Norwich bulletin., 1912-08-10

Come on," leased my chum. Lets go to Willard Beach,
 willard Beach," I snapped, giving the hammock another vigorous shove. Willard Beachl Who ever heard of Willard Beach2 Where is the place, anyhow; and pray tell me why on this hot afternoon we should exert our selves to go over there?"
 ~To get cool-that's just why" re- torted Carrie. Its the dandiest little bathing beach you've ever seen. I'll warrant. And I'll be willing to wager that, once you get there, it'll be you and not l who won't want to come home"
 Nonsense" I said, and I pounded the pillow vigorously to emphasize my words. If you had any common sense at all you'd be satisfied to stay where you are and try to keep cool without racing all over town in the effort"
 Carrie relapsed into dignified silence, and l swung back and forth at high speed in an effort to arouse just @ phantom of breeze I had been in Portland the past four summers, and in all that time I had never heard of Willard Beach, so I didn't think it worth going to, anyhow. Silence con- tinued for at least five minutes Then CaIT1e spoke again
 "Oh, say, May don't be stuffy. You can't get a breath of cool air here, no matter how much you try, so why not give me a chance to prove that my plan is worth while?'
 l considered the matter seriously | What Carrie had said was perfectly true. couldn't keep cool at home Willard Beach couldn't be any worse than our own piazza; so finally, though with very i'll grace it must be con- fessed, I gave in. felt like a martyr though, all the way to the car, and l didn't hesitate to make Carrie &C., quainted with the fact. I grumbled al everything that there was any provo cation for grumbling at.
 | She was an angel of patience, though I'll say that for her. And at last she got me piloted to the South Portland car, and seated in safety. I'll confess too, that my spirits revived a goot deal when we got the first cool breeze going over the bridge, and began tt think it wasn't such a bad idea, aftel i all. We went the long way around the shore road, you know. and got of at the first street above Fort Preble wouldn't dare to tell you what thu name of the street was. I can't re | member, but I'm sure 1t was the frs one above the fort Right then ant there l began to get cross again, fo | the street, like all the streets, was duS ty and dirty and sandy, and we sanl in to our shoe tops at every step.
 scolded and scolded all the way dow
 (we went straight to the shore), bu Carrie didn't say a word. She wa content with knowing what a surpris was awaiting me.
 And it was a surprise, too We ha walked about five minutes, shoul say-possibly less-when all of a sud den we came on to the beach itsel1 And such beach! No, of courses didn't compare with Old Orchard c any of those places in size; but it wa a good long beach, at that, shaped hk a horseshoe. with the long gray bath houses at the farther end Would yo
 believe me, that sand was just as fin and soft as velvet-not a lump c
 hump. a stone or & piece of dTiftwoo
 anywhere to mar its smoothness. An the beach was broad, too. There wa
 plenty of room for everybody who wa
 tempted to take dip in the briny o the hottest day of summer. It certain ly looked as if the fame of the beac
 had spread abroad, too, for there wer
 hosts of people there. of both se1e
 and all ages and sizes. There was n
 denying that the water looked cool an
 inviting. It was as blue as the sky
 yes, and bluer. except that there wa just a tint of green in the depths was almost high tide, too, an ideal hot for bathing. It was just as Carr } said-once there, she could hardly hol
 me in. Despite the heat I fairly spe 3 along the beach to the bathhouses, ar l before you could say Jack Robinsc { I had donned natty blue and whi' I bathing suit, and was ready for u 5 plunge. I had grumbled all the WE 2 over to Carrie because was sure u