The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-08

test before the young men.
Although she had been quick TO take
IN every extravagant touch Of Barker's
attire. she had failed to detect the
keen. comprehendlng glances which
he bestowed on the clouds, the sea
and her own slight. boyish figure. He
seemed to have added up these separ-
ate items and found a result not
wholly satisfactory, for there were
anxious lines under the offending hat
brlm.
"Well. Grace, guess we can weather
a little storm. We've don't It before,
haven't we, old girl?" cried Frances.
attacking a streaming lock Of hair with
savage thrust of a side comb.
At that moment the ominous cloud
opened and with a crash let out It's
weapons of war. IL spread It's vast
shadow over the waters, and the black
ened waves became the victims of con-
tending winds. The boat swung this
way and that, obeying by turns the
conflicting orders of the elements and
those of the girls weak hand.
For a minute the boat, although
sorely buffeted, seemed to hold its own
against the tempest. Then came an
other burst of thunder, fairly tearing
open the heavens and letting loose
all that remained of wind and rain.
The little craft reeled and staggered
before the blow. A drenching wave
came aboard-then another Grace
was fast losing all control of the boat,
and the question of capsizing became
a mere question of minutes.
AS the next great wave came rush
ing down, the man at the helm" gave
a feminine shrek, and looked help
lessly about her. Then dropping the
tiller, she chung to Frances in terror,
while somehow Thomas Barker APP
peared at her deserted post
THAT was pretty stiff, wasn't it?"
he said. quietly. Il guess we were all
frightened. Here comes another.
Steady now, Billy, lend a hand here,
will you? All right, Miss Hodges;
don't be alarmed for your boat She'll
come through alive with the rest of
us"
Z In spite of his reassuring words, the
little craft bobbed about like a cork,
the spray that dashed over her lee
gun.wale sometimes bringing rush
of green water with it.
The girls were giving a thoroughly
feminine exhibition of fright. No
amount of tan and slang and swagger
could ever again impose upon any one
who had seen them clutching each
other in the bottom of the boat-a
hopeless tangle of brown arms and
writhing forms.
All the time that the two young men
were busted in getting the boat safe
into the harbor the girls lay quiet, and
when the fury of the storm passed as
quickly as it came, they still looked
like an ignominious heap of wet
clothes.
Thomas Barker's blue-ribboned hat
had blown into the sea, and the rain
had washed the curl out of his hair.
The storm had taken all the feminine
touches out of him. and left him stand
ing as nature intended him to be-a
fine, tall, vigorous fellow with conf
dent eyes and modest bearing. Will
liam looked quizzically at him and at
the mortified girls, and then he said,
with seeming iTrelevance:
Il believe doctors are right in apply
ing the cold-water cure to fevers. OF
course it seems like heroic treatment,
yet sharp attacks sometimes demand
violent measures"
This attempt to lessen the embar-
rassment met with no success, so he
tried another tack.
Look here, there's no need for any
one to feel badly about anything" he
proceeded. We've weathered a very
smalt squat that would have been
more than a match for any one but
Tom Barker, and I'll own up to hav-
ing been badly scared myself. OF course
it would have been more thrilling to
have been upset and had you girls
save our lives, but instead of that
there's nothing heroic about US We're
just soaking wet and uncomfortable.
Billy. Pm going to confess" Thomas
Barker said, very seriously, 80 it's
no use your making faces at me. Youl
brother and l" he continued, address.
ing the PROSTATE Frances, thought il
would be a good joke for me to get
myself up as much like girl as
could, so as to show you"
He began to hesitate for a polite con
clusion, but William substituted Z
truthful one.
$50 az to show you what eonfound
ed fools girls make Of themselves wheI
they get themselves up like mem" h
proclaimed. vigorously.