The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-01
ONLY A SUMMER soARDER.


| MS system OF weather forecasting.
Hear them tree-frogs a-singin' so high
Up?' he asked Wei. that's a sure sign
0 rain. The higher an harder they sing,
, IN wusser the Storm
But l went on loading the boat Just the
same, and st last. just when the dark
/ ness fell thick and the stiffness of q
breezeless noonless summer night set
tied upon the arching forests. we lighted
! the basket-torch and pushed the skin into
the current. the glare OF the flaming
| pitch making monstroGs, shifting hulks
, of shadow fit and stalk and loom along
| the shore The world was so still that
the ripples were loud along the boats
sides and far below. where q black snag
thrust its ragged end above the surface.
we could hear the current eddying and
| churning, as IL mad with the interruption.
The sky, busted with stars, was purple
blue like a phosphorescent river between
the black walls OF the overhanging tim
Der ana the skiff, and Jake and l seemed
TO be floating in space. so umbrOus were
the waters, 50 mouOnlesS the little yes
sell so pulseless the air. / speared 4
sturgeon as we swept around ElkhOrn
Pend but there IN the vistaw hcih open
ed toward the West I could see. low
| down and fiicked at intervals with rose
| red lightning. a bank Of coming clouds.
Now the night birds and the insects Of
/
| Sometimes we could hear nut or berry
drop into the water. and then, far of.
! r1urInuring like Weakening city. dull.
low hum-the mutteriugs Of the coming
| storm
She's a hummer, sir" said Jake, shall
I put imp
But the fish were rising gamely ard
said no. Then we swung with the cur
! rent into a narrower, swifter channel.
and the storm-clouds covered US Ike
| black wing. The murmur swelled into
! Il clatter like applauding hands and we
felt a cold breath, the presence of the
tempest. gently az first, then sharp and
bitter and chilling. The purple-blue of
/ the zenith was quickly blacker than the
| trembling trees, swarms Of moths. flies
| and winged insects, fleeing from the storm
/ swan through the air at our sputtering
! torch; the breeze. hesitant, began to whip
| among the tree tops and then The giant
| timbers. struck by the waxing fury OF
the wind. began to sway and bend. Low,
exchanging branches reached down
| across the water. flashing up fountains
that drenched US even before the rain
| began TO pour sprays of ice-cOld water
! into our faces.
Where are we, Jake?" I shouted, as he
tugged at his oars and brought the skin
Roadway with the current.
Wait till she lightnings" he beloved,
L
that he was frightened The boat was
now sweeping almost within arms length
Of the willows that crowded the steep
bank Our torch, cracking and lurid at
the PROV, seemed like a bale-Iight lead
ing US pell-mell through mid-air We
heard timbers swapping in the forests.
and once giant limb, torn from its trunk
by the wind. came smashing down into
the water just as we SKINNED beneath II.
The lightning, coming now at quick in
tervals, made our torch dim yellow, We
could smell the sulphuric fumes, and our
ears ached with the detonations.
II see Hawley's lighthouses" shouted
Jake. putting like d porpoise and granting
again as he swung for a gray shape in !
sent the skif half its length upon the
the dark. The force of our steerageway |
sand, and by the light OF our torch / |
could see that We were aground on the /
end of 4 low shelving beach. We set |
the light by the margin OF the river and !
ran for shelter to the nearest house, one /
OF two closet-like dressing-rooms that /
stood there for bathers.
Inside we took off our wet garments, !
wringing them and peering out into the /
night Jake sat down on the rude bench /
within and lit his pipe. He began to |
boast about his weather wisdom, and the /
fishing he had done, and proposed that as /
soon as the weather let up" we should 4
warm up He was saying something /
about the kind of whisky Hawley most /
alus kept" when he suddenly stopped, /
and pointing out at the bar about 100
yards. said
by Ginnie. there's somebody yander,
sir kin see EN- by the torch"
came TO the door and watched till /
saw the face and limbs OF a bather loom
ing white and wierd by the wavering
light.
ITS a woman, Jake" I whispered,
watching her go mincingly across the
storm-swept beach toward the water
What the devil do you suppose
There she goes" he laughed. And
sure enough in she walked into the
whirling river. striking boldly out into
the current as fearless swimmers do. We
wondered and stared. but her white face
was soon beyond the torch s ring OF light
We heard her laughing once or twice
when the waning winds blew toward Us,
but. though we watched for quite an
hour. and then. both scared, ran to the
shore and began 10 cali. Where are
your and Are you al lright?' we
heard no more Then we re-shipped the
torch and struck out into the river, hold
ing back against the current and staring
al tho inky water for a fash OF her
white body. Sometimes the boat ran
swiftly past sunken trees, and the radi-
on the form and outline of a face or an
arm. but We found no sign OF the bather.
For two hours we rowed and drfted ana
searched Then, beaten and exhausted,
we went back in the slack water Of the
opposite shore and landed once more by
the beach ! took the torch and searched
the little dressing-room whence the reck-
less bather had come. but within there
was no sign Of her garments
Tel Ffrrfr say a word z 6 hurried ] 4
W the steep hin 1T Hawleys. and ] was
too puzzled TO ask any questions Nor
when we got there and routed HawlcJ
OUT OF his bed. would the suriy fellow /
ioin in the conversation. L was long past
and our yawning host had Jed rs
into his kitchen and opened his black
bottle before ] could make his droNsy
aars hearken 70 my startling story He
Insisted that Il couldn't have been any
d his people" and said that 10 SUMNER
ooarders had come.
Besides" he added taking his third.
7 don't allow nobody 70 90 IN swimming
3nen my beach after dark
When I insisted that We should OF 81 ,
back and try again 70 End the drowned
D. drowning woman. Re made few
swkwari attempts q Joke the matter or.
sntH / lost patience with him and march !
u or lake hung hack urtn I vas vel
,ut into the yard. ard as Z called hack
RON fhs gate. ne cried. Just minute
He came III last. and the storm haviaE-i
,eases and the late moon risen. ne
walked back 10 orr boat and baied & CRY
~ IRE shore.
are you game for another tryT'
sked him 4,
..ror sturgeon he grozled-
.sNo. you FOOL, She uisht have gone :
shore on the bar AZ Gaisys We ought Z