Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1900-09-27
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! TRYING TO KEEP COOL. s;
A Story of Summer Family
Picnic.
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his wife, absolutely inSufferable. L
don't see how you stand it or why you
stand it, If didn't have to be down
town all day I'd have the children out
in the park or in the country such
day as this. l certainly wouldn't stay
in an oven of n house when there are
trees and grass and breeZes to be found
II you only 60 in search of them"
But there surely is more comfort in
remaining quietly here than there is in
preparing for an outing and then
tramping all over the country looking
for bit of unappropriated shade" pro-
tested Mrs. Briggs.
NONSENSE" replied Briggs. "Of
course there is some work i'll getting
ready. but the luxuries of this life
are not to be had without labor. l tell
you the country is the place, and Wen
&c to the country today. Just hustle
around and get the children ready and
we'll start
But where'll we go?" asked Mrs.
Briggs.
Anywhere" answered Briggs.
The park" suggested Mrs. Briggs.
That's comparatively near. and
Park nothing" interrupted Briggs.
I'VE can run over to the park any
afternoon when l happen to get home
early. but | don't get full holiday
very often. and we want TO take adj
vantage of it. Well get out where the
cool breezes blow. Hurry now We
can get train to Mulligan's grove at
10 o'clock. and some of the boys at the
store are going out there with their
| families-nothing formal. you know;
| just an outing. I'll show you how TO
keep cool if you'll just hustle and put
up little lunch"
There was an hour or more of good
hard work, as any one who ever has
tried TO start for little outing knows.
and some of the work fell to the lot of
Briggs himself. He acted under the
| orders of Mrs. Briggs, who became
general superintendent temporarily,
and as a result when they were ready
to start he had to change his collar
and his negligee shirt.
"Whew" he exclaimed as he put q
hammock over his shoulder and grab
bed a lunch basket, Il didn't realize
| how hot ii was. I'd have been q
corpse before night if I'd tried to stay
In this stuffy house."
you wouldn't have been as hot at
any time during the day as you are
now" returned Mrs. Briggs, who was
| going on the outing under protest and
| didn't care who knew it.
Perhaps not" replied Briggs. 'but
/ wouldn't have been as cool and COM
| Portable as will be an hour from now.
either. The trouble with you women
| is that you don't look far enough
ahead. There comes our car" he add
ed a few minutes later. Hurry, or
we'll miss it,
Briggs grabbed one of the children
with his disengaged hand. and with
the lunch basket in the other hand and
the hammock over his shoulder started
on a dog trot TO head off the approach
ing car at the corner.
.'Whew, 1t gets hotter every minute"
he exclaimed as he hung TO a post and
mopped his face with his handker-
chief. 81 tell you, we would just have
smothered in that house today. Why,
my clean collar is melted already"
He looked around for a seat, but a
whole lot of people seemed TO be TAX
ing an outing that day and there
wasn't one to be had. Mrs. Briggs and
the children were uncOmfortably
wedged in between hot and perspiring
individuals and looked as if they
thought he had rather the better of it
standing up.
Il just about sweat myself to death
in the crowd on the fOotboard." said
Briggs when they We're on the street
again and about to take up the rest
of their journey to the depot.
How far have we got to walk now?"
asked Mrs. Briggs.
"Only four blocks" answered Briggs.
"Then we may hope TO be decently
comfortable. Come along, We've no
time to waste"
Ten minutes later they were on a
car with others going for an outing
good many others. They had
sweltered at the ticket office. sweltered
in the crowd at the gate. and had been
pushed and jostled and stepped on in
reaching the car. but they all got seats
after a fashion. 1t is warm under a
train shed in the best Of circumstances.
There is little circulation of air there.
and when it comes to sitting next 70
fat man or woman and holding child
in ones lap. a very fair imitation Of
the fortunes of the Internal regions is
experienced.
This negligee shirt of mine" said
Briggs, looks as if had worn it in
swimming. but We'll have some com
fort as soon IS we get under way"
If we don't start soon" returned
Mrs. Briggs. q shall faint. l simply
cannot stand this sitting atmosphere
And one Of the children began to cry.
They left the train with a sigh of re-
lief Before it started even tie aisles
had partly filed up, aaC everyone
knows what enforced contact with
sweltereG humanity IS in a closed car.