The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-25
LADY CONNIE'S PLUNGE.

women are so jolly fond of hurtin one
another!''
+ But the eyes that met his next minute
were untroubled-the face of Lady Con-
ME perfectly serene. How do you do?'
she nodded to the captain. Are you
quite well again, and shall we see you
at the bi-monthly frog matcn?"
Frog match" was the newly invented
term for club swimming contest.
"Oh, yes!' returned Freddy brilliantly
THAT isl hope so! Though I've no
cause to be very fond of water-after
South Africa"
But there are no dead horses or
Beers in our swimming BATH said Lady
Connie, land the high dive is the best
anywhere. Twenty feet deep that end.
you know. Do try it one day. Mrs. lie
Quesne It's perfectly heavenly! You
run right out to the end of the board,
poise yourself, smut your eyes, and down
you go like "a
''Stone!' suggested Freddy Lorriker
Like an arrow corrected Lady Con-
ME Then she gave a little nod to the
enchantress and another to Freddy and
trfpped away leaving two images before
the mental vision of the warrior, one be-
ing fair, slender, virginia. form, clad in
cllnSing garments of pale blue and white,
with Jaunty cap on its golden hair.
po!sed for swalowlike fight; the other
that Of a brunette of rather efT1orescent
pei SpiielllIy Gnu pronounced SInDOnDOlII,
balanced awkwardly on the end of IN
elastic plank He wrthed little at this.
and excused himself by saying that he
had twinge of his African cramp.
Little cat."' thought Mrs. lie Quesne,
noting the labored lie and reading Fred
dy like book. And being a clever wom-
an she then and there formulated her
mental VOW never to enter the club
swimming baths under any possible cir
cu1nstances. Had Lady Connie known of
this resolution, her hopes would have
fallen to the ground. But she remained
in ignOrance-and was happy. The next
frog match was for male club members,
ladies being present on the balconies
overlooking the swimming bath by invi-
tatIon.
so I must wait for my revenge, she
said to Molly Verdon as they SIT to
gether, leaning on the silt balustraGe and
watching the aquatic gambos of the
sterner sex (arrayed in complete suits
of light flannel, be it explained, in defer
ence TO the proprietiesj.
There is the lie Quesne," said Molly
kissing her hand TO a man in a striped
mauve swimming suit. All. it is Capt.
Lorriker!
And he's going in for the thirty yards
under the water race" said Connie anX-
lousy.
do not be anxious" said her friend.
Capt. Lorriker is not inclined to be
apoplectic, like that stout man in the
guards. / feel really anxious about him.
Why, he is putting and blowing already
like the sea lion at the ZOO"
"Ah! they're Off" cried Mrs LIE
Quesne, as the four competitors launch
ed themselves upon their subaquatic
journey. The guardsman came up to the
surface snorting hideously before he had
accomplished three yards; two of tn.
others save in about the middle of the
course, but Freddy held on and won
amid applause.
and the prize is a diamond frog-and
he will give it to her" thought Lady
| Connie viciously dinting her red under
liz with one small white eyetooth ooh,
If l could only tempt her in next ladies'
frog match l would don't gate 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 a lucky chance, as Molly Verdon
said
Because Freddy, foolish Capt Freddy
flushed with triumph and the smiles of
the enchantress. who meant to have the
diamond frog-Freddy essayed the high
dive.
ooh, I wish he wouldn't moaned
Lady Connie, as her beloved swarmed I'D
the ladder that led to the elastic plat
form that overhung the deep end of the
bath.
why not?" snapped her friend, un-
sympathetic for once.
Because of his wound moaned Con-
ME, "and the cramp-that awful South
African cramp! Suppose he swallows
some water and it isn't quite nice
UGH 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.
Bravo" cried Mrs. lie Quesne. ap-
plauding from her balcony "And what
long time he is stopping under water
too! I had no idea Tippy could show off
like that"
Hell pop up now?' said the guards
man.
But Freddy did not pop up. and a hor-
rlble moment went by. Then a man
shouted something and Mrs. LIE Quesne
Uttered and then screamed
For before any of the paralyzed club
members had reused to action. Lady
Connie had risen, torn off her hat and
jacket, sprung upon her chair, stepped
| thence to the broad ledge Of the balcony
and Owed. The slight figure cleft the
water of the swimming bath Immediate
ly over the spot where Captain Freddy
hdd gone down, and IN a breathlCSs min
ute a dripping golden head emerged and
| half dozen swimmers leaped in to help
the plucEy maiden land her insensible
! burden.
She's got him in 1er MOUTH cried
the guardsman, like a young New
| foundland.'
She had, in fact, seized Captain Freddy
1 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
the 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-which she did in the beginning
of November last-she withdrew her
name from the members list of the
Dips club. She had plunged for a
husband and got him, and, so far as l
have heard, she has not yet repented.
Very Exciting.
| Cincinnati ENQUIRER