The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-12-03

HOR the other days Of the week
were no less unpleasant to the boy.
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 Tlmothy's case 1t
referred to Southern Kansas, where
the waters Of the shallow streams
grow warm early In the summer anu
stay warm till late 10 the tall'
Timothy found the Western boys OF
mis- own ago no more than his equals
IN senool 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 to him
He opeend It and drew forth the en-
closure. Something Gew out as the
folded cardboard Enclosed, and limo
thy struck at 1t, uttering a shrek
worthy Of the most nervous girl in
the room.
Then he discovered It was kissing
bug" that is to say, n hairpin and q
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 glgglng among the girls,
AS the teacher in charge turned tow
ard Timothy, William Peters rose.
II put a kissing-bug on Mr.. Farm
hams seat" he said. Il thought he
would open the envelope before the
class was called to order, and, really,
I didn't know that Timothy was so
timid." And the force of the teach
er's reproof was lessened by the smile
he could not hide.
If the matter had ended there 1t
would have been forgotten very soon.
But at noon win, who was leader Of
the boys inclined to athletic sports,
declined to allow Timothy place in
the lineup for a practice football
game, and Timothy made such re-
marks as wit and Ill nature suggest
ed, the result being that two boys
who might have been good friends
were in a fair way to become bitter
enemies. To Timothy even this seemed
less to be regretted than the fact that
the other boys Of the class were In
clined to follow WINS lead.
Three Of his friends, ALI Johnson and
Joe and George Brown, were espe.
cially ingenious and persistent in in.
venting alliterative variations of "Tim.
Othy, the Timid" and Humorous Tim.
my" which the other boys took up and
repeated till It 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 TO Tlmothy's discomfort.
Thinking over the matter, he sensibly
concluded to do nothing until some
thing seemed certainly the right thing
to do; and he made no answer to gall
ing remarks.
Schoolboys MS a rule soon tire Of any
game steadily pursued, and Timothy's
plan Of non-resistance would in time
have secure immunity from persecu.
tion at worst only half illnatured.
But his patience was not put to test.
On Saturday win . and his three
friends rode down to the beach on
their bicycles, reaching the seashore
at 8 o'clock in the morning limo
thy also decided to go swimming So,
taking the electric car for Santa Mon
ica, he entered the bathhouse from
the shore side as the clock struck
10. He undressed, donned a 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
vast mirror. Five or six hundred
feet from the land the shining water |
rose slowly, green and graceful, as a
heavy ground swell swept shoreward. |
Half way in flecks 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 a 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 |
a month along the sea before school |
began. Tumbling 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 to people who spoke |
low when the kissing water receded,
II. 4 1