The Oakley eagle. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1901-1908, 1906-11-01
HE TAUGHT HER
TO PADDLE

n1fnseH on the cold, hard brown StOie
steps of the boarding house, Satur-
day evening. Il haven't been arguing
with an interurban car nor starting
the furnace for the landlady," he
growled, in response to the anxious
inquiries of the assembled boarders.
But you look it," insisted Miss
Spent, handing him some candy and
sweet smile.
I've been spending my half-holi
day teaching girl to paddle a
canoe" he confessed, and then sat
back to watch the girls look jealous,
and the other men sympathetic.
Next time girl tells me she is
simply dying to learn to paddle I'm
going to pay all the funeral expenses,
but I'll never let another in my canoe
If / die a bachelor" he continued, "A
canoe is the one spot on earth where
1t is good for man to be alone.
THE girl l was with to-day had a
lump of red-gold hair, and nifty
bunch of white ruffies around her hat
that made every girl on the horizon
look as worn-out as a Canadian on
May rs. The other men on the boat
kept sizing her up until | felt so lucky
at having made a hit that / was as
important as sporting editor at
ball game.
But | knew what / was up against
the minute we pushed away from the
canoe shelter. She was trying to live
up to the daintiness of her attire, and
she took up the paddle as though 1t
were teaspoon at pink tea. In less
than three minutes | had mentally re-
peated the prayers for the dying, re-
signed myself to the inevitable and
rejoiced in the fact that | hadn't paid
my board bill yet.
In spite of my coaching, we kept
going around in a circle, until l felt as
though ! had been living in the Elec-
trio park swing for a year, and when
we finally got Strengthened out for
minute, we hit the bank with thump
that might have started another
quake in Frisco.
1T bumped so hard that several
cushions-some of those | paid for
by many theater tickets and boxes of
candy-went into the water, and then
she got mad because when I fished
'em out l insisted on slowing the
wet, bedraggled things in the boat.
my skirts will be a sight she
walled, and in trying to tuck them
around her ankles ran the paddle
so far up her short sleeve that she
tore a lot of the lace before we got
untangled. When she went at it
again she grabbed the paddle as
though she were going to WELD it like
a broom.
But we got more water later on in
the game. She tried to force a pass
age through stone bridge, and
scraped my arms steadying the craft
by hanging on to everything in reach.
Il tried to use diplomacy and get
her to change seats with me, but
well, say, did man ever get a girl
to do what was reasonable? During
the argument we drifted right into
the worst disaster of all. 1t happened
to be another canoe which we never
noticed until it was right upon us, and
then the girl in my boat shrieked and
stuck her pad die into the water send
ing us precisely the way she did not
intend to. | was just wondering If
we would walk or swim back when
the other boat swung around, anc
its deft guider got out of harms way
in a wink.
Say, you should have seen those
women glare. The girl with me was
so angry and excited that her pompa.
dour was drizzling all about her face
Her sleeve was torn, her hat at q
slant, and her finery rather the worse
for the water she scooped In with
every stroke.
1.-THE lady in the opposite canoe
had pompadour, but it was as slick
as politician, and her shirtwaist had
something around the neck that
looked cool and simple Her arms
were bare and / didn't notice any
ruffles or rings or bracelets. She just
grinned cheerfully at my girl and
said:
"'Oh, you'll learn after a while,
and floated past.
81 guess my girl would have gone
to the bottom rather than give III
the paddle after that. We Jared the
foundations of two bridges until
thought the canoe would split from
one end to another. She spattered
me, the cushions and herself very
impartially. and then she called me {
brute for sitting still and not swear
ing.
IF she had made any progress by
the time we got back to the boat
house I couldn't notice it, and / wa.
more occupied in estimating the dam
age than in soothing her vanity wheI
we landed.
Il really think we should hav,
parted without a row, though, If tn,
trim-looking expert had not passed III
on the way out
"She glanced at my companiont
dampened skirts, torn waist and fiat
tened hat.
Wear a bathing suit next time
she advised, and the way that red