The Washington times., 1902-08-03
One of the Most Popular Institutions of the District When
the Mercury Climbs Into the Ninetes-A OodseRd TO
the Small Boy and Luxury Appreciated by Men.
In the Water.

to he out of view of the lockers on,
they began to frantically tear at the
| buttons of their shirts and loosen sus-
penders as they ran. BY the time they
had reached their houses they were
pretty nearly ready to plunge into the
water. and merely lacked jumping into
their suits.
| By some mischance. Mike" found it
extremely difficult TO extricate one foo;
! from his pants leg Pete was encoun-
tering similar difficulty with his shirt.
which had been patched and darned re-
peatedly, the garment evidently growing
] smaller and tighter after each overhaul
! ing.
Hey, Mike, kick yer foot out'n yer
pants. Hurry up. Pete's beatin' ye,'
This from the followers of the worthy
Michael
But the supporters of Peter were not
dismayed. Lustily they admonished their
friend TO wake up" meanwhile making
no tardy progress themselves.
This scene with its accompanying dis
robing race is only one Of the daily
features at the Bathing Beach. 1t oc-
ours when almost every new walking
delegation of youthful citizens arrives.
They all behave very well while they
are standing In front OF the check win
dow waiting to be given room. and in
cidentally undergoing the official in
spection. This latter always takes place
in the case of youngsters with
super-abundance of spirits. The officials
have a good manv of them spotted"
Some of them have been suspended from
the beach for certain number of days.
as a punishment for misdeeds. Others
have been expelled. and dare not show
their faces inside the fence again. This
is the way the guards have Of furnishing
the youngsters-and It is effective. They
care nothing for threats and admoni-
tions of being locked up" But deny
them the privilege of a good splash in
the water for even limited time ard
they are ready and anxious 10 promise
anything in order to be taken into grace
again.
The costumes which make their ap-
pearance on some of the smaller boys
are as peculiar and mirth- provoking
as some of the antics of the kids
themselves. A pair of old blue Jean
overalls are an accepted and stylish
outfit. and dignified is the urchIn who
possesses so magnificent an array. A
good many boys procure by some means
sufficient underclothing TO meet the re-
quirements as TO bathing suits, and by
way VI duOTHUltnl pour INK OF paint
over them in streaks or big blotches.
Grace. beauty and comfort are not
sought after. Anything that will be
passed by the authorities as covering a
sufficient portion Of their bodies is all
that the youngsters deem necessary.
But many youngsters cannot afford
even the luxury of a stolen or cast-off
shirt and other undergarments. How !
ever. they are boys of ingenuity. and !
nothing daunted, they find other means |
Of securing bathing suit-or some |
thing that Will answer for one. To hire |
one is. of course. utterly out of the |
question; It would require more money |
than they make In a week But there |
is always a way open. and none hest !
tate 10 take advantage of IT.
This urchin gets a bathroom. merely |
hangs up his hat in tiff he possesses
one-and, being already barefooted and |
devoid Of underclothing. walks right |
out into the water with all his clothes
on. Thus attired he is able to secure
as big a swim as he desires, besides
saving the time Of undressing and put
ting on a suit. When he is through
bathing he merely takes of his clothes,