The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-19
!tE49

der umbrellas, in steamer chairs, or
lay face down on the beach, sun
tanning.
Policemen herded lost children,
while frantic mothers searched for
little Jimmy or Ike or Jane. Pic
mic parties gorged on popcorn and
hot dogs. Young husbands proudly
paraded with their young wives.
Pretty, pale-faced girls strolled in
pairs, bright eyes alert for the
chance Of an escort. Lovers taught
their sweethearts how to swim. Life
guards bobbed up and down in
boats, listening for cries Of help. It
was a record Sunday.
Honestly" said Ellen in an awed
voice, 1--WE never seen so many
people before. NeverI"
"You mean so many that you
wouldn't like to know" Larry am
plif1ed, thoughtfully.
"Snob," she accused him.
Certainly" he agreed. $50 are
you Confess it-don't you think
we're the incest people at Coney
Island, this afternoon"
Certainly we are" she agreed
deInurely, delightfully."- conscious of
his hand on her bare arm, delight
fully conscious of his nearness
when the crowd pressed them to-.
gether.
"Still want to swim with all of
New York for company?"
II still do"
They reached the bath house.
Larry moaned when he perceived
the long queue of sweltering men
and women lined up for suits.
my God" he said plaintively.
Then he demanded, Cant we do
something about this? Buy some
body's place or something? There's
man, near front, too, looks as if
he'd be glad enough to SELL"
II suppose you've already got
your tan at Palm Beach and don't
care how the rest of us manage"
Ellen said with mild sarcasm.
The annoyance faded from his
face.
Don't tease me, my child, he
complained. II was thinking of
you, heaven knows I was. My heart
fails at the thought of you in one
of those suits. The trick seems
to be getting every customer into
a suit that doesn't At"
He pointed to an extremely fat
woman stuffed perilously into a
black suit two sizes too small.
She was emerging from one Of the
bath houses with a youngster of
10, slender, wispiSh little girl al
most falling out of a suit two or
three sizes too large. Ellen giggled.
A FTER all, she and Larry didn't
IN go into the ocean. They rode
on the whip and in a gondola
through a Venice that was moon
light blue and slightly too damp for
comfort.
They rode on the roller coaster.
Ellen, like 100000 other girls,
shrieked as little red cars shot
down shining tracks and dropped
into what seemed miles of lighted
emptiness.
"Hey, this idea was 100 per cent
to the good!" caroled Larry as he
steadied her in his arms. "I must
have been missing things all my
life"
They ate hot dogs from the hot
dog wagon and cotton candy which
melted under the tongue like sweet
ened air. They breathed mingled
-odofs of sawdust and canvas and
popcorn.
They went to the side-shows and
peered with fascinated horror into
narrow booths. There the fat lady
quivered like mountainous jelly.
The cigaret fiend, thin as a snake,
smoked endlessly. The sword Swal-
lower challenged his digestion with
knives and nails.
THAT reminds me-" remarked
Larry with the utmost seriousness,
I'm hungry"
after all those hot dogs?" mar
veled Ellen, giggling at his fool
iShnesS.
"Only three or maybe four. You're
hungry, too. You can't deny it.
Your tongues hanging out at the
thought of food"
They lunched on the roof of the
Midnight Moon hotel, despite Ell
lens feeble protests at such extrava-
gance. They ate lobster Newbury
and strawberry ice, with reckless
disregard of their health, while from
far below they heard steamboat
whistles and saw the tiny golden
circle of the ferris wheel turning
over and over.
Ito Be Continued