Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-01-03
ON A RAINY
DAY
Outside the rain came down in

a gray DAY ana a gray WOrlu anu tHe
last of the season at the summer re-
sort
"Umph!" mourned the girl with I'M
steady nerves. Il foresee a happy "a
hours. All the magazines in the
house are read and there are no sup
plies to experiment with in the
chafingdish line, all through our
nerveless habit Of eating at the ho-
tel The bridge fiends will begin to
get in their deadly work presently,
and then l shall go quite mad! Would
that somebody would ask me to do
something sensible, so that l might
really enjoy myself"
There was sharp ring at the ru-
raj telephone. After a brief and ex-
clamatory conversation with that in
strument she rushed madly in various
directions, grabbing an elderly mack
irtosh, rubbers and other outdoor sup
plies and falling into them simulta
neously, while she answered the irri
table questions of the rest of the
household.
'Well,' gasped the girl who was
curled up in the window seat in a
silk and chiffon house gown, with a
box of candy near, I'm glad to dis
cover your idea of sensible amuse-
ment on a wet and horrid day!
You're crazy."
"Bosh!" politely replied the girl in
fI Oh
Itable sou'wester hat just before she
slammed out of the door and splash
ed down to the dock extending into
the inland bay Were not going to
fish in here-they're going to sail the
Black Cat out into Lake Michigan.
And the perch are biting fine!"
Out of the wet grayness the Black
Cat swept up to the dock, her sails
dripping, her crew jubilant. At the
tiller sat the skipper, disguised from
head to foot in violent yellow OIL
skins. Perched by the mainmast in
attire matching the first young wom-
ans was the girl with the aggravat-
ingly curly hair. The tall man and
the man with the pipe, being green
hands and city landlubbers, did weird
things with ropes under the impress
sion that they were helping sail the
boat.
Down the bay the boat fed as if
anxious to leave behind the dreary
monotony of the shore AS she melt
ed through the channel out into the
big lake and began to dip down into
the swells, while the fresh breeze
struck them full in the face, how her
crew sighed with joy. Out half
mile they went to the end of the
huge government breakwater that
doomed above them like the wall of
a sky-scraper. Then came a gym
nastic interval while they escaladed
that forbidden height. Finally all
five landed on the great board walk
on TOP of it, breathless
1t was ten minutes later that the
girl with the curly hair took a COM
prehensive survey of herself and the
others and chuckled
The five sat in a decorous row at
the extreme end of the breakwater,
their feet dangling 20 feet above the
waves. Five fishpoles bent outward
and a slanting rain beat against their
rubber coats and brigandish hats. Be-
fore them stretched Lake Michigan
to a faint horizon line, as venture
some craft marring the threatening ex-
panse of its forbidding waves, that
were tumbling and hammering against
the stanch wall beneath them. A
shrieking gull flashed across their
heads and shot out into the lake.
And to think" murmured the girl
in the ragged macintosh in the awed
tones of one delivered from a great
horror, that back at the cottage in
that shut-up room they are playing
bridge and thinking they are having
good time! Oh, something has eat
en- the minnow off my hook"
The hours wore on and the lake
grew rougher. The capricious perch
had business elsewhere, and sturdily
refused all lures.
Fish," remarked the man in the
yellow oilskins, decisively, ARE really
the least necessary thing when you
go fishing 1 don't care if l never
catch any"
The man with the pipe jeered.
You're Jealous" he said, for he alone
had a bite. ITO be sure, I've robbed
the cradle of this four-inch perch, but
l shall string it on an inch rope and
take it home. 1t represents a half
days hard work by five insane indi-
viduals, and so it merits considera-
ton"
Down the slippery wall they slid
to the deck of the Black Cat and with
one accord headed her directly out
into Lake Michigan for a breathless
spin.
The waves rolled over her side and
splashed her draggled crew. She dip
ped her nose under the water and
recovering, shook herself like water
dog before she plunged again. The
sails strained in the lively wind. The
skipper hauled at the tiller, the green
hands jumped faithfully for the main
and jib sheets at his shouts, and
there was nothing in the world but
rushing water and wind and them
selves diving through it.
The girl in the ragged macintosh
opened the cottage door gayly. Her
wet hair struggled into her eyes. her
wet coat chung and she was a very dis
reputable sight.
I've had the time of my life," she
told the card players toasting by the
open fire, who regarded her with dis
may.
You are simply crazy!" repeated
the girl in the silk and chiffon. Just