Newport weekly independent., 1903-05-22
The Plot That + Failed

asked young New York busi- ness man of friend about to set off on his vacation the other day Whereabouts in Canada are you go- ing? Tc&the Muskoka Lakes? We'll if it's notstoo late I should like to sound note of warning, for I've been there, my boy Since that summer have classified three things as dan gerous to trif1e with in my dictionary --Muskoka, moonlight and Canadian girls. I must tell you my experience so you can profit by it and be wary.
 T was there in August, and late in the month. The girl who attracted me had had gay summer and had all the accomplishments of a sum- mer girl in excellent practice, and was, of course, as pretty as a picture all Canadian girls are.
 There was another fellow there a confounded Toronto bank clerk, I think-and to my sorrow she seemed to prefer him to me, laughing at my swimming and padding, and telling me was at my best in a ballroom 1 was not perfectly at home in canoe, but made pretty good showing, I thought, beside her precious bank clerk, and at the rather scarce dances we did have pretty good time to- gether, she and I.
 And when she let me take her out in the moonlight on Lake Rosseau, with it's dark pines against the sky making the most romantic back ground, she and I in light canoe on Hhe ripping water. her little brown had against my Yale cushion-well. n119 p6y, you'll find out what it feels like before you'N many weeks olderor I'm much mistaken Of course, I made fool of myself-for any mans fool who persisxs as I did with so little encouragement, but we did have 8 pretty nice time, only she would con- tinue to laugh at me-
 Time went on and I had only one day more to spend at the hotel. Things were getting serious She was offended with me for faux pas I had made the day before, and evidently meant to give me the cold shoulder and it was my last day. 1 decided on action as absolutely essential to bring things to point, and after thinking 1t over very deeply I decided that she might love me if she could respect and admire me more than she did then. So l must compel this emo- tion, and how better, I thought, than by saving her life at the (apparent) risk of my own.
 Now, I am a good swimmer, though not as fast as the other fellows up there, who spend long summers on the water, doubtless, which I have never done They called me Ferry boat and Molasses' whel we all went swimming together. So I determined to give the lie to their odious epithets and win my lady's gratitude and ad- miration at one fell blow, by getting her out in my canoe, upsetting us both, and doing grand rescue act.
 The first and most difficult part of my plot was getting the girl to come out with me at all, but by being very pathetic about my last day man aged that much and my courage rose.
 Where shall we go?' I asked when I had her in a neat, white dress and sunbonnet in the bow of my canoe.
 Let us go to Port S-' she re- piled demurely. I want to get film for my camera. Is that too far?'
 Nothing could be too far to me when you are with me- I answered. mentally determined, however, that our accident should happen before we went half the five miles that lay be- tween our hotel and Port S.
 "She smiled little, but her man. ner was still cool, and she allowed the : conversation to languish as we came out of the bay and turned westward up the lake. Here there was quite q. sweep, and the waves and wind were dead against us, SO thSt had to pad- dle my hardest to make the boat go against them. Suddenly she ex- claimed. Let me help you and in spite of my beseechings insisted on turning round and padding, too. It did make difference, and we went along beautifully after that, as her 1.-the body bent to the even strokes of her paddle. But had only her back. and occasionally her profile, to look at, so pushed on in order to get round the next point where we should turn south and so get out of the sight of our hotel and the neighboring islands. l wanted to do up this adventure brown and have the whole landscape to ourselves alone. and so make my