Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 299, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1915 — Teaching Rosalie [ARTICLE]

Teaching Rosalie

"She makes me so nervous I" the first woman on the porch said. "Me, to!” agreed the second. “I never saw a girl like her when it comes to the water! Why, she is a regular fish! She could give Annette Kellerman cards and spades!” “Shdrived off the roof of the ferry boat when it Was at the dock half an hour ago," supplied the third. “Every body was lined up to see her do it!" “She swam across the lake yesterday,” said the first woman. “I thought of course, she would be drowned, but her mother sat and sewed just as unconcernedly ! She said Rosalie was used to swimming! Some women are so stolid! Of course, there was a rowboat following her, but then you never can tell. I think she does it merely to attract attention!” “She’s pretty enough," said the first woman, “so the men don’t hate her because she can swim farther and better than they ean. If she were a homely girl and so superior, Heaven help her!" “First she beats them," continued the second, “and then when they are properly cowed and subdued, she smiles at them beamingly; and they arise and frisk around like puppy dogs in disgrace that have been patted on the head, and forgiven I* "I’ll bet," said the third recklessly, “that she doesn’t get that new man on the string who just came last night! He looks as tho all his grandfathers had ordered people around and eaten off silver plates for breakfast! He’s off golfing now, so he missed Rosalie’s exhibition. I don’t think he’s the sort to be captured by an athletic girl!" The first and second porch women on the opposite side of the vines that evening watching the dancers overheard it. Rosalie and the new man had preempted the bench after a dance. "Well," said Rosalie, meekly, “I’d hardly call iL-swimming—l just paddle around, you know, Mr. Montfort." The first lady gasped and clutched her companion. "Like all girls,” said Montfort, Indulgently. “You could do it if you tried. I suppose you’ve never had expert instruction!” “N-n-no," said Rosalie, quite truthfully. “I’ve just—er—sort of paddled around since I was a child, I guess." “We’ll change all that,” said Mr. Montfort, briskly. "Now, if you like, I’ll be very glad to teach you a few things while Pm here. I’ll guarantee that before I leave you’ll be doing seventy-five or a hundred strokes easily" “Really," gasped Rosalie, ecstatically. The second lady gasped and clutched the first in an overflow of glee.

“Just a little courage and some one to show you the r|ght way,” said the Montfort man, condescendingly. "Oh, that’s so good of you!” cooed Rosalie in her youngest, most delightfully trusting voice. "I’m going to get up at eight o’clock!" hissed the first porch lady to the second. "I wouldn’t miss it for a farm! You’d better come along!" The people who heard Montfort explaining to H>sailie the theory of the breast stroke on the beach the next morning were so stricken dumb that no alien word warned the, gentleman. "It’s the easiest," he told her. “It's all most women ever do—they can’t seem to grasp the other strokes,” "Like this?" asked Rosalie meekly, rnairing some ineffective motions. Montfort sijhed. "Goodness no!” he moaned. "Why will women use their arms like brooms in the water !* 'Tm glad I brought my parasol,* •aid the second porch lady o the first. "Because I’m going to stay!" “I don’t know," Montfort said mournfully after a half hour’s hard work. "You don’t seem to grasp the theory. If you aren’t an instinctive swimmer it isn’t much use. Now, it’s perfectly easy for me! Just watch closely, please!" He swam about fifty feet and back and emerged panting a tr'fle. "My!" said Rosalie admiringly. Walking to the end of the pier she suddenly shot off into space "My goodness!" gasped Montfort, tragically, "she’ll drown! It’s fifteen' feet deep out there! Miss—er —Rosalie!"

Up from the disturbed waters Rosalie’s face smiled impishly at his horror. Deliberately she floated a moment and then in three minutes gave an exhibition of six different strokes. Breaking into the ungainly hut terrific Australian crawl, she struck out apparently for the opposite shore. "Come along!" she shouted hack at htm "Never mind!" hysterically said the onlookers to the reeling Montfort man. "You can belong to our lodge! You’re initiated!" “I see that," replied Montfort, with unlooked for brilliance. "I’m the goat!"

Bitter Words. "Yls," said Casey, "the simple Idiot see to mo: Is Cassidy related to ye* nor be.” "Did ho say that!" interrupted Cas"Ho did: an* ses Ito him, U 1 fought Cassidy had wan drop o’ my Mood in his veins Fd cut it oat oC him.’"