The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 8, 1903, Page 10

THE SUNDAY CALL. g00d, old time whengirls erected pedestal on which to place s and masters of creation their faces little tin fell dow ped on them as chly so. For now the e care of herself ar give pointers as rare as to er, more namby or o called one, ter and mak- at her work that c will stop his leeping sweetly deep and dls- life how s and h all the sort of crea- a most oblig- rls stand about on eir fingers and foolish irst get a crowd of mothers were behind their ekirts occasionally as does the e’'s nothing to be ashamed of, even re not a raving beauty, and this ling should have been routed with t opals and new moons, some til-looking, old ad the future from a pack ies these days whether ead of a waggle in h perfect tommy- girl ever stops bother her head about hat y can_r is & wiggle d she devotes her full time and to the shedding of her walking s and getting into ber sult, for no , no matter how good natured he may eand waliting. you come right down to it n't any reason for prinking. there really One good, stiff wave and the extra ten minutes are as naught, and as a rule the fussy one who gives a lingering pat here and there is the one to fall to pleces and look weather-beaten generally. The girl who runs & race to see ‘who will be in the surf first ties hard knots and has every button in place and she trips along, never giving herself & thought. There’s no use saying that the tight fitting sults ere the most comfortable, for unless a girl is & perfect Venus she makes a woeful sight of herself. Rather get the light slpaca that sheds water and feel more at peace with yourself and the world, for no woman, sensible or other- wise, wants to look worse than is pos- ftively necessary. all-enveloping rubber cap most cer- tainly is not a dream of loveliness; neither is it wonderfully becoming, but it keeps the bair dry and free from salt, and incidentally saves & hcap of time drying it. t be the girl that stands and shiv- d shivers and stands and then steps ach by inch, howling like an Indian the water comes higher and higher. as It spells beginner with great, shining let- ters, and besides it never fails to attract urfavorable ention Jump right N the surprise party will be over before you hardly realize it. > six- firma. reason strangers both feet off and squirm arm and c to take They'll wiggle with one terra wave frantic urn the water nd fondly imag- pusly with the other the: are making brave attempt, but all the while one toe is glued to the bottom and positively refuses to come up. That's all well enou 1d good for a while, but it will take you a thousand years more or I headway. Of cc least bit of nerve, tain that the button on tk skirt won't hi in the least from swallowing salt and visiting the fishes at the bottom of the sea, but it will just the same, and ail you have to do is fo trust the button and the hand will do the rest To be sure, you'll sputter and flounder, imagine you're going all the way to Davy Jones' locker, turn half way over in your asp anything or anybody r in the scrimmage and safely and snugly back of your te yours 3 » the arms that would have kept you afloat had you behaved yo and a bean to a button you'll own arms are securely and tightly wrap- ped about your savior's neck and that you are hugging him with all your might and main. How on: earth it happened you never could tell! The ways of the world are passing strange and it's quite well not to try to account for all things, else you might find yourself up a stump fully two-thirds of the time. Accept the situation philo- sophically and don’t repeat the dose too frequently. While it undoubtedly is a pleasure to feel that willing hands are anxious to save you from a watery grave, it might be just as well to remember that too much of a good thing is as bad as not any at all, for what amuses onlook- ers at first disgusts them at length. Spooning In public is always awfully bad taste. It doesn't make the slightest bit of difference whether it is called spooning or flirting or playing or anything else, the fact remains that when one at- tracts attentfon by any unusual conduct a breach of etiquette has been commit- ted and the only possible remedy is not to be found gullty & second time. Of all trying creatures the girl who is a “fraid cat’ is the limit. Probably she hasn’t the faintest idea that she is a ter- rible nuisance and when she hangs back and keeps everybody else from having a good time is just as apt to consider her actions .as cute and feminine as any- thing else. 5 Don't copy after her, for she is little short of a pesky, bothersome, spoiled youngster, and she should not only be spanked but put in the dark closet for the goblins to carry away. Then per- haps she would wake up with a little common sense. The girl who swims, or who means to, for that matter, never should be touchy. It don't pay to go into a perfect panic and do everything else but bite and scratch because some mischief loving fel- low came up behind you and gave you a most beautiful ducking.- It might not be pleasant and it might possibly scare you the first time, but if you Intend to M- vade the field of sports that have al- ways been considered exclusively man's until a few short years ago, you must make the best of a bad situation and act like a man and not a ery-baby. Don’t come up with & scared-to-death expression on your face, and then when you find by pinching yourself that you are none the worse for the wetting, fiy into a tantrum and scold and cry ail in the safme breath. And don't go off into the farthest corner and sulk and pout and keep. a sympathizing little crowd about you, reciting -the ungentle- manly trick. Buck up and be as game as a man any day. If you will sit quietly on the sand, or on the ralling, if it be in-door bathing, and watch the fellows for a few minutes, you can readily understand what little significance they attach to a ducking. Down they go and up they come and then look out, for there is certain to be a peck of trouble brewing until the other fellow has had his turn of duly inspect- ing the pafticles In the water. It is but jolly fun and both of them would as soon think of fiying to the moon as get- ting angry and cross. If you're afrald of going under the water, hold fast to a rope or a ralling and deliberately go out of sight. Then take a good look about. It won't hurt you. What earthly difference does a slight stinging of the eyes matter? After once or twice you will find that the ab- Ject terror of getting your head under the surface will entirely disappear, and in- stead you will come to the edifying con- clusion that it really isn't as easy ‘to drown as you fondly fancled it to be. Swimming is but a matter of skill and strength, and if you haven’'t the latter to begin with, it shows that it is high time you took up some kind of exercises, However, by the time you have mastered the art sufficiently to play about at your ease, the effort will not tire you to any great extent, for the muscles will grad- ually become accustomed to their new work and will be strengthened acordingly. Graceful diving is & rare accomplish. ment for a woman. If she isn’t afraid of getting her hair wet through and through, she gets an idea in her head that she might go down and never come up, and she isn't taking any chances. But she'll spring up, like & daisy in May. In. fact, she’ll bob up serenely three times, and if she has any pluck will swim away and leave the troublesome deep spot behind her. And what. if she did forget to swim or was too frightened to make an effort. Thers are always plenty of people about who would be at her side quicker than she could say Jack - Robinson. If you Miladi are afrald to plunge in head first and with no reassuring hand on that back button, round up your Mr. Man and ask him to put his arm around your waist and then fump off the spring board feet down. He won't object seri- ously and you will have more confidence in yourself. To be sure, it isn't a pretty method and you will have succeeded most beau- tifully in getting the cart before the horse, but once well down in deep water will show you what a lark it is, and you won't be able to rest or give the family a moment’s peace until you have tried it again and agidin, and ever after you will be the most independent creature that walks on two legs. That is, until the novelty wears off. It you are swimming in the surf re- member that the good souls about you are entitled to some little consid fon. Don't don your suit, abbreviated both ends, and trip gayly some half dozen blocks before you even so much as catch glimpse of the ocean. Undoubtedly it's mighty big nuisance to carry ‘a bag containing your entire paraphernalia, and it's & heap worse to tote & wet sult home and.ruin your brother's pet suit case in 80 doing.” But thers are ways.out of it. Invéigle your family into making, buy- ing or borrowing & long cloak that cover & multitude of sins and then go ‘when and where you please without scan- villagers to death. of people can play pranks and cut didos that would be the height of impropriety for & man and & mald. Half & dozen JONT DIVE FROFr BoAT WHEKN CHIZLDRFEr may sit in a circle and play cards or tell stories and not create a sensation, but the instant the wee, small, exclusive two bave a quiet little game the gosaips are awag. There isn't the least bit of harm play- ing crack-the-whip, tag, prisoner’'s base or drop-the-handkerchief, for it is not G IN WITH THE FIRST G SREAKER. enly rattling good exercise but s clea innocent fun as well; but for some or other cards and bathing suits don't you to train your memory to conveniently forget or misplace them. All sports are wholesome and good, but, like all things else, can be abused and run inte the ground. Thers are many liberties granted the bathers and but com- paratively few restrictions and the se- cret of the girl who would be counted in where her brother’s pals whistle for him is just this: She must be ready and willing to run at a minute’s notice, must take tumbles and bumps philosophically. a splll out of a boat gracefully, and if she possibly can pick herself up with a smile and a bewitching display of winning dimples In full working order, and the first thing she knows she will find h dubbed the “Dbrick,” the most enthusiasty compliment a chap can pay any rollicking, fun loving girl His Twenty-Horsepower Proposal. By Sidney H. Cole. ‘ HE moonlight, filter- ing through the wista- ria leaves, made a shifting mosalc on the floor of the veranda. In one corner, where the thickness of the leaves admitted but scattering patches of moonlight, a young woman was perched on the veranda rall. Before her, half re- clining In a steamer chair, was a somber faced young man. The long windows of the dining-room were wide open and the couple in their shaded corner could hear the labored music of the volunteer orchestra, the shuffling of feet and the deep voice of Judge Davis calling off the figures in the Virginia reel. “If I had suspected your intentifon I should have stayed in and danced,” she said petulantly. The young man made no response. “You sald you wanted to smoke,” she went on. “I'm smoking,” he asserted, and to ver- ify the statement he blew a cloud of smoke from the cigarette. “Don’t be an- 8ry, Lou,” he entreated. “Up to now I've been behaving beautifully.” “Oh, indeed!"” she remarked. you've forgotten you' times before this week." “Well,” he said, "I didn’t propose Tues- day nor yesterday.” “You didn’t have a chance,” she chuck- led. “I haven't a doubt you intend now to make up for lost time.” He leaned forward In the chair; his face was very grave. He was a good looking young man, clean shaven and very resolute in manner. Just now, as he faced her, his square jaw was shut in determined fashion, and the lines about his mouth showed he was very much 1a earnest. “This 1s the 4th of the month,” he sald slowly. “I shall offer myself to you ev: remaining day.” She slipped from the rall and stood be- fore him. “Philip,” she said, “if I give you a chance to propose between now and the first of the month I'll gecept you.” “Great Scott!” he crled. “You don't mean you won’'t even see me, Lou? +Your deductions are very intelligent,” she laughed. He was standing before her now. He drew himself up and his shoulders went back. “Very well,” he sald. “I shall buy the ring to-morrow.” “I don’t believe there's any need of haste,” she said, and then, with a hurried “good night,” she slipped into the house and left him there alone in the moonlight, at once strangely downcast and strangely hopeful. He was still standing there when Judge Davis siepped through one of the open *“Perhaps proposed three e —— windows on the veranda. “Hello, Morton,” called the Judge, *“where's Lou?" “She just left,” Morton replied. “Try one,” sald the Judge, holling eut & cigar; “you look down in the mouth ™ ® “Judge” sald Morton, suddenly, “with your consent, I'm going to marry Louise™ “The devil you are?™ said the Judge: then he soberly took Morton by the hand. “Phil, T hope you are. Has Lou consent- ed at last?” “Not exactly,” sald Morton, *but I think she will before the month is out.™ “Confound the girl! She's led you a pretty chase, eh, Phil?” Morton laughed. “I don’t belleve she considers the chase as nearly finished as I 4o, he confessed. Late one afterncon at the beginning of the third week, Morton sat disconsolately on the top rider of the fence that skirted the old turnplke. He had been sitting there since noon, vainly trying to formu- late some schems which would bring him triumphantly into the presence of Loulse Davis long enough for him to utter the words on the end of his tongue. Down the road came & cloud of duat, and presently Louise herself, qufts alone, wheeled past in an automobile. The next afternoon at the same time, Morton, from the raspberry shrubs besids the road saw her again speed by. A third and a fourth afternoon he walted patiently among the prickly raspberry bushes, and when that fourth aftefnoon she went past his hiding place, Morton rushed to the telegraph office and sent the following: “Travers: - “Send down the 20 h. p. auto. Morton.” Three evenings later, just at sunset Louise Davis sped an automobile al the cool pine-shaded stretches of turnpike. Presently & mighty coughing and bumping behind her caused her to turn her head. There, rapidly overhaul- ing her, was a huge red touring car, and in the touring car, & grim smile on face, sat Philip Moxton. She turned her eyes ahead and gave her automobile full speed, but it was no match for the heavy touring car, which overtook her with ease. She looked back angrily, and by the motion of his lips she could see Morton was shouting. Then he took from the seat beside him a huge megaphone, and through this he shouted a proposal which could have been heard in the next county. The automobile ahead of him slack- ened, thep stopped. Morton brought his own machine to a standstill, jumped out and ran forward. “You" won I suppose,” she sald, He took her hand and s moment lfer the ring was slipped on. " “] knew I'd need it,” he laughed. es. “I'm not half as much cut up about this as you imagine,” she sald softly. the looking away from: him. She turned her head and looked into his ™ \