Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-11
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

'Some time ago I saw in The Star
little story about Washington fellow who
had induced his sister. just home from
school. to put on the gloves with him. not
knowing that she had been boxing and
punching the bag at the school and winning
prizes for her work in those lines. and how
| she fooled him by nearly knocking his
| block off," said a well-known young Wash
| ington athlete. member of one of the up
{, per Potomac rowing clubs. well. l had
| an experience similar to that last summer.
| only it doesn't hinge on boxing, but row.
ing.
II spent part of last summer at a hotel
| up on Lake George. and one afternoon /
met girl. who had Just arrived at the
| hotel with her mother. who came pretty
| nearly looking about all right to me. She
was tall and sun-browned and had swing
and a dash and go about her that filled my
| eye. I got a whole lot busy trying to
make hit with her from the jump and l
| plodded along SO successfully that on the
| next afternoon I felt strong enough to ask
1 her to take a ride with me in my shell.
l was keeping in shape by taking spin
that that willowy and clever girl would
| look pretty good sitting in the little seat
opposite me In my shell. So I asked her.
| "She seemed bit hesitant about 1t. so
You're not afraid to get into shell.
are your my idea being to arouse her
sporting blood.
"'N-no.' she replied. somewhat slowly.
| Safe as going to church. said l. in
my cunnin Off hand way. AN you've got
| to do is to just keep still in your little seat
and-watch me. OF course, you won't be
| able to move around a whole lot in the
shell. but won't keep you out long enough
to make you nervous
| "'Well, I'll ask mamma she replied, and
presently she came back and said that
| mamma had given her the required per-
| mission to accompany me in the she'll. In
| fact. mamma walked down to the landing
| with us and watched me place her daughter
| in the little Seat-but didn't notice that
| there was sort of underhanded smile on
| mammals face when I said to the girl:
| Now, these shells are pretty turn-tur-
| tle-ey If they're not balanced right, and so
you must keep your center of gravity. you
| know
Then showed off and bent to the work
| OF pulling the prettiest girl around Lake
| George over the blue water. 1 had my
| regular rowing toys on, and felt whole
| lot complaisant with myself as I talked to
the girl and explained to her the kinks
of shell-pulling while rowed. She looked
at me with large. wondering and absorbed
eyes while 1 told her all about it, and
felt that I was winning out handsomely
with that lady of the lake. Worse than
giving me the baby stare out of those big
| stay eyes VI hers, she asked me a WnOte
| lot OF questions about rowing, and she
! ono! and oh. goodness'd!' in a charm
| 1ng!y feminine way when 1 got real strong
with myself and yanked the shell over the
| water at particularly warm clip.
| Il had covered about three miles, when
began to feel like taking a little lean on
my oars, and 1 did.
| -, :" "rired?' the girl asked me-but even
| then l didn't see the twinkle in her eye
Me tired? Why. the idee' said [. and
was going to pick up the oars again to
show her that there was no such a thing
| as such a Sandow as I becoming tired
| when she said to me:
do you know. think I should like to
| try to row this boat
II told her to try to forget any such
| idea as that-that we'd probably be in forty
| feet of water and trying to get a clutch
on an overturned shell in little less than
no time; -
| Perhaps not-who knows?' said the girl
| then and it was about then that thought
| fancied that there might be something
! doing in the surprise line in connection
with that girl. Let me try, anyway, won't
| your
We'll. that put it up to me, of course,
| and 1 began to explain to her how to
| change places with me. previously telling
| her, however. that it was a good thing
I she knew how to swim. for. 1 said.
! thought l saw an impromptu swim in store
for her I was still telling her how to
| change places in the shell when she mo-
| toned me to cease-and before knew it
| she had taken my seat and was sitting in
/ hers, and it was all done neatly and
| expertly that I could only look at her with
| open mouth-she had switched places with
| me like an old Oarsman. ! was pretty
| nearly next by that time.
| Il was altogether next when the girl
| rolled her sleeves up to the shoulder show
ing her magnifcently developed sun-brown-
ed arms. Then she smiled in vague sort
of way at me. picked up the splashers-
| and then tumbled.
| "Oh. she had the Courtney championship
stroke. that's all. She pulled the shell and
| herself and me through the water at a
| clip that hadn't thought of setting when
| I had the oars and then l felt like toy
balloon that has fioated into field Of cac-
tus She overlook a big chap who was
pulling a single at long. even and speedy
clip. and she promptly hooked up with him
and gave him all the work he needed or
wanted for a mile or So didn't inter-
| rupt her to ask questions-she was too
busy enjoying herself-until she had pulled
| the shell back to the landing.
| "'Ask me some more questions about
| rowing, please l said to her. feeling like
a rusty tin-tag. I like to tell you all about
it, you know.
"She only smiled and showed her white
teeth and made sort of a face at me, and
| then she said:
"'Wen. 1 like to hear new views about
| things in which / am interested-rowing,
| for instance-and you don't mind express
ing them to me if 1 like to hear Them do
| you? By the way. here is a prize that I
| won during my last year at school for win
ming over all of the girls in the singles
| and she showed me a beautiful little
watch, set with diamonds and emeralds
pinned to her waist. The next afternoon
| we went rowing again, but she was then
! in her own shell, which had arrived by ex-
| press, and in her regular racing toys. and
l guess maybe she didn't look picture in
| them, either.
II came pretty near finding Just how
| much the rest of the girls that I met at
| Lake George last summer knew about such
things as rowing and the like before I
| made a zap of myself again."
AN OMNIBUS SIGN.