The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-16

sand and steps into the water deep
enough to get her toes wet. She gives
a little Screech. It's cold, she thinks.
She also still thinks everybody is look
ing at her, which is a mistake. They
are thinking of themselves and their
own affairs. She is only one pebble on
the beach, and rather small one at
that probably.
She wades in ankle deep. A splash
from a breaker touches her; its reced-
ing flow sweeps past her feet. She has
read in novels about a fearful UNDER
tow" and she feels panicky. Neverthe-
less she sees other girls skipping into
the water as gayly as If they were
jumping rope on dry land, and she
takes courage and goes on. All the
ocean is moving3 it seems as If the
floor of the world were quivering, and
it makes her dizzy; but, again, other
girls don't seem to mind that a bit,
and they are not dizzy.
Just then a breaker strikes her. 1t
is only spent breaker but it staggers
her. She thinks she is going to be
knocked off her feet and drowned. She
screams; but, again, nobody else is
knocked over nobody else is drowned,
and they all seem to think being struck
by breaker is great fun.
Ugh! That's just the very coolest
water she ever felt upon her skin. She
shivers. She notices now that rope
is stretched out into the water at q
convenient height for her to grasp.
Here comes another breaker.
Hold fast to the rope and jump up
when the wave strikes you" calls a
friendly voice. She does SO and finds
that with a little skip upward so her
feet will not be upon the ground at
the moment the powerful wave comes
It sweeps under. around and past her,
swaying her body gently as it goes, but
not knocking her over. All, she has
learned something!
Another breaker and anotherl They
begin to be exhilarating. She likes to
feel them swirl about her body and
sway it. Suddenly she finds that the
water which was so icy cold has be-
come delightful, just mildly cooling and
so refreshingi Now she looks out sea-
ward. She sees that beyond the shore
waves that are striking her and break
ing in foam over her is a vast space
where the water is calm and untrou-
bled. Out in the smooth space women
who have gone beyond the rollers that
burst upon the beach are swimming
quietly, even floating calmly upon their
backs, their arms in the water around
their heads, their hands clasping the
back of their heads.
Out beyond the breakers there 10
peace.
But the friendly voice tells her it is
not wise to stay in the water more
than twenty minutes for a first surf
dip. Out she comes.
When presently she energies from
the shanty box in which she puts on
her bathing suit and puts on her or
binary clothing she is cooled on for
the day. Her blood tingles through her
veins like a mild charge of electricity.
She took a load of WEAKNESS and de-
spondency into the surf. That glorious
surf has washed it all away, every
trace She feels buoyant as a bird.
light hearted and happy. Whatever all
rnent she had-malaria, nerves or the
is all gone. She is a new
woman.
And appetitei Well. she feels as II
she can eat the world up, although be-
fore she came down to the sea she may
have lost all relish for food.
MARY GOULD LYLE.