Bridgeton pioneer., 1914-09-03


As the summer wore on Alsop learn
ed something about handling a pair of
oars from Miss Damon, who while
coaching him contrived to make him
believe that he was coaching her. If
he had stuck to a common rowboat he
might have got on without any serious
mishap. But his ambition to make a
boatman of himself was inversely In
proportion to his inability to do so. He
must paddle a canoe. Miss Damon
suggested that he would better first
learn to swim, bat he said he had tried
that ard had not got on very well. He
had heard of little children being
taught to swim by being thrown into
the water and forced to Chamber out by
themselves. Quite likely If he were
dumped from his canoe he might ''get
the hang of it, and in time become a
fine swimmer.
1t was not long before Mr.. Alsop
found an opportunity to learn to swim
by this heroic process He was pad
ding along one day In a canoe, got up
In a beautiful bathing suit, when an
oarsman came pulling toward him.
The mans back being to Norman. he
did not see him.
There's a singular tendency in vehi-
cles directed by novices to run into
those things that they are expected to.
avoid. At any rate Norman used his
paddle to take the boat in the direction
opposite to the one he intended. The
noses of the two boats sheered against
each other, and the canoe went over.
Mr. Alsop sank out of sight. He said
afterward that he thought of a good
many things In the few moments he
was beneath the surface He thought
Of Miss Damon and wished he could
exchange all the prizes he had taken
at school and college for the ability to
go quietly down, then rise quickly and
with few languid strokes reach a
point Of safety. But in spite Of good
deal Of kicking, or, rather, writhing.
he continued to sink.
The oarsman, feeling a jar, turned
his head aside and saw a man in BATH
ing rig coming to the surface, a canoe
upside down and a paddle some dis
tance from both Not thinking that a
man In such an aquatic outfit would
need assistance, he pulled away.
For month Alsop had been teaching
Miss Damon peculiar stroke in the
water invented by himself. That is, he
thought he was teaching her, while
she was trying to get him beyond that
initial point where beginner feels he
can keep himself for a few seconds
from going under. She had succeeded
so far that, his life being the stake, he
was able to swim the five feet that
separated him from the canoe. By
herculean effort he reached it and
clung to it. folding his arms about it
lovingly.
All this happened within a quarter
of mile from the shore, where Miss
Damon was sitting with book on her
lap, trying to make up one of several
conditions. that stood in the way of her
graduation, for If she failed to get a
husband it was expected that she
would have to teach. There was moth
ing easy in the book, but to step into
the water, "accoutered as she was"
swim out to Norman Alsop and push
the canoe, with him clinging to It,
ashore was just too simple for any
thing. He spoke not word till he was
on terra firma; then, shaking his fist
at the man who had upset him, now
too far to hear him, he said:
HVn., nonfoundod fool x5SS~sA
know more about handling boat than
you do, I'd stick to dry landv
Miss Damon sympathized with her
friend. who went to the hotel to dress
for dinner, while she, after putting on
dry clothes, recommended endeavoring
to get into her stupid head a problem
in geometry.
1t must not be supposed that during
this period when Norman Alsop was
trying to learn athletics and Miss Da-
mon was trying to make up a multi
tude of conditions he showed nothing
of the intellectual gifts there were in
him. II Miss Damon helped him out
of the water he helped her with the
subjects she was trying to make up.
This he did by rendering them so in
teresting to her that she not only un-
derstood them. but could not forget
them. Though Alsop did not recognize
the value Of his instruction nor Miss
Damon that she had done something
remarkable in pushing him ashore,
each admired the others requirements.
Miss Damon could not understand why
her friend could not do little thing
like swimming, something a fish had
no trouble in doing, and Alsop could
not understand why his explanation to
her of the moons phases was failure,
but neither attached any Importance to
the others defect
When Julia Damon went home In
September and informed her aunt that
she had captured man who had
swept his university clean of prizes
the good lady was dumfounded.
How about your school conditioner
she asked after her astonishment had
worn Off
"Oh, what's the use of my making
up conditions when I'm going to marry