Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-30
Corpulent Police m a n
Shakes Fist Impotently
at Urchins' Cries s of
"Bean-Belly" From Safe
ty of River.
"M'Liss" Looks on and Admires
Boy Divers Daring as He
Takes 30-Foot Plunge From
Boat - Non-Swimmers Ia
booed by Experts.
Bv M,LIsS

DY Nn hlDD
Some day, perhaps. every house will
boast of a bathtub and every back yard
a swimming pool. l doubt even then,
though, the possibility of the wharf rats
becoming extinct
1t was while l was in pursuit of these
denlzens of the city docks that / came
upon Slooby
After an unsuccessful search about the
wharves at the foot of Catharine Chris
tian and South streets, I had almost
come to the conclusion that the blistering
afternoon sun had driven even the rats
to some indoor retreat, when a squat lit
tie figure coming down Reed street made
me decide to wait and investigate.
There was suppressed eagerness in every
step that his bare bowleRs took toward
the river, and the sharp bank of broken
bricks that he trod over might have
been a feather bed for all the notice he
took of It.
with a fine disregard. too, for the
train signal which bespoke an oncoming
locomotive, he ducked under the wooden
arms that had been let down to prevent
pedestrians from crossing, and sped over
the tracks with nonchalance.
Determined not to lose MIN, followed
fearsomely, and was just in time to see
in the fence of a lumber yard
sLooBY SHOWS DIsAPPRovAL.
Little boy, wait a minute"
Ono leg on one side of the aperture
and one leg on the other, he halted, dis
appreciation written all over his freclsled
face.-
"where do people go swimming down
here?" 1 asked when 1 had caught UP
with him
Coils don't" he said tersely. and
moved as IL to disappear entirely.
dsclaimed any intention of taking a
river bath, and requested that / be al
lowed to accompany him as n spectator.
IF Frankie's on guard ye can" he con-
descended and got out of the hole on the
other side so as to give me chance. In
side the lumber yard Slooby bade me wait
minute and went forward to recon-
noiter.
He appeared again on the other side of
a freight train and having decided to for
sake the main road, which led to the
dock, beclSoned for me to follow him
down a narrow path between n line Of
cars and big merchant ship which was
unloading lime.
We had proceeded about half way when
a one-legged boy, sitting on a box watch
ing the ships activities rose and, grab
bling his crutch, began stumping along in
the direction of the end of the pier.
Hist" he cried. slbilanty, in a whis-
per that must have penetrated to Cam
den 1 was to learn later, that there is
yet another kind of warning which the
wharf rats employ.
That's Frankie" Slooby volunteered;
"he's lettin' the boys know youse is
comm"
20 WHARF RATS IN THE WATER.
When we arrived at the wharf about
20 grinning faces were bobbing on the
surface of the Delaware like so many
tumultuous corks on strangely placid
sea. A few proud wearers of trunks sat
on an improvised springing board. which
consisted of piece of lumber
"snitched' from the nearby yard-inserted
between the piles of the pier.
Yea, Slooby." 1t was plain to see from
their manner OF hailing him that Slooby