The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-26
The Euening Story



(By Oren McNeil)
I At 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:oo
Miss Blythe rose languidly from her
seat At 4:o6 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 4
ing shoes. At AIS she had hunted up
her old hat. At exactly APO she APP
peared before her mother down
stairs and said:
Il am going sailing for about an
hour
But your brother Fred has gone to
town"
THAT makes no difference. 1 can
sail a boat we'll as he cam
why, Blythe, you haven't been out
with him more than three times!"
But wasn't I watching all the
time to see how it was done? Poof!
Ali you've got to do is to watch the
wind"
"But wish you wouldn't 60
Neither Fred nor your father may be
home before midnight
hours. There's a fine breeze, and IL
will blow the cobwebs away 50
long, motherl Don't worry about
yours truly"
1
boat IL the first place, you want the
wind-not too much nor too little.
If the wind isn't right to sail up or
down the lake, then sail across II
Don't think the breezes ust De maoe
to your order.
You stumble into the boat and raise
the sail 1t doesn't make such a great
| difference about the stumble. put II is
| imperative about the sail. When II Is
| up you make the halyards fast ano go
70 he Gta
| Attached to the bottom of the sail is
| a boom, and attached to this boom is a
| rope called a 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 a sudden gust he can
| slack away and spill the wind and pre-
vent an upset.
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.
Off Tiger Island, young Mr.. Walter
Dayton was fishing from an. oper
boat He had come down from the
city for the late fall sport and had moi
the slightest suspicion that Cupid wa.
are no ha1yards or ropes or sheets oil
sails about fishing. All you have to d.
is to throw baited hook over and b,
and by a foolish bass comes along an(
gulps it down and you pull him in.
Mr.. Dayton was fishing away. and
his thoughts were not even remotel,
on the feminine sex when he wa
aroused by woman's voice calm,
out:
"Oh. oh. Please get out of m,
way!'
He looked up to see sailboat bear
ing down on him and a girl twis
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-
ipare to fend her off. His craft wa.
struck a glancing blow. the best ht
could do. and as the, other sdriftet
iaway he called out:
They shouldn't. have let you come
out with that boati''
| And they shouldn't have let your
was the spirited reply.
Don't you know that the wind i
rising and becoming gusty?"
| What of it ?"
Your sheet has been made fast
and the first heavy gust will upse
your boat"
She did not even look his way
There goes girl who, needs
, strong hand." muttered the younl
man. as he kept down the bay.
IneFe Is a young man VINO tn1nk
he is very clever was the common
of the girl as she left him behind.
1t was true that the wind was risini
and becoming gusty, and therefor
sailing was unsafe for a novice blu
Miss Blythe wanted that young mai
| to understand that she could manag
things without his advice.
Providence looks after foolish girl
as well as foolish men. 1t looked afte
this one as her boat waved this wa,
and that, and it clouded up and tn
sun got lower and lower. She woul,
have cut her voyage short. but TO
the action of Mr. Dayton. Ills was
motor boat, and after awhile he sait
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 d
! hand when 1 am needed"
The girl looked back after a Will,
and saw what he was up to and salt
: to herself:
"Oh-ho. He is getting ready t.