The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19

the cooling waves, How they splashed
and kicked and ducked and rolIicked and
roared, The visitor TO the baths, unac-
customed to such a spectacle and with ears
unframed TO such confusion of sound,
stood as II paralyzed. holding TO a wooden
post on the dock for dear life while count
less little legs and arms seemed to be flying
about him in all directions. A game of
''tag" was being played and there never
hae been such an exciting game before in
all the worlds One little chap with comical
freckIed face and bright red hair. was vain
" endeavoring TO whack one Of his COM
panions on the back with the palm of his
hand. He was cit. He had been 'ft' for
so long a time that ne was getting tired Of
his job and was also growing desperate I'm
his efforts TO become just common every
day ''guy" once more. It's a dreadfully ex-
asperating thing 10 be cit and not be able
to change your position in life. The little
fellow waset his wits end; IL was absolute
ly essential for him to touch some other
boy-or guy" as the youngsters prefer to
call themselves-before he could shake off
the Ioathsome illness that had chung to
him so persistently. but the other guys
were too slippery for him and, try he
would. he could not quite manage to accom-
plish his object. He wanted TO give up,
but was afraid OF being called "a gutter
an odious word to your East Side New
Yorker-and so he went about his chase
with renewed energy and finally, amid a
perfect avalanche OF boyish arms and legs,
he sent home a resounding whack on the
shining shoulders of fellow-swimmer and
then Immediately got out of the water and
made for his dressing room, before he
could be made 'it'' again. He had quite
enough for that day, but he had shown his
gameness. The incident Is related as being
characteristic OF the children OF New
York's East Side.
The bathing suits supplied by the free
baths are OF checked Bingham and are not
only well made. but quite pretty. How
ever. many Of the patrons of the resorts,
especially the women, refuse to wear the
costumes provided by the city. Directing to
their uniform appearance, and bring, in
stead. bathing garments of their own. An
exception to this rule are the working
girls from the shops who cannot visit the
baths until after o'clock in the evening,
when their days work is at an end. They
are thankful enough TO avail themselves of
the wardrobe provided by the municipal
authorities. since they cannot bother with
costumes of their own making.
THE FIRST ARRIVALS.
The first arrivals at the free baths when
they are thrown open at in the morn
ing. are generally Italians. who enjoy a
plunge in the cooling waters before start
ing on a days labor in the hot sun. From
s o'clock until noon the usual patrons are
children and on Ladies' day young girls
and mothers. The crowd begins to arrive
at o'clock and from then on until the
places are closed at night there is a great,
perspiring throng, divided into groups, as
before mentioned, each awaiting its turn
10 splash about in the salty water. Natur-
ally enough, the bathers follow the ma
tional characteristic of the neighborhood
in which the baths situated. 1t is al
ways noticeable that the men, women and
children whose homes are near the wharves
require no urging to patronize the baths,
for they take to the water as fish.
The city fathers of New York not only fur
nish the poor with the free river baths dur
ing the heated term, but on the hottest
days afford the little folks of the teeming
tenement districts with facilities for cool
Ing off, without leaving their respective
neighborhoods. The children had the best
of il during the terrific heat of the recent
spell. for they at least could defy all con-
vention and take their baths in the streets
This operation In some of the tenement house
quarters occurred so many times one day
last week that some of the streets looked as
IL they had been visited by a cloudburst.
In the most breathless heat of the after
q atroE
and hundreds of little boys clad only in
trousers-and some OF the littlest ones with
out even trousers-danced up and down In
Wild delight several men from the fire
department turned a big hose upon their
bare shoulders and heads and legs. When
the first relay was in the midst of the down.
pour second delegation appeared to de-
mand like attention, and before the well
come shower was shut off the youngsters for
blocks about looked as IL they had just es-
capped from swimming bath without stop
ping TO dry Of" 1t was great sport and
many a little East Slider. overjoyed with the
fun of IL all, echoed the sentiment which
that clever writer. Josephine Dodge Das-
kan, once put into the mouth of her little
tenement heroine: Gee, NJ Yawk's the
place!" LOUIS W. JONES.