Year: 1878

Ho,U AIec. May Didn't Dro,Un--Left In the
Midst of Wnyzat0 Bay--NiDht Comes ON
and He is Picked Up by Stray Boat--
4n EIeren- Year Old Boz Deer an Hour.
i,e the Water.


Alex. May is the son of Commodore May,
of Excelsior, the owner and commander of
two OF three steamers on Minnetonka. He
is bright, courageous little fellow of IL
years of age, and well known to all the regu-
lar patrons of the May line of steamers.
Saturday night the steamer Saucy Kate,
made her final trip from Excelsior to Way
zata-a distance of six miles-and little
Alex slipped aboard without the knowledge
of his father, the commodore.


little before sundown the Kate started
back for Excelsior, and Alex kept at the
rear of the boat out of the direct runway of
the old gentleman. At the rear of the Kate
is small gate made of Stats about three
This gate can be lifted out, and evidently
had been, and then set back in it's
place without having been secured.
Alex was gazing at the beauties
of the sunset with one eye sternward
and casting the other forward occasionally
to see if the old gentleman was coming and
carelessly leaned against the insecurely fas-
tened gate. In a moment the little fellow
was in the lake with his gate for support
and company, while the boat was steaming
away toward Excelsior with might and main,
lie raised his voice, but there was no re-
sponse. He had fallen out about half way
across from WayZata to Spirit Knob,
and hence was not far from one mile from
shore. The evening was unusually chilly,
while stiff breeze swept the bay from the
East, rolling up the white caps in abundance.
This was the situation-the air cold, waves
three or four feet high rolling up their white,
feathery spray, the sun sinking below the
horizon, and an IL -year-old boy IN the middle
of the lake with nothing but plenty of boy
ish courage and GOODNESS and five or six
pounds of wood between him and eternity.
Alex. didn't like to drown, but the water
grew terribly cold, and his teeth chartered.
Meantime darkness was rapidly coming on,
and it was getting terribly lonesome. The
steamer passed Spirit Knob and disappeared
from sight. Alex. was q good swimmer,
and thought he would leave his frail
raft and swim for the shore at Spirit Knob.
He tried the experiment, but his heavy boots
and thick clothing were too much for him.
He turned and swan back to his little ark of
safety, and exercised his weak, boy-voice in
''"AAiAieo loI uelp. NoDOuy Cdue. IL LIZ tWl-
light grew into darkness; the stars crept out
into the sky; the minutes grew into an hour.
But the shore line melted into the horizon,
and still Alex was out in the lake.


Pretty soon there is the steady stroke of
an oar heard in the distance, and moment
later the voices of men and women. Alex
essayed another effort-raised one little
hand as high as possible and shouted for
help. The little sailor was safe. DR.. Hatch,
with party of ladies, was en- route for
his cottage near Guile's grove, and
picked up the little fell
low, wrapped him in warm clothes and
carried him to his home mile further on.
"Why did you not take your heavy boots off,
Alex?" asked the doctor. '.Tried to, sir, but
every time the gate would let me under the
water" "Well, why did you not take off
your heavy coat?'' "Not much There was
a dollar in that pocket!''


''Alex's grit will long be the story of the
lake, and Alexis memory will probably en-
balm his horrible hours experience of sixty
minutes in the middle of the lake.


But the boy had good courage, and cool
ness, and judgment, didn't he?