The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-12
SHE WENT SAILING
BY oREN M'NEll.

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:O3
Miss Blythe rose languidly from her
seat At 4:06 she yawned. At 4:os
she took down an OLD skirt from
hook in the closet and proceeded to
get into it. At Ais she had changed
her slippers for a pair of stout walk
ing shoes. At AIS she had hunted up
her old hat. At exactly AGO she ap-
peared before her mother downstairs
and said:
81 am going sailing for about an
hour"
But your brother Fred has gone to
town"
That makes no difference. l can
sail boat as we'll as he can"
"Why, Blythe. you haven't been out
with him more than three times"
But wasn't l watching all the time
to see how 1t was done? Poof. All
you've got to do is to watch the wind"
"But wish you wouldn't go. 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 it
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. If the wind
I isn't right to sail up or down the lake,
| then sail across 1t. 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 great
! difference about the stumble. but 1t 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 a 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 rope, and
so made a 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
chIcklcd 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 for
the late fad spot, and had not the
slightes. crr- ten ,hct ruc'1 was
going to sprei,d a net for him There
are no hGly2"ds or reyes CT sheets or
sails about fi1hrg. All you have tc
do is to throw b2ited hook over, and
by and by foolish bass comes along
and gulps it down and you pull him
in.
Mr.. Dayton was fishing away, and
his thoughts were not even remotely
on the feminine sex when he was
aroused by woman's voice calling
out:
"Oh, oh! Please get out of my way!'
He looked up to see sailboat bear
ing down on him and girl twisting
the helm one way and the other. Hell
craft was SO close at hand that all he
could do was to seize an oar and pre-
pare to fend her OF. His craft was
struck glancing blow, the best hi
could do. and as the other drifted away
he called out:
"They shouldn't have let you come
out with that boat"
And they shouldn't have let you
was the spirited reply.
Don't you know that the wind II
rising and becoming gusty?"
what of it,"
"Your sheet has been made fast ant
} the first heavy gust will upset you
. boat"
She did not even look his way.
; There goes girl who needs +;
strong hand" muttered the youn,
} man. as he kept down the bay.
There is young man who think
he is very clever" was the common
of the girl as she left him behind.
1t was true that the wind was risin,
, and becoming gusty, and therefor
calling woS upcafo for a poyioa hu
Miss Blythe wanted that young MAJ
to understand that she could manag
, things without his advice.
Providence looks after foolish girl
as we'll as foolish men. 1t looked afte
, this one as her boat waved this wa
and that, and 1t clouded ur and tn
sun got lower and lower. She woul
} have cut her voyage short, but TO
. the action Of Mr.. Dayton. His was
motor boat, and after awhile he sal
to himself:
! THAT girl is going to get In trouble
, sure enough. I'll pull up the ancho
, and drift down, SO I'll be closer a
Z hand when l am needed"
The girl looked back after a Will
1 and saw what he was up to and sal
4 | to herself:
y "Oh-ho! He is getting ready to pla
|. the rescuer and the hero. is he? Wei
D I shall disappoint him"
4 By the time she was ready to tur
a back the wind had increased threefolt
4 She had seen her brother bring tn
{ boat about, but had not mastered tn
trick herself. She must try 1t, how
d ever. With a prayer that 1t might b
success. she moved the tiller owe