The Washington times., 1901-09-29
Il Lady Comics Plunge


| It's perfectly heavenly, You run right
out to the end of the board. poise yourself.
shut your eyes. and down you go. Ike
| a.
"Sto..>"' suggested Freddy Lor-iker.
Like arrow" corrected Lady Cons
| ME. Then she gave little nod to tha
| enchantress and another to Freddy and
| tripped away, leaving two images before
! the mental vision OF the warrior. one be-
| Ing a fair. slender. virginal form clad in
| clinging garments of pale blue and white.
| with a jaunty cap on Its golden hair. poss-
| ed for swallowiike flight: the other that
/! of brunette Of rather effiorescent per-
sonality and pronounced embonpoint
balanced awkwardly on the end of an
elastic plank. He writhed little at this.
and excused himself by saying that he
| had twinge of his African cramp.
| Little cati" thought Mrs. lie ouesne.
noting the iabored lie and reading Freddy
| like book. And being a clever woman
| she then and there formulated her men,
! tai VOW never to enter the club swimming
baths under any possible circumstances.
Had Lady Connie known of this resoiu-
ton, her hopes would have fallen to the
| ground Bu. she remained in ignorance
and was happy. The next frog match
was for male club members, ladies being
present on both balconies overlooking the
swimming bath by invitation.
so 1 must welt for my revenge" she
said to Molly verdon, as they sat togeth-
| er, leaning in tue gilt baiustrade and
watching the aquatic gambols Of the
! sterner sex (arrayed in complete suits Of
| light flannel, be 1t explained. in Difference
| to the propr:eties).
There is the lie Quesne." said Molly,
! kissing her hand to a man in striped
mauve swimming suit. All. ii is Captain
| LorrikerH'
"And he's going In for the thirty yards
| under-the-wa.er race" said Connie anx.
| iously.
DO not be anxious" said her friend.
| Captain Lorriker is not inclined to be
apoplectic, like that stout man in the
Guards. 1 felt really anxious about him
Why he is putting and blowing already.
like the seaiion at the Zoo.v
"Ahi They're orr cried Mrs. Le
Quesne, as the four competitors launch-
ed themselves upon their sub-aquatio
journey The guardsman came up to the
surface snorting hideously before he had
accomplished three yards: two Of the
others gave in about the middle of the
course but Freddy held on and won amid
applause.
And the prize is diamond frog-and
he will give it to herr thought Lady
Connie, viciously dinting her red under
lip with one small white eyetooth. "Oh,
IL 1 could ony tempt her in next ladies'
frog match, would-I don't quite know
what I'd do. butt should be something
that should break her spell upon him.
and bind him to me forever!"
She did it in another minute. Never
was such lucky chance, as Molly Yer
don said:
Because Freddy foolish Captain Fred
dy-fiushed with triumph and the smiles
, of the Enchantress. who meant to have
the diamond frog-Freddy essayed the
high dive.
"Oh, / wish he wouldn't" moaned
Lady Connie, as her beloved swarmed up
the ladder that led to the elastic platform
that overhung the deep end of the bath.
why not?" snapped her friend, un-
| sympathetic for once
Because of his wound" moaned Con-
ME. land the cramp-that awful South
| African cramp, Suppose he swallows some
water. and it isn't quite nice
"UghI" said Molly shuddering.
"And that brings it on. You know he
has sworn off water since that South
Afric-''
Splash,
Freddy had done the high dive.
Capital cried all the spectators.
"Bravor' cried Mrs. LIE Quesne. ap-
plauding from her balcony. And what
a long time he is stopping under water.
tool had no idea Tippy could show on
like that.
Hell pop up nowI" said the Guards
man.
But Freddy did not pop up. and hor-
rible moment went by. Then man
shouted something and Mrs LIE Quesne
Uttered and then screamed.
For before any of the paralyzed club
members had reused to action, Lady Con-
ME had risen. torn Off her hat and jacket,
sprung upon her chair, stepped thence to
the broad ledge of the balcony and dived-
The slight figure cleft the water of the
swimming bath Immediately over the spot
where Captain Freddy had gone down.
and in a breathless minute dripping
golden head emerged and half dozen
swimmers leaped in to help the piucky
maiden land her insensible burden
She's got him in her MOUTH cried the
guardsman. like young Newfound-
land
She had. In fact. seized Captain Freddy
by the collar OF his striped swimming
Jacket with those strong, white teeth of
hers when. between the agonies of cramp
and the asphyxia OF drowning, he lay
feebly squirming at the bottom of tho
swimming bath.
There is little more to say. except that
Captain Freddy was brought round by
brandy and hot blankets. and from that
day the power of the Enchantress was
broken.
But when Lady Connie married the
captain-wh:ch she did in the beginning
of November Iast-she withdrew her name
from the mernbars' LIST of the Dips
club She had plunged for husband and
got him. and, 50 far as have heard, she
has not yet repented.-The Sketch.