The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-10-23

Timothy's father and his family had
recently arrived from the East,
which in Southern California means
from some portion Of the United States
east Of Denver; in T1mothy's case II
referred to Southern Kansas, where
the waters Of the shallow streams
grow warm early in the summer and
stay warm till late in the fall.
Timothy found the Western boys OF
his own age no more than his equals
in school work, and hoped to gain
standing and make friends among
them, as he had done among school
mates in the East"
In the middle Of the morning session
of the first day Timothy saw on his
desk an envelope addressed 10 him.
He opeend it and drew forth the en-
closure. Something few out as the
folded cardboard unc,osed, and limo
thy struck Mt it. utterlng n shrek
worthy Of the most nervous girl in
the room.
Then he discovered il was kissing
bug" that is TO say, n hairpin ana u
piece OF rubber so twisted together as
to unwind with a buzz when taken
from the envelope. Timothy had been
startled even more than the maker OF
the kissing-bug had hoped, and there
was smothered laughter among the
boys and glggling among the girls.
AS the teacher in charge turned tow
ard Timothy. William Peters rose.
Lit H,,
hams scat" he said. 81 thought he
would open the envelope before the
class was called TO order, and, really,
j didn't know that Timothy was so
fimid." And the force Of the teach
er's reproof was lessened by the smile
he could not hide.
II the matter had ended there II
would have been forgotten very soon.
But Mt noon VIII, who was leader OF
Che boys inclined TO athletic sports,
declined to allow Timothy n place in
the line-up for practice football
game, and Timothy made such re-
marks as wit and i'll nature suggest
ed, the result being that two boys
who might have been good friends
were in n fair way to become bitter
enemies TO Timothy even this seemed
less 10 be regretted than the fact that
the other boys OF the class were in
clined to follow Wits lead.
Three of his friends, All Johnson ana
Joe and George Brown, were cspc'
cially ingenious and persistent in IN.
venting alliterative variations of Tim.
othy, the Timid' and "Timorous Tim.
N.Y." which The other boys took up and
repeated til il seemed that Timothy's
name was never mentioned without an
adjective implying cowardice. AS the
days passed, even the little fellows
in the classes below joined in the sport,
greatly 10 Timothy's discomfort.
Thinking over the matter, he scnsibly
concluded TO do nothing until some
thing seemed certainly the right thing
TO do; and he made no answer TO gall
ing remarks.
Schoolboys as n rule soon tire OF any
game steadily pursued, and Timothy's
plan of nOn-rcsistance would in time
have secure immunity from persccu'
tion at worst only half ill-natured.
But his patience was not put 10 test.
On Saturday VIII and his three
friends rode down 90 the beach on
their bicycles. reaching the scashorc
at 6 o'clock in the morning. limo
thy also decided to go swimming. So,
taking the electric car for Santa Mon
lea, he entered the bathhouse from
the shore side as the clock struck
10. He undressed. donncd q bathing
suit and went out on the beach.
Many people sat on the benches and
more on the sand, but there were no
bathers in the water. The sea was like
n vast mirror. Five or six hundred
feet from the land the shining water
rose slowly, green and graceful. rs n
heavy ground swell swept shoreward.
Half way in flocks OF white foam ap-
peared on the crest of the little noun
tain of water; all the top grew white
as the wave became perpendicular;
then the mass toppled upon the sand
with tremendous slap that woke the
echoes in the bluffs till all other sound
was drowned in the roar Of surf as
the wave broke on the beach.
With both the sights and sounds
Timothy was familiar, having spent
n month along the sea before school
began. TumblnG walls of water six
feet high more than tempt the bather
TO stay ashore. Timothy sat down on
the sand. Just out of the reach OF the
waves, listening 70 people who spoke
low when the kissing water rcceded.
or who shouted i'm vain attempts 10
make their voices heard as the waves
broke.
Generally four or five waves could
be seen, that nearest the shore n roar.
ing mass OF foam, the next CROWN :
white along the crest as the front as.
sumed the perpendicular. while those
farther seaward were hills Of green
lower as the distance increased. seem
ing smooth, as IL cut from solid glass
No two waves were ever alike. so one
wave kept its form second. but dis
tances between them seemed not tC
vary by hands breadth as the surges
miles in length. swept toward III,
shore.
A quarter Of a mile from the beach
well outside The breaks and little az
fected by the swell. was small boa
with big sail. carrying four peopl,
in bathing dress, evidently men. Al
they were bareheadcd. 1imoth!
watched them. wondering idly VIII!
they had hauled the sheet aboard Will
sailing dead before the wind. AS h