The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-27


It was the race of the season and
Australia won. Hawaii was left hope
lessly in the rear, and for once in his life.
the tiny Hawaiian champion of the
Hotel Baths acknowledged defeat
The great Hawaii Australia swim
ming match was scheduled for $3.50
o'clock, but an hour before that
time little Frank Cherry, of the Lii
liputians, and tiny nineteen-y ear,old
Peanuts were stripped for action
and ready for the contest.
Stage Manager Cherry of the Lii
liputians, acted as eoacher for the lad
from Sydney, and SPeanuts" had a
native hacker who told him just how
TO win. So impatient were the boys,
and so demonstrative was the crowd
that surged into, and filed every avail
able dry spot about tie great swim
ming pool, that full half hour be-
fore the hour set for the race. the
contestants were told to get ready
They stood glaring at each other at
the end of the pool. At the word
ready Peanuts made motion as
though he were about to dive, but at
the crack of the starting pistol, drew
back and let his little opponent 90 it
alone
Little Cherry buried his head in the
water, Australian fashion, struck out
with the crawl stroke, his legs motion
less and merely the tips of his feet
I. "A l.
cred the % yards to the other end of
the tank before discovering that he had
been made game of and tired out.
Angry shouts arose and Peanuts
was all but mobbed, bat the plucky
little Australian was game, and offered
to continue the contest until there was
fair race.
The next trial the pistol failed to
snap, and Peanuts who dove a sec
ond too soon completed the course
alone.
Twice more there was a false start,
and then at the crack of the pistol
the two little champions were off-their
faces buried in the water. Both, how
eves, lifted their heads to see if the
other was 'Fpiaying fair" and in this
maneuver q Peanuts - lost ground.
Steadily the little lad of Manly
Beach forged ahead. The shouts from
the audience shook the rafters, and
even the ladies stood on their chairs
and urged the tiny Lilliputian on.
As he heightened the distance. be-
tween himself and peanuts the
crowd went delirious and when he
touched the bar two good lengths ahead
the shout that went up might have
been heard at Waikiki--or Coogee.
Peanuts climbed to the highest
rafter and did splendid dive-the
comedian of the Lilliputians followed
suit and landed a belly splash that
threatened to give his understudy
chance last MONT Peanuts essayed
to stand on the slide and Lillipu-
tian showed that Australia, too, was
game for that. Then Peanuts" hied
himself to a corner by himself, and
. Jimmy, the fat boy, who has
grace in the water peculiar to him.
self and the elephant came down the
slide in such way as TO splash every
lady in the front row. The lone Jap
attendant came forth TO protest and
: Jimmy met him half way, landing
at the foot of the slide with splash
that retired the Jap attendant to the
driving room of the nearest laundry.
The ladies put up their umbrellas and
Jimmy continued to monopoliZe the
slide. biding his time and descending,
as each well dressed small boy passed,
with a splash that drenched him to
the skin-and caused the crowd to
cheer.
Suddenly. however, it was announced
in stentorian tones that peanuts
owned up to defeat, and in the excite
ment that followed. even Splashing
Jimmy was forgotten.
Frank Cherry was carried back to
the Hawaiian Hotel in an automobile by
a local small boy admirer. and there
made the honored darling of every Lii
liputian. and some hundreds of little {
who had followed to cheer I
their new hero from Manly Beach, I
Sydney. s