El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-17
TRYING TO KEEP COOL.
A Story Of = Summer Family
Picnic
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

don't see how YOU stand IL or why you
stand IL. II 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. / certainly wouldn't stay
In an oven OF a house when there are
trees and grass and breezes to be found
II you only go In search of them"
But there surely is more comfort In
remaining quietly here than there IL In
preparing for an outing and then
trampIng all over the country looking
for a 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 I tell
you the country is the place. and well
60 to the country today. Just hustle
around and get the children ready and
well start
But where1l We goT 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 / happen to get home
early. but I don't get full holiday
very often. and We want to take ad
vantage OF IL. 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 ut the
store are going out there with their
Notwithstanding formal, you know;
just an outing. I'll show you how to
keep cool If you'll just hustle and put
up a 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 lie bad to change his collar
and his negligee shirt
"Whew," lie exclaimed, as he put a
hammock over his shoulder and grab
bed a lunch basket. Il didn't realize !
how hot IL was. I'd have been a |
corpse before night IL 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 l will be an hour from now,
either. The trouble with you women |
Is that you dent 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 I'm the other hand and
the hammock over his shoulder started
on a dog trot TO head of the approach
ing car at the corner.
"Whew. it gets hotter every minutew
he exclaimed as lie hung to a post and
mopped his face with his handker-
chief. II 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 IL they
thought he had rather the better of IL
standing up.
II 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.
How for have we got to walk nowy"
asked Mrs. Briggs.
"Only four blocks" answered Briggs
''Then we may hope to he decentIy
comfortable. Come alongI We've no
time to waste"
Ten minutes later they were on n
car with others going for an outing
good many others. They had
sweltered at the ticket office, sweItered
In the crowd at the gate, and had been
pushed and jostled and stepped on i'm
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 n child
in ones lap. verv fair imitation OF
the fortunes OF the Internal regions il
experienced.
This nesligee shirt OF mine" said
Briggs. looks as If had worn il in
swimming but we'll have some COM
fort as soon as we get under way"
"If we don't start soon" returned
Mrs Briggs. Il shall faint. / 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 the aisles
had partly filed up. and everyone
knows what enforced contact with !
sweltered humanity is I'm closed car
AT any rate. were here" said
no |