The Delawarean., 1900-09-01
TRYING 70 KEEP COOL.
A Story of a Summer Family
Picnic.
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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 a
day as this. l certainly wouldn't stay
in an oven of a house when there are
trees and grass and breezes to be found
if you only 60 in search of them"
"But there surely is more comfort in
remaining quietly here than there is in
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 in getting
ready, but the luXuries of this life
are not to be had without labor. tell
you the country is the place, and wen
go to the country today. Just hustle
around and get the children ready and
we'll start
"But wherell we go?" asked Mrs.
Briggs.
Anywhere" answered Briggs.
"The park?" suggested Mrs. Briggs.
"That's comparatively near and
"Park nothing!" interrupted Briggs.
eve can run over to the park any
afternoon when l happen to get home
early. but | don't get a full holiday
very often, and we want to take ad,
vantage Of it, Well get out where the
cool breezes blow. Hurry now. We
can get a train to Mulligan's grove at
10 o'clock, and some Of the boys at the
store are going out there with their
familics-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. lie 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 neglgee shirt.
"Wheww he exclaimed, as he put a
hammock over his shoulder and grab
bed q lunch basket, Il didn't realize
how hot It was. I'd have been a
corpse before night Il ia 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 few minutes later. Hurry, or
we'll miss it."
Briggs grabbed one of the children
with his disengagcd hand. and with
the lunch basket in the other hand and
the hammock over his shoulder started
on dog trot TO head off the approach
ing car at the corner
"Whew, it gets hotter every minuter'
he exclaimed as he hung to u post and
mopped his face with his handker-
chief. Il 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.
81 just about sweat myself to death
in the crowd on the footboard," said
Briggs when they were on the street
again and about to take up the rest
of their journey to the depot
GLOW 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 We're on q
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 iostled 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 to a
fat man or woman and holding a child
in ones lap, a very fair imitation of
the tortures Of the internal regions is
experienced.
"This negligee shirt of NINE" said
Briggs, 'looks as if l had worn it in
swimming, but We'll have some COM
fort as soon as we get under way"
eff we don't start soon," returned
Mrs. Briggs, 81 shall faint. l simply
cannot stand this sitting atmospheric .
And one of the children began to cry.
They left the train with sigh of re-
lief. Before it started even the aisles
had partly filed up, and everyone
knows what enforced contact with
sweltered humanity is in closed car.
"At any rate, we're here" said
Briggs as he threw away his limp
collar and ioosened the neckband OF his
shirt. "Now for cool spot. By jover'
he added. as he saw half q dozen