Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-11-27
LUBBER LAST
By Grace H. BOutelle

~A YER since they had come to
 Perkinsville De Peyster and
 f his mother had failed to ad-
 just their respective stand points to a mutual harmony.
 To begin with, 1t was spring, With the delicious odor of resinous smoke from the boughs that had banked the house assailing ones uostrils, who could resist joining the dancing sil- houettes that circled the bonfire and daring ones fate by leaping across 1t in swaggering competition as the flames died down?
 But she drew lurid pictures of his certain fate if he should repeat the ofense Blind defiance rose insurgent within him. He would go And then all of sudden he remembered what his father said and hung his head to think how those grave, kind eyes of his would look at hlm now
 Take good care of mamma" he had said at the last. You must be her big brother and never let her worry about you, she's so little and delicate" And then he had whispered over two or three times, My pretty little wife, my dear little girlr'
 And De Peyster had tried with all his might to remember But often it did seem as if it would have been a little easier if she could have under stood that one was disgraced if one did not keep neck and neck with 'the other fellows" in every prank they played.
 There was a long aud weary period of dooryard discipline after this epi- sOde There were a good many times when De Peyster had to clinch his fists as tight as be could and remem- Der his father very hard.
 By and by June came. Quivering with gold green sunlight, perfumed with a universal blossonling and pun gent with the joy of living At. this time every true joy thrills with the half realized rapture of it all and finds the fullest expression of his ecstasy in going swimming
 Every bright morning in some part of the town there was sure to be a group of boys toeing line. their necks bobbing eagerly forward and their bodies giving anticipatory jerks and witches as they waited for the word. When the leader said Cor they dart ed forth, and there was kaleidoscop- ic and dissolving view of legs racing madly down side street that led to the river. Then collars came of, coats followed, as they run with undimin- ished speed. the fellow who was far thest ahead sometimes slowing up with magnificent daring to get or bis shoes and stockings while the others were still hampered by shirts and trousers. and by the time they tumbled in headlOng competition over the bank the nimblest carried their entire ward robe on their arms and dashed white ly into the water while the laggers fumbled at their shoe lacings. The unfortunate who popped into the river, flushed and panting, after all the rest were in was greeted with taunting cries of: "Lubber last! Lubber last3
 De Peyster had never been told not to go in swimming. It had not oc- cured to his mother as among the list of his possible perils, as she was in blissful ignorance of the fact that ''the other fellows did it.
 So it was with the thrilling exult- ance of the Greek runner that he set his toe on the lire with the rest and hurled himself forward, head up and elbows in.
 The first few rods it felt like flying. His feet scarcely seemed to touch the ground. Then a pair of legs flashed by him. and another and another, He gathered his strenCth and shot for