoot and he didn't 1 have to tease Aunt Emmeline at all to let him do so. But, of course, when 1t comes to getting in the shade of the Carmichael barn and Dragging there could be no doubt that New York ex- ceeded Centerville, and Joe kept Will and Alexander Carmichael and "Hooky" Gibbs and Fred Myers and Hen Thomas as much entranced as Marco Polo did the people of his day and time with his stories about the far east.
 Hen Thomas wasn't at all pleased. It may be because he was the biggest and was just about the age when he thought he was the smarte.st. He had been undisguisedly admired by the other boys till Joe Covell came.
 Wees" sneered Hen, sI've heard you make your brags before. Whadda you tink, fellers? He says that in New York the houses is so close together at they tech each other!"
 "They do sol" protested Joe.
 "Geddout!" scorned all the boys to- gether.
 Joe had his blood up, and there would have been a regular quarrel then and there if Monkey" Reynolds had not come along at that moment and held up two fingers, which everybody knows means, Let's go swimmin."
 They all trooped off, forgetting the dispute. Joe was as glad as anybody that they were going swimming. That was a sport in which he was not to be beaten. He was at the head of the class there. He knew tricks in swim ming that none of the boys in Center vile knew As a diver none of them could come up to him, and he could do "the steamboat" and thread water, and all the regulation acts, besides be- ing swift and enduring swimmer with the sailor stroke.
 Joe got to telling about the surf at Long Branch and the undertow and the tides and all, when Hen Thomas, who loved to torment smaller boys, slipped up behind him and pus Ihed him under water In the middle of. a word. Joe came up gasping and choking and full of wrath. He shot wat CT with his hol- low palm into Hens lace.
 The big fellow gaspe for breath, but he dragged Joe out wh ere 1t was deeper and held him under until .Joe's head rung and his ribs ne;arly burst in the effort not to breathe. There was some thing like jealousy growing in Hen Thomas heart and a wild sense of wrong raging in Joe'sA
 He and the others made for the ba uk where their clothes were.
 Let's go away ard leave him." sai Will Carmichael. ''I know place down by the copperas banks, little further down stream, that's pretty near a, deep as this. We'll wade across whel the little island is and go swimming O the other side"
 They started off, all but "Ho oky'' Gibbs. Either he didn't want to come with them. or he was afraid of Hen Thomas.
 They had crossed the river from the side Hen Thomas was on and tru tied on homeward, meaning to cross by the covered bridge. They followed the mar. row path, winding in and out am one the bushes on the banks, and as t hey chattered along Will Carmichael cal let out: Cheese it, fellows! Whats ha hallowing?"
 Help! Help,i He's drownii lg Drowning!" It was "IIooky', Glib bs shrill voice.
 They ran up stre cam toward the Syc a more swimming hole. Gibbs was 0, Il in the stream ur, to his waist pointin to the deep hole and shrieking.
 As they ran Joe tore off his clothes and as they got opposite where Gibb stood shiverin g and crying, he dashed in, swimming his swiftest stroke.
 Hes dow n there about" Inoaned Gibbs. He said he had a crgmp" Joe diyed down, but fetched nothing. Again and again h came up. shook the water out of his e yes and no strils, took 2 goot