Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-07-01
The Runaway Catboat.

about two hours
The biggest and swifteSt cathoat az
the fleet. the Flying Fairy, lay alongside
! the boat float with huge racing sail
! drumming in the wind Her crew had
! just finished bending il ON, and they had
raised il fun and taut to stretch il aud
discover amy i'll fitting places.
The Flying Fairy was hobhing axe Il
cork, and the laundering of the big sail
shook her from bow to stem, for all her
| lead ballast had been removed. and was
| lying on the little pier waiting for her
crew to return from luncheon aud adj
! just it,
Fred Howell and Jim Phillips came
! along Just then. Fred WAS from New
! York and therefore he had adopted n
| knowing nautical air when he became
! acquainted with jim Phillips. who was
| from the interior. Fred didn't exactly
! lie: but somehow what he said gave Jim
| the idea that he was intimately acquaint-
ed with every style of craft that enters
/ the great harhor.
As matter of fact he had never been
on board of anything except a frrryboat,
aud all that he knew about other ship
! ping was from seeing il ms IL passed ur
and down the big river and the bay.
So when the two boys saw the Flying
Fairy aud Jim Phillips, staring nj the
enormous said. said; My, hut it looks
| as II lIai bout Noulu IAN ItEht over
! when she gets away from the float of
course Fred had TO show his superior
wisdom. So he said patronizingly:
! "Oh, she's stiff enough. Pretty good
lines on her. Id like to hold her tilcr
in the race and see what she's got in
her
Could you sail boat with such a
big sail as that| asked jim in admiring
wonder.
Certainly" said Fred. Seeing signs
of disbelief in ,lim's face. he stepped into
| the boat and took hold of the tillcr. Shoy-
! ing il to and fro as he had seen men do.
she minds her helm beautifully" said
| be- Now, She couldn't mind her helm.
! because she was tied fast bow and stern.
But Jim Phillips did not know what
| "mindiug her helm" meant. aud neither.
to tell the truth, did Fred Howell
| However, il sounded so nautical that
Jim. with new respect for his friend
also climbed into the cathoat. And then
the spirit Of vanity impeled Fred 90 do
just the foolish thing that might be ev-
pected of n boy foolish enough to be such
! Il hoaStcr.
He east off the lines that held the
boat. The next moment lac would have
given a great deal to undo the deed. for
| the stiff breeze blew the cathoat away
/ from the boat instantly, aud before lac
could collect his frightened seuSr~ the
craft was 100 feet on shore.
If the boys had shouted for help, all
would have been well, for the boat was
only shifting stern foremost. and il
would have been easy to row ont to her
and sail her back. Hut Fred was tou
vain to acknowledge to Jim that he
Could not sail boat after all, So he
wasted precious time trying 90 study ont
how to steer the boat
Nobody on shore noticed anything
wrong, for there were so many saiI4 than
one more or less did not attract ,,rten-
ton. So the Fn;o. Fairy d,;ftrd we'll
mast the anchored 0oet before her o,yupr.
looking ont of the hotel window. saw
her.
Just ms hc ran shouting down 10 ihe
bench Fred Howell. stil intent nu de
ceiyinp his friend. pushed the long tjllar
AWAY over to one side. INSTANTLY the
huge sail filled and the boat krpipd over
with 4 rush, THROWING the bnys mto ),