Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-17
PATSY KILDARE
By JUDD MORTIMER LEWIS
The SIUiniming Hole

II
q morning before I got up and played
with Rowdy and sprinkled water on my
face. Then l jumped out of oed and
| chased him out OF doors and around the
| house, but he was afraid that Rowdy
would run between his legs, so he could
not run very fast. When We went into
the house again, all three of us, Rowdy
and June's doctor and I. were laughing
our heads off. ] changed my nightic for
my clothes and We had a very good
breakfast.
will have TO come out here oftcner,
for am going to like June's doctor very
much. | can see now that he Is really
handsome. just as Juno says, though |
| could not see it at first. lie took me TO
| town in his auto after breakfast and
after had seen June's father again,
! looked at his hands on tho autos
wheel. and they are very big and strong
looking hands and lie keeps ms naiIs
clean. which is kind of funny, but looks
kind of nice.
1t had rained all night and the bitches
were full Of water and everything looked
| clean There were a lot of the school
boys playing with boats in the bitches
and having a lot of fun. Then fsowdy
and / went over to look at the mole the
men had been digging and it was iull OF
water and boy said, ut was 80 full
that the men cannot work. IL certainly
was full Rowdy and | sailed boats on
the water. but no school kids would play
with me because / am not respectaolc'
/ As my mother Is in heaven, do not nave
any one TO look after me and ! run IN"
/ streets at night and the other kluS
mothers say they should thlhN 'uat
would make my mother turn over IN n't
grave. But it can't because my mother
is in heaven.
While I was playing my boat went TOO
far from the bank and the first thinH
knew | had stepped off into dcep "d'cr.
Rowdy barked and IL boy saw me snu
! hollered TO the others, and then thcy an
came running. The boys cheered anu
clapped trcir hands when they saw now
| could swim, but the girls Just stood
in a bunch and turned up their noses.
One boy said that / was certainly
good swimmer and another boy said he
could swim better than l could, so they
dared him to prove it. AT that lie
jumped in and went TO padding dos
fashion. lie told another boy VINO could
swim that tire water was dandy 80
that boy jumped in and then another
boy did, and then another. Pretty soon
all the boys who cou'd SWIM were III,
and all who couldn't were out.
4 little girl who was Il tattletalc ran
I over 10 lllt SNupOlb'uo1 '''N N''N ''''
principal, and she came hurrying and
very much excited. she stamped her
foot ia mud puddle and said. Come
out of that water instantly'' So we
all did. only the hank was so steep ana
c'ayey where | tried to come out that
/ kept slipping The principal reached
down for my hand and her foot slipped,
SO she could not blame me when she fell
in. When she came Up to the top or
the water ] saw she could swim, 50
she was all right.
We all got out. ana then the principal
Sc US home TO change our clothes |
went and put on Il clean dress and it
looked 80 nice that I have almost de-
cided to put on a clean one cNcrA once
IN a while whether [ need it or not 1t
IS kind Of nice to feel starchy When
We got back 10 school all the boys were
there in their SUNDAY clothes and with
their faces clean. We were told to so
into the principals room. and after a
while she came in and she had on a
ucyr dress
She said what do you children think
should be done with all of your
Nobody said anything. so the principal
said, PATSY, you NAV answer said,
Il thinl; from the looks of the bunch
that you should throw them i'll every
morning. Their faces are all clean.
She turned and looked out of the window
for a minute and then she said. How
did you come 10 be in the water, Patsy?
| said, Il slipped in and because | like
to swim | stayed in" Then the first
boy who went in said, when she fell
in we all thought she would drown and
We jumped in after her" She said, rs
that true. Patsy | said, mo, of course
not" She said, You may all go TO your
rooms and stay in at recess, all but
Patsy"
Tonight 7 prayed Dear mother
which art in heaven, I suppose YOU saw
that / was the first one to use the new
swimming hole. 1t is hard to get ahead
of the Irish. l was as surprised as you
were to find that the principal can
swim You never can tell, can you!
IT would not surprise me very much now
TO see her climb tree or turn over
eudways. Ask God to bless you and
my rather and Juncs new husband and
me, and almost everybody. Amen
, "Draggy Foot" the next Patsy kildare