Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-13
The Argus Daily Story
An Athletic Girl-By Helen Jennings.
Copyrighted, 1912, by Associated Literary Bureau

ing logs and bitches. I was tempted
TO prick the animal he rode with a pin
and get my pupil dumped on the turf,
but l didn't wish to try too much at
once. so l refratned. / gave him a
short lesson Of an hour, then permitted
him to return TO the house. take a
bath and put on his evening clothes
before dinner. He was quite exhaust
ed, but seemed to be very proud Of
having ridden a horse
1t required emily this much to con-
vince me that John was man, like
other men. He had been deprived OF
the elements of development. How
can a plant thrive without sunlight?
Ny old playmate had grown TO man
hood IN obedience TO a natural law.
He was like boy who had been taught
to swim by reading swimming instruc-
lions from a book. In other words, he
had not learned at all
The next morning l came down to
breakfast in a tennis suit, John In i'm.
maculate morning costume.
Go straight upstairs" said TO him,
and come back in your shirt and
trousers. Do you suppose you're going
to entertain me sitting on the piaEzaI
Not on your life! You'll play tennis"
He gave a 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 II. When We had played
one set he was tired, but 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 q great
change had come over John. He had
got some Of the soft out Of him and
had entered upon a new career. I had
been link for him between his moth
er and freedom. Before the week ex-
pired he had declared his tndepend-
ence and developed a natural taste for
athletic sports. He was like a plant
brought from cellar and placed in
the shower and sunshine Of an April
day. He wouldn't hear of my leaving.
1 must stay on indefinitely, as long as
| would.
him from her influence as much as he.
She had followed 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 1t hard to
get away. / had nearly killed Johnny,
but be said "he liked it" His mother
4idn't approve of that part of 1t and
asked me If taste for athletics neces-
saIily involved breaking persons necks.
l replied that an occasional neck was
necessarily broken in athletics, as well
as in other less strenuous pursuits.
A year passed, during which l was
| constantly spending short or long
terms at the Perkinses. Athletics were
| 10 Johnny like a new toy TO a 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-
fcient in them.
1 was repaid for all my trouble-if 1t
can re 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 l were padding in a canoe
on a bay OF the Atlantic ocean. We
ventured too far out and were caught
in squat. We saw it coming and
death in it. In John the nature OF u
strong man triumphed over the disad-
vantages he had so long endured. He
became the anchor, l 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 u paddle
Watching the wind coming oyer 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
Sklll tOulu keep US StIdlBuI DcIOTe
them. The canoe turned, and the next
wave that struck us keeled It over.
Both swan for the boat, which fioated
bottom up, and caught It.
There is good deal In this story
about what l did for Johnsand 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 howled; the rain poured
down on and about us, obscuring the
land. The waves dashed themselves
against US as II determined to drive
as from our frail support AND during
this time John was holding me in my
perilous position, both of US clinging
20 the canoe. Then when it was all
over and boats came to our assistance
they took me aboard unconscious
had saved John from a Hfe OF eff
feminacy. ind he had saved me from
death. l found him as necessary to
me as had been to him, and we have
never parted.