The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-13
She WENT SAILING
BY oREN M'NEIL.

AT four o'clock in the afternoon Miss |
Blythe Winters finished her book.
NO matter what the title was, she |
was not to remember it an hour. No |
one girl in ten ever does. At 4:O5 |
MISS Blythe rose languidly from her
seat. At 4:06 she yawned. At 4:OS
she took down an old skirt from a
HOOK In the closet and proceeded to
get into 1t. At AIS she had changed
ner slippers for pair of stout walk
Ing shoes. At AIS she had hunted up
ner old hat. At exactly 4:2O she ap-
peared before her mother downstairs
and said:
i am going sailing for about an
hour"
But your brother Fred has gone to
town"
THAT makes no difference. / can
san boat as well as he can"
Why, Blythe, you haven't been out
with him more than three times."
But wasn't watching all the time
to see how it was done? Poof! All
you've got to do is to watch the wind"
But l wish you wouldn't 60. Neither
Fred nor your father may be home be.
fore midnight"
While l shall be back within two
hours. There's a fine breeze, and 1t
will blow the cobwebs away. So long,
mother! Don't worry about yours
truly"
1t looks as easy as pie to sail boat.
In the first place, you want the wind
not too much nor too little II the wind
isn't right to sail up or down the lake,
then sail across it. Don't think the
breezes must be made to your order.
You stumble into the boat and raise
the sail. 1t doesn't make such a great
difference about the stumble, but it Is
imperative about the sail When it is
up you make the halyards fast and go
to the stern and take the tiller.
Attached to the bottom Of the sail
Is boom, and attached to this boom
is rope called sheet 1t is no more
a sheet than you are, but the sailor
who first called it must have grown
tired Of calling everything a rope, and
so made change. The boatman holds
the free end of this sheet in his hand,
SO that in case Of sudden gust he can
slack away and spill the wind and pre-
vent an upset.
This was one of the several things
that Miss Blythe had not taken notice
Of when she went sailing with her
brother. With charming assurance
she went sailing away, and she
chuckled with glee at the thought OF
how she would crow over Fred.
on Tiger island, young Mr.. Walter
Dayton was fishing from an open boat
He had come down from the city fol
the late fall sport, and had not the
slightest suspicion that Cupid waf
going to spread net for him. There
are no halyards or ropes or sheets Of
sails about fishing. All you have tt
do is to throw baited hook over ant
by and by a foolish bass comes alonf
and gulps it down and you pull hin
in.
:. Mr.. Dayton was fishing away, ant
his thoughts were not even remotel!
, on the feminine sex when he wal
aroused by q woman's voice callinl
out:
"Oh, oh! Please get out Of my way!
He looked up to see sailboat bear
ing down on him and girl twistinl
1 the helm one way and the other. He
craft was so close at hand that all h
could do was to seize an oar and pre-
pare to fend her Of His craft wa
q struck a glancing blow, the best h
/. could do, and as the other drifted ava,
!. he called out:
z "They shouldn't have let you com
i out with that boat"
il And they shouldn't have let you!
y was the spirited reply.
8 Don't you know that the wind l
S rising and becoming gusty?"
k What OF it,"
8 Your sheet has been made fast, an
II the first heavy gust will upset you
n boat"
h She did not even look his way.
X There goes girl who needs
IT strong hand" muttered the youn
4 man, as he kept down the bay.
r There is a young man who think
D he is very clever" was the commen
y of the girl as she left him behind.
a It was true that the wind was risin
and becoming gusty, and therefor
n sailing was unsafe for novice, bu
g Miss Blythe wanted that young ma
n to understand that she could manag
a. things without his advice.
le Providence looks after foolish girl
ID an well as foolish men. It looked afte
n this one as her boat waved this wa
N and that, and 1t clouded up and tn
10 sun got lower and lower. She woul
ie have cut her voyage short. but ft
i'd the action of Mr.. Dayton. His was
d, motor boat. and after awhile he sal
~ to himself:
II THAT girl is going to get in troubl
ly sure enough. I'll pull up the ancht
d and drift down, so I'll be closer
z, hand when | am needed.
III The girl looked back after whi
~ and saw what he was up to and sal
to herself;
ID "Oh-ho. He is getting ready to pla
IN the rescuer and the hero. is he? We
I shall disappoint him
By the time she was ready to tut
hack the wind had increased threefol
OF She had seen her brother bring II
" boat about. but had not mastered II
go -. harself She must try Ii, HOY
" ever With a prayer that it might
IS a success, she moved the tiller owe
q ~. naxt moment the craft We