The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-11-30
Three Men and a Maid

| the crowd on the dock was cheering
as one man. They had often paid good
money to see far less gripping sights
In the movies. They roared applause.
The liner, meanwhile. continued to
move stodgily out into midriver.
The only drawback to these life
saving competitions at school, consid-
cred from the standpoint Of fitting the
competitors for the problems of after
life, Is that the object saved on such
occasions Is leather dummy, and of
all things In this world leather
dummy is perhaps the most placid and
phlegmatic. 1t differs In many respects
from an emotional Swedish gentleman,
six foot high and constructed through
out of steel and india rubber, who is
being lugged away from cash which he
has been regarding In the light of a
legacy. Indeed, II would not be hard
to find respect in which II does not
differ. So far from lying inert In
Sans arms and allowing himself to
be saved In a quiet and orderly man.
ner, Mr.. Swenson betrayed all the
symptoms of one who feels that he has
fallen among murderers. Mr.. Sven
son, much as he disliked competition,
was ready to put up with It, provided
that 1t was fair competition. This
pulling your rival away from the loot
so that you could grab 1t yourself
thus shockingly had the man misin-
terpreted Sans motives-was another
thing altogether, and his stout soul
would have none of 1t. He began I'm
mediately to struggle with all the
violence at his disposal. His large,
hairy hands came out Of the water and
swung hopefully in the direction where
he assumed his assallant's face to be.
Sam was not unprepared for this
display. His researches In the art Of
life-saving had taught him that your
man frequently struggled
against his best interests. In which
case, cruel to be kind, one simply
stunned the blighter. He decided to
stun Mr.. Swenson, though, II he had
known that gentleman more intimately
and had been aware that he had the |
reputation Of possessing the thickest |
head on the waterfront he would have
realized the magnitude Of the task. |
Friends Of Mr.. Swenson, in convivial |
moments, had frequently endeavored
to stun him with bottles. boots and bits
Of lead piping. and had gone away de- |
pressed by failure. Sam, ignorant of |
this, attempted to do the job with |
rlenched fist, which he brought down
as smartly as possible on the crown
of the others derby hat.
1t was the worst thing he could have
lone. Mr.. Swenson thought highly Of |
his hat and this brutal attack upon 1t |
his gloomiest apprehensions.
Now thoroughly convinced that the |
only thing to do was to sell his life
iearly, he wrenched himself round,
seized his assailant by the neck,
.wined his arms about his middle, and
accompanied him below the surface.
BY the time he had swallowed his
irst pint and was beginning on his
'econd, Sam was reluctantly compelled
o come to the conclusion that this
vas the end. The thought irritated
lin unspeakably. This, he felt. was
ust the silly. contrary way things
llways happened. Why should II be
e who was perishing like this? Why
lot Eustace Hlgnett? Now there was
fellow whom this sort Of thing would
ust have suited. Broken-hearted Eus-
ace Hlgnett would have looked on all
his as "a marciful release.
He paused In his reflections to try
o dlsentangle the more prominent Of
fr. Swenson's limbs from about him.
~ this time he was sure that he had
ever met anyone he disliked so in
ensely as Mr.. Swenson-not even his
.unt Adellne. The man was a human
ctopus. Sam could count seven dis
met legs twined round him and at
East as many arms 1t seemed to him
hat he was being done to death in his
rime by solid platoon Of Swedes.
lie put his whole soul into one last
fort something seemed to
i've he was free. Pausing
My to try to kick Mr.. Swenson In the