Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-08-25
THE FIRST TIME TIM
WAS DROWNED.

No. ma; honest, I aint'
Don't talk ta ne ! know yo;i
have dried your hair IN the sun: it
stands OUT all over your .head. where
EoG have t2cn running ypur fingers
through It to hurry matters. BE
sides. can see il in Your Owes Don't
dare dispute it, John Henry"
John Henry daa,t. Pvt he won
dored how his mother could see sMeh
things in his eyes. She was a more
wonderful woman than he had given
her credit for being. He didn't know
that he had put his shirt on wrong
side out aud that this was the cir
cumstantial evidence that had con
victed him of disobedience.
Some Of these days, you and that
Anderson boy will run off and go in
swimming and one of you will be
drowned"
NOh, pshaW, ma; both of us can
swim ever so good. There amt Bit
of danger
I've seen smart boys before and
I've seen what happened to them, too.
! You remember my words. and don,
you ever lun away and go In swim.
ming again"
John Henry intended to obey his
ihoeher, much as it went against the
grain. But there is something so Sc
dlctlve In clear waters under the
shade OF great trees. "far from the
maddlng crowd" that boy can't be
expected TO always resist the per-
suasion of il. The hum of the in
secls mat comes from the forest
seems TO draw one as the SIRENS
song drew the mariners OF Old. Al
| 'lle hend OF the creek, where the great
! elm padded its bare roots in the
water. and. looking down. saw ire
graceful beauty mirrored complete
there was tho swimming hole. and II
Vas de3te}}tful pdace. John f!cnrv
remembered how soft ami cool t-a
waters felt as he beat them away
With his hand, and how they broke
into myriad waves a simmer Of
shine and .hade Tho afternoon was
SO warm.
N des time. .lohn Henry found
was delightful place. John Henry
sou. He tried to case his conscience
by rejecting that it was shame 10
deprive nimsaIf Of such innocent
.1leasure. The boys swan and divoa
and shouted for JOY. They practicoa
] all the swimming arts they knew.
They had mock battle in the water.
! striking it in such way as to send
a cooling spray over each other. A
last they stopped to rest near the
roots OF the bic elm. Tim mounted
the largest root for dive
''see how long 7 can stay under"
he said. ''If never come up good
by
With these words he flung himself
into the stream and disappeared.
john Henry waited and waited, but
he did not come UP. Five minutAs
ten minutes, still no sign of him. His
own breast seemed to collapse and
his breath came hard He called
Tim" but his voice had strarga
sound and frightened him. Tim was
, dead, he was sure; dead in that pool
living SO placid about him. John
Henry was thoroughly scared lie
splashed to the bank and dressed
himself more quickly than he had
ever done before What if Tins spr-
it should come back to reproach him?
He picked up his remaining clothing
and ran, dressing as he ran. He ran
ill he was ont OF breath till his
heart thumped in his breast and
something seemed to come uD in his
throat and choke lli1n Completely eX-
tree in the orchard and lay gazing
I'D in the blue Sky al the white c1onds
and the leaves that swayed between
It was SO still And Tim was dead.
He should never see his friend a@ain
on earth Ond only one hour before
he was SO full Of life and so JOYOUS.
Oh, if he could only go turn back the
hand Of time one hour Oh. If he
had only obeyed his mother,
John Henry wondered what he
should do--whether he should tell
about the accident or say nothing.
He wondered whether they could
hold him responsible for Tins death
under the law. Just them his mother
called him. 1t seemed he couldn't dare
face her, but he thought Of the re-
suit of his disobedience before, and