The Morris County chronicle., 1902-08-29
HE LOOPED THE LOOP

Ever since the arrival of the Jobsons at
the beach Mr.. Jobson has been doing more
or less flirting, so to speak, with the loop
the-loop contraption; that is to say, he has
been furively eyeing the huge electric loop
theloop sign, and giving vent to express
sions of admiration to Mrs. Jobson over the
ingenuity of what he termed a Characters
tlcally American invention for amusing the
people, and otherwise endeavoring to get
Mrs. Jobson to commit herself on the loop
the-loop subject in an approving way. This,
however, Mrs. Jobson declined to do.
''It looks foolish to me, she would in
variably say when Mr.. Jobson attempted to
steer her toward suggesting that they try
whirl on the loop, and dangerous besides.
What is the use of needlessly facing dan
ger?"
She said something like this last evening
when, as they paraded down the board
walk, Mr.. Jobson began to cast sleeps eyes
at the loop-the-loop sign, and to comment
upon the amount of fun the loopers APP
peared to be having.
Danger, nothing" Mr.. Jobson replied
this time, somewhat tartly. Dye suppose
the people that run the thing are going to
take chances on having to pay heavy dam
ages to people that get hurt or killed on
the contrivance? Not much are they!''
"Well, it looks mighty sinister, anyway"
said Mrs. Jobson.
$50 does church, if you've got sinister
way of looking at things, Mrs. Jobson,"
said Mr.. Jobson, acrimoniously.
They had walked well past the loop-the-
loop electric sign by this time, and Mrs.
Jobson didn't consider it necessary to make
any reply. Fifteen minutes later, however,
when they were on the return stroll and
passed the loop-the-loop sign, Mrs. Jobson,
who had hold of Mr.. Jobson's arm, felt
herself being propelled directly to the win
dow where loop-the-loop tickets are
bought
"Where are you going%' she asked him.
"We are going" replied Mr.. Jobson, with
strong accent on the 1--WE" ''to loop the
loop"
The expression of rock-like determination
which only crosses Mrs. Jobson's features
once in great while crossed it now.
"You may be going to loop the loop" she
said quietly, 'but l-certainly-am-not.'
Mr.. Jobson dropped her arm and stood
off and looked at her with grieving eyes.
He knew that when she took that tone the
reproachful manner was the only one worth
while for him to employ.
"How beautifully you enter into my little
amusements," he said to her in a sad, sad
way. What an amiable, yielding, delight
full companion you do make for a man who
tolls and slaves for IL months in the year
for the sole and only purpose of being able
to take you off on an annual month-long
vacation trip"
Mrs. Jobson gazed off in the direction of
the phosphorescent sea, but made no com
ment-which induced Mr. Jobson to sup
pose that she was ashamed of herself.
Therefore he felt that he could assume his
usual tone.
"You have got about as much sporting
blood" he went on in his best Jobsonian
manner, "as can of imported sardines,
packed in the state of Maine. If it wasn't
that you occasionally cut your finger in
slicing bread, I'd never have any means of
knowing that your blood even ran red.
What do you come down to the seaside for,
anyhow? To NOPE around like an inmate
of the Home for Aged and lnfirm Women,
out for an airing? Don't you think that you
manage to put in enough heavy sitting
around the IL months of the year that we
spend in Washington"
"You try it" said Mrs. Jobson.
"But | insist upon your joining me, SAID
Mr.. Jobson.
81 am not going to loop the loop this
evening or any other evening, said Mrs.
Jobson, just as quietly and determinedly as
she had said it before.
With a snort, Mr.. Jobson rushed up to
the loop-the-loop window and bought
ticket, good for one loop. Then he raced
in the direction of one of the waiting loop
the-loop cars Mrs Jobson followed him
into the inclosure to look on.
The front seat of the car toward which
Mr.. Jobson raced was already occupied by
a pair of tittering young women. The rear
seat had also passenger IN the shape OF
an extremely stout black woman who had
the general appearance OF seaside board
house cook. Her presence on the rear seat,
however, didn't feaze Mr.. Jobson. lie
stepped into the car and squeezed himself
into the seat alongside the stout black
woman, who regarded him suspiciously, and
then the attendant strapped him into the
seat with his dusl1y companion.
The car had no sooner begun to slowly
move up the incline than Mr.. Jobson's
ebon-hued seat mate started to calculate:
'Lawd uh massy!" "Lemme git out O.
heah, mani" "Ah reckon ah dun change
nah mini" and other reassuring things
while she took tight clutch of the strap
with her left hand and linked fat, strong
black arm to the arm of Mr.. Jobson that
was nearest to her.
When the car, after reaching the level
plane at the top OF the steep incline, began
to swiftly descend, the stout black woman
got choking grip around Mr.. Jobson's
neck with her loose arm, and then she
yelled at the top of her voice: Angel
Gabriel. Amin uh-comin'i" while the on
lockers down below, watching the perform
ance in the strong electric glare, roared their
approval
In grabbing Mr. Jobson around the neck
the stout black woman tipped his $35 Pan
anna from his head, and just after they
passed dizzily over the loop the piece Of
headgear Topped onto the track. The black
woman was so much excited and appalled,
over the nerve-racking experience OF going
over the loop that even when the car be-
gan to slowly circle back to the starting
point she forgot to unwind her big calico
wrapped arm from around Mr.. Jobson's
neck, although he kept blurting out, Leg
90 O. me, woman" so that when the car
passed by the tiers of seats containing the
onlookers she was still clutching him atfec-
tionately, Notwithstanding his wriggling.
Nor did she release her grasp until the car
came to a dead stop, and all hands were
in spasms over the funny picture the bare
headed Mr.. Jobson made. AS he stepped
out of the car, his face as white as chalk,
Mr. Jobson saw another car passing over