Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-05
NEEDED THE BARREL


"a friend OF mine got into trouble in the
water at q Long Island beach resort where
we put ia our. vacation" said the young
man with the white Isle open-face half
hose mo. be didn't get cramp. He
wasn't drpwninS or anywhere near It. 1t
wasn't that kind Of trouble. But some
thing happened to him. after he'd got into
the wateri In connection with his-er-bath-
ing costume I went back on him in his
hour Of need. probably owing to the extra
exertions which he made to do fancy stunts
out beyond the breaker line. due to the fact
that he had large bunch OF girls planted
on the sands where they could see what
hot stuff be was In the swimming line. The
trouble was Of such a character as to rem
der 1t 1nopportune. so to speak, to return to
the terra frma Of the sands until those
girls had been tagged. somehow or another.
yond the breaker line for a long while-I
hadn't gone In myself. being too busy with
the girls on the beach, throwing sand on
their parasols and otherwise conducting
knew that Jack had strict notions as to the
length OF time which bathers should spend
In the salt water. and SO his remaining in
SO long struck me as the more peculiar.
oe ea there the ns
was making motions to me with his head
and hands. Then fell to 1t that perhaps
he was up against It for some reason or
hiked out to the end Of the small pier
Jack swan over to the end of the pier to
tell me all aboutit
Hey. there. BILL Jack pulled. treading
water as he Ispluttered. for heavens sake
get that outfit Of girls away from tho beach
somehow or another. will you? I'm as tired
as q dog, and want to come out
What's the matter, JohnT asked him,
sadly:
e None Of your Internal business what's
the matter grouched Jack. But, look a.
here. II you don't get those girls OF Of the
beach In mighty few minutes it's me for
the watery grave sure enough-I sure can't
go in-this- a-way.'
II strolled back to where the girls were
lolling on the sand. sort O. carelessly. sos
not to lot 'em next to what had In mind,
ana after moment or so I suddenly re-
marked that 1t was pretty near time for
that tennis game to begin back of the hotel.
"Oh. they didn't care. the girls said.
tennis games. They were very comfortable.
thanks, where they were. They had come
down to rest. and not to be galloping
around. Why didn't sit down and not be
so 1umpy and uneasyf
looked out at Jack out Of the tail Of
my eye and saw him making more asontzed
signals to me-
I ran across a dinky little place, bout
half mile back Of the hotel. where they
give you swell devfled crabs-let's go and
get some l. said to the girls, then, in my
cunnin' way
They weren't hungry. any Of 'em, The
forenoon wasn't the time to eat deyiled
crabs. anyway. II that invitation stood
until evening. all wen and good; but they
were reclining on the sands Just then. and
that's where they meant to remain for the
present
We'll. framed up about half a dozen
moro excuses to get them away from that
spot on which they had the anchor-nurse
put couldn't get away with any of 'em
meanwhile. my pal was out there beyond
the breakers. trying to rest by floating on
make frantic signals to me whenever he
thought the girls weren't looking. And they
never got Ifext.
There was only one thing to be done. I
mixed up to the hotel at 1ope, went to the
motel stewards room. got an empty sugar
barrel from him. knocked the bottom out
OF 1.-THE top was already open-and spun
the barrel down, TO the beach. bringing It
up right where the girls were sprawling.
"How funnyT they exclaimed In a cho-
rus. But what g the joker What in the wide
world are you going to do with that barrel?'
g" Oh. nothing told them. hopping my
forehead. only Jack. out there, Is tired and
he wants to come In
Then they picked up their skirts and
raced to the hotel. screeching and tittering.
My pal skunk out of the water, shivering
and pretty nigh exhausted. And JOCK hadn't
made any mistake. He needed the barrel in