Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1904-07-15
A CANOEING
49,. EPISODE
tOriglnal.]

pointed boat, with rowlocks on oW-
riggers, had been caught in some rush
es where the current was strong, had
lost control of the boat and was on
the point of being capsized. A young
man in Il canoe was padding swiftly
toward her. He caught her boat by
the nose, eXtricated it from the rusles,
picked up an oar from the water, hand
ed it to her and held the boat till she
had got both oars in position.
Look out. Don't get flustered.
There; dip both oars at once
But instructions did not avail The
girl was deInoralZed, and every move
she made tended TO destroy her eQui-
llbrium The young man attempted
to instruct her, but lost his patience,
called her stupid. apOlogi2ed and end
ed by taking her into his canoe. Then,
towing her boat behind, he padded up
stream.
where shall take you?" he asked.
up where the lake begins. We
have IL little summer cottage there"
Horace Fletcher had just been grad.
uated from one of the oldest colleges
in the country. He had been captain
of the university boating team and had
been a medium scholar. In other
words. he was an "all round good
man Nothing seemed more physical
ly and intellectually helpless than this
,.;,l Il \ 70 hn
more than seventeen-she wore skirt
to her ankleS-who had no skill to sit
in Il narrow boat and hadn't sense
enough to, keep out of one AS he pad
died on he felt it his duty to say some
thing to her and. being full of college
life. began to chat about it. she lis
tened to him attentively while he told
her of college athletics, college
pranks and college gatherings of girls
and studcnts-indccd, just such mat
ters as would interest schoolgirl.
She made so little response to all this
that Fletcher ut last relapsed into 81
lence. shes better fitted he re-
marked to himself, for kindergarten
than companion for a grown man."
But silence was not entertaining. and
Fletcher. thinking that his conversa-
ton might not have been simple
enough for her, started in again, this
time gauging his chat for a girl of
fourteen.
Girls differ aS to their amuscments,'
he said. Il have known Il girl of six
teen who was Il companion for II
grown man. and | have known Il girl of
fourteen who hadn't yet given up her
doll. DO you-I mean. rather, did You
take much interest III dolls!
eve got them all now she replied.
81 think there are six of them
"H'm, Well. some girls don't like to
part with their dolls"
The girl looked over the water to-
ward cottage they We're nearing and
said that she thought she would rath-
er pull home herself than be inglor-
ously carried home. SO Fletcher put
her into her boat, started her, and by
this time, having collected her facul-
ties, she did fairly well. lie watched
her till she reached the landing, then
pulled on to Il summer hotel Il short dis
tance beyond where he proposed to
spend the night.
He found the guests dining on the
piazza, the dining room having been
cleared for a hop that was to be held
that evening. stumbling on some peo-
pie he knew. they persuaded him to
take part in the festivities, though he
was obliged to do so in canoeing cos
tune. When the music struck mp for
the first dance he noticed Il girl come
in on the arm of an elderly man, grace
fully sweeping the waxen floor with Il
train of white skirts, and it suddenly
dawned upon him that she was the
girl he had rescued. Passing him she
gave him cordial smile in which
there was mingled something of amusc'
he had been mistaken as to the girls S
age, that the short shirt she had worn
was for boating and that he had been
making guy of himself. He rushed
to one of his friends for information.
THAT girl" said the person inquired
Of, .is Miss Edith Hawthorne. She
has Just been graduated from - col
lcge. taking every honor for the senior
year and most of the prizes during the
rest of the courses. She is considered
to have the best mind of any woman
who has been graduated at - college
since it was organized. Shall pre-
sent you to herr"
Present me! Rather take me out
and drown me!'
Miss Hawthorne was looking at them
and. though she could not hear the
words spoken. saw by Fletcher's eX
preston their intent and, walking
across the floor, Joined them with al
the confidence of middle aged WON
an.
II want to thank you she said t6
Fletcher, 'for extricating me today
and apologize for permitting you Il
mistake me in my short skirt for lit
tie miss. Your error was apparent
from the start, and | could not resis
the temptation to let you go on in it,
~ will forgive You for a dance" said
Fletcher. the color of Il Jacquemino