St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-01-17

|
water advanced toward him from the
ocean.
But the sometimes relentless sea
is sometimes strangely merciful.
The big green wave lifted the ex-
hausted boy tenderly, passed under
him, breaking just beyond, and swept
roaring to the shore.
Three good breaths restored Tim
othy's senses and revived his cour-
age; he had not been near enough
to drowning to lose his strength.
There were still more waves to be
passed before the boy was beyond
the surf. But there were no more
double-headers, and some Of the
waves did not break till they neared
the shore. Timothy swan on, soon
finding himself beyond the rollers
and among vast waves that rose and
| fell, but did not break.
Then he heard cry: "Help!
| Help!" It was a strident voice, but
| weak, as of one too frightened to fill
his lungs for good, honest shout.
AS Timothy raised himself in the
water and turned his eyes in the di-
rection whence the sound seemed to
come, he saw the boat he had
watched from the shore, and recog-
nized in the persons elm Cling to her
sides Will Peters and the three boys
who had so persistently nicknamed
him Timorous Jimmy.
The boat was right side up, but
full of water; the mast, stepped
through the bow thwart and without
stays, had been unshipped, and with
the sail was dragging astern. The
Wind was light, but the boat was
driving slowly shoreward, and the
boys clinging to her were not max
ing the slightest effort to keep her
off, although they could not but
know that if they attempted to
reach shore through the heavy surf
the destruction of the boat was GER
tain and their death by drowning
inevitable.
'Hallo!" shouted Timothy. keep
her off! Keep her off till the surf
goes down."
AS he called, vagrant wave broke
to seward Of the prevailing surf
line. Timothy dived, rising close to
the overturned boat and seeing three
boys wildly clutching for more Sc
cure hold on the wreckage.
Within arms length Of the boat,
but having altogether lost his hold,
Will Peters was thrashing about,
arms and legs out of the water half
the time and head under all the time.
He was not a swimmer.
Timothy. with his left hand reached
for the gunwale of the boat, and with
his right seized Will, who put both
arms around Timothy's neck, almost
instantly to release his hold and at
tempt to climb into the boat, which
promptly turned bottom upward.
"Hold on!' shouted Timothy.
"You can't keep your feet dry here.
Hang on to the side and help tow her
Quit"
Under Timothy's direction the
boat was righted and her bow turned
away from the shore. Two boys
could not swim, and they simply hung
on; two could swim little, and they
gave Timothy such aid as they could
in working the boat farther from the
surf line. Then they bailed her out
with tin pan tied to a thwart to
guard against loss under just such
circumstances, climbed over the side,
pulled the mast and sail aboard and
got out the oars for a pull to Long
wharf, where the boat had been hired
and where the boys had left their
clothes. Nobody suggested an at
tempt to raise the sail.
AS they dipped the oars for the
first stroke another boat drew along
side, manned by four fishermen.
"Don't you fellows know enough
to keep your boat out of the surf?
Want any help?" asked one of the
fishermen.
1--WE do" said Timothy, taking it
upon himself to answer both ques-
tions; "but we didn't at ten o'clock
this morning. We've been in the
water long enough to get pretty |
cold. One of you get in here and
give hand down to Long wharf;
let me get into your boat and put
me ashore at the Arcadia wharf"
''I'll pay you for your trouble"
said Will, speaking for the first time
since he had called for help.
The suggested changes were soon
made, and in due time the sailing
party reached Long wharf.
The boys went ashore, dressed,
settled with the fisherman and the
boat owner, and rode their bicycles
to the bath house, where they ex-
pected to see Timothy, but did not.
They spent some time looking for
him and then regretfully took the
bicycle path for home.
Timothy had left the fisherman's
boat at the Arcadia wharf, gone to
the bath house and dressed. Lacking
the IS cents necessary to pay car
fare, he then took the bicycle path
for 16-mile walk to his home. -Four
or five miles out wheelman passed
him with rush, but stopped few
yards beyond. It was Joe Brown,
and behind him came the others of
the boating party.
"Who's afraid of wet feet?" shout
ed Joe, as he came running back.
''Timothy Farnham's four friends!"
bawled the others in chorus, as it
practicing new class yell.
"Into whose heads has some sense
soaked?" sang out one of the others.
"Heads of Tim Farnham's four
friends!" shrieked the chorus.
"Say, Tim," said Will, when you've
risked your life to save one you
needn't -
"Oh, cut it short! It's all right"