The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-07-16

duu COne DdCk III your SHIT anu
trousers. Do you suppose you're going
to entertain me sitting on the piazza I
Not on your lifel You'll play tennis :"
He gave sickly smile, marched up
stairs, came back In sporting costume,
and after breakfast we went out to
the court. He played the game, though
he had begun too late to make much
of hand at it. When we had played
one set he was tired, but l kept him
at 1t till an hour before luncheon. and
he went in to the tub reeking with
perspiration-
At the end of the week a great
change had come over John. He had
got some of the soft" out Of him and
had entered upon a new career. 1 had
been link for him between his moth
er and freedom Before the week ex-
pired he had declared his independ-
ence and developed natural taste for
athletic sports. He was like a plant
brought from a cellar and placed in
the shower and sunshine Of an April
day. He wouldn't hear Of my leaving
l must stay on indefinitely, as long as
I would.
His mother needed some one to take
him from her influence as much as he
She had followed a habit and was not
sorry when she saw that l was trying
to undo what she had done, for there
is no mother who does not wish to see
her son manly, even though she be the
cause of his effeminacy
l remained at the Perkinses for a
month and even then found it hard to
get away. ! had nearly killed Johnny
but he said "he liked it." His mother
didn't approve Of that part of it and
asked me if taste for athletics neces.
Sarily involved breaking persons necks
| replied that an occasional neck was
necessarily broken in athletics, as well
as In other less strenuous pursuits
A year passed, during which | was
constantly spending short or long
terms at the Perkinses. Athletics were
to Johnny like new toy to child
In the winter he learned to skate and
In the summer to swim. he was great
ly handicapped on account of learning
those accomplishments late in life and
had he not had strong natural taste
for them would not have learned them
at all. AS it was. he became fairly pro-
hcient in them.
/ was repaid for all my trouble-if 1t
can be called such-by John himself
Among other sports, was fond Of
canoeing. 1t seems to me the most
dangerous of all outdoor sports, even
for those who can swim-that is, If
they go too far from land One day
Johnny and were padding in canoe
on bay Of the Atlantic ocean. We
ventured too far out and were caught
in squalL We saw it coming and
death In it. In John the nature Of a
strong man triumphed over the disad
vantages he had so long endured He
became the anchor, the Ginger He
ordered me to lie down in the bottom
Of the boat In order to preserve its
equilibrium, while he crouched as low
as possible and still worked a paddle
Watching the wind coming over the
water, he kept the canoe in a position
to be struck on the stern instead of on
the side
We plunged on the crests of the
waves for awhile, but no strength or
skill could keep US straight before
hem. The canoe turned. and the next
wave that struck US keeled it over.
Both swan for the boat, which foated
bottom up. and caught it.
There is a good deal In this story
about what l did for John and very
little about what John did for me, and
yet what he did for me, though con
centrated within half an hour, was
worth many times my efforts In his
behalf
The wind howIed: the rain poured
down on and about US, obscuring the
land. The waves dashed themselves
against US as If determined to drive
US from our fraIl support And during
this time John was holding me in my
perilous position. both of US clinging
to the canoe. Then when it was all
over and boats came to our assistance
they took me aboard unconscious.
had saved John from a life of eff
feminacy. and he had saved me from
death found him as necessary to
me as had been to him, and we have
never parted.