Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker

by Matthew M. Colton

  CHAPTER V.

  THE WATER CARNIVAL.

  Business still held good, and less than two weeks after the Queen'sFerry began its traffic there was money enough in the treasury to payall running expenses and leave enough for the first installment offifty dollars for Mr. Simpkins.

  "It isn't due until the end of the summer," said Frank, "but we mightas well pay it, and there's five dollars over for Captain Silas.That's for the idea."

  "And please, sir, where does the crew come in?" inquired the Codfish.

  The boys were all seated on the veranda of the Armstrong home.After dinner, with paper and pencil they had gone over their dailyearnings, with the result that the decision to pay up had been made.All voted unanimously.

  "Oh, you will get your reward by and by. Isn't it enough to havesuch company as ours without pay?" queried Lewis.

  "Say, Codfish," said Jimmy, "that poster of yours was a dandy." Hereferred to the one that the Codfish had spent the greater part ofthe day before preparing, and it was the announcement of the specialexcursion to Turner's Point on Thursday. The Codfish had put his bestefforts on the work, and, like the others that had preceded it, itwas embellished with drawings illustrating the coming carnival.

  "Codfish is a genius and no mistake," laughed Frank. "This outfitwouldn't be anywhere without him, and when the season is over we willvote him double pay."

  "I was brought here under false pretenses," said that individual inwhat he tried to make an aggrieved tone. "Your telegram said: 'Nowork, big pay,' and since I arrived I've done nothing but work andhaven't seen a red cent."

  "Just a telegraph operator's mistake, I guess," said Frank. "Perhapswe wired you 'Big work, no pay'--wasn't that it, Jimmy?"

  "Sure it was--something like that. But the Codfish enjoys working forlove. He has too much money already; he said so himself."

  "What time does your excursion start to-morrow?" inquired Mrs.Armstrong.

  "Three o'clock, sharp," was Frank's answer. "We take a holidayto-morrow so as to be ready for the big meet."

  "Do you suppose you could take mother and me along if we pay regularfare?" inquired Mr. Armstrong, stepping up behind them.

  "Pay nothing," said Jimmy and the boys in a breath. "We'll take youas a super-cargo."

  "I'm afraid of your speedy boat," said Mrs. Armstrong. "John, we willride down on the trolley car."

  "Do come with us, mum; we will take care of you, and it will be morefun than a trolley. It's nearly a mile down there, and besides youwill have a great place to watch from the boat. Come along," Frankpleaded.

  The result was that Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong agreed to go down tothe Point in the _Black Duck_. That night all turned in early, butFrank's slumbers were broken by dreams of the black head of a swimmerthat he could not quite overtake bobbing along in front of him. Thehead looked singularly like that of his old rival Peters.

  At three o'clock next day Frank had the great honor of assistinghis mother and father to their places in the _Black Duck_. CaptainSilas had already started off with his boat loaded to the gunwalewith people from Seawall whose destination was the water carnival atTurner's Point, and, thanks to the wonderful and enticing postersthat the Codfish had prepared, there were twice as many people on thedock to go down in the motor boat as could be accommodated.

  "Show your business instincts, Frank; give up the swim this afternoonand make a double trip to the Point. I hate to see the Queen's Ferrylose so many good dollars. Peters will lick you, anyway," said theCodfish.

  "He will, like a duck," retorted Jimmy, who for once thought that theCodfish was in earnest.

  "No," said Frank, "this is a holiday. We made our first payment thismorning and there are other days to work in. This is an outing."

  When the _Black Duck_ arrived at Turner's Point the whole place wasalive with color and movement. Scores of rowboats were drawn upalongside the hundred-yard course that had been laid out by Burton,between two floats. Sailboats with their mainsails down and jibsstowed, lay at anchor a little farther away. Crowds of the people ofthe Point were on the water front and all was expectancy. Frank edgedhis boat in toward the public float and discharged his passengers.

  "Mother, there are so many boats here that I think you and fatherbetter come and sit in the stand, where you can have a better view.We will make fast the _Black Duck_ here."

  "It would be better," said Mr. Armstrong. So the party threaded theirway to the stand, which was built on the long pier, and took placesthere.

  "Now, since you are all comfy," said Frank, "I'll be off and seewhen my race comes. I may not be back again. Don't get excited andfall off, mother," he warned. And he darted away. "Good luck to you,son," his father called after him. He turned and waved his hand, andhurried along to the dressing room.

  Like all water carnivals, the first events were of minor character. Asack race in which the swimmers were encased in a bag up to the waistcaused endless mirth as, hampered by the bag which did not allowthem the use of their legs, they floundered along, struggling andsplashing. Then came an obstacle race in which the swimmers had toclimb over obstacles placed in the course. Some did not try to climb,but dived underneath, and were declared out of the race for fouling.Others attempted to climb and fell back into the water with a splash.

  Then came the first real trial of skill, the preliminaries of thehundred-yard race. There were so many entries that three heats hadto be run off, four in a heat, the first two to qualify. Peters wasdrawn for the first trial, Frank noticed. He watched his rival keenlyas the first four took the water, and saw with a little sinking ofthe heart that the tall, slender Peters was far and away better thanhis competitors. He swam a powerful trudgeon stroke, which carriedhim rapidly and easily. Peters did not spurt. He did not have to, butfinished easily in the lead of his nearest competitor by ten feet;and, instead of getting upon the float at the far end of the course,just to show that he was not exhausted he swung around and came backat even a faster clip than he had held in the race. As he pulledhimself up on the float, he gave Frank a glance from under his heavybrows, but did not show that he recognized him.

  "That's the lad for my money," observed a bystander. "Did you see howeasy he won that trial?"

  "He's the best here, I guess," said a companion. "There's a fellowhere called Armstrong, but I don't think he has any business withPeters. That fellow's a cracker-jack," and they both gazed after thelad with admiration. Frank heard, but said nothing. His friends werewith him, Jimmy in a natty bathing suit, Lewis still in his regularstreet clothes, for the plunge did not come till later, and theCodfish in immaculate flannels with flowing blue tie and socks tomatch.

  In a minute the next four were sent off in a nip-and-tuck race, atthe end of which the announcer bawled out:

  "Second trial goes to Hatch, with Burley second!" Hatch also swamback to the float, as had Peters, and was helped out by the latter,who complimented him on his winning the trial. Frank noticed that thetwo swimmers, as they walked to the dressing room, cast a glance inhis direction. They were speaking in low tones.

  "They're great pals, those two," said one of the nearby spectators.

  "And they're hatching up something for you, Frank," said Jimmy in awhisper. "I don't like the looks of either of them."

  "Guess not," returned Frank. "Here we go," he added as the thirdtrial was called.

  "Take it easy," admonished Burton, as Frank balanced on the edge ofthe float and waited for the signal to go.

  "Bang!" went the pistol. Frank was rather slow in getting off, whilehis three competitors were almost ahead of the pistol. One of themdid indeed beat the pistol, but as he dropped back before the firstfifty yards had been covered, no attention was paid to the incidentby the referee. Swimming easily, Frank was within touching distanceof the leading man twenty-five yards from the finish line. But hedid not exert himself very much. He let the leader work hard, beingsatisfied with second place, which was just as good as first, forboth first and second qualified to enter the finals.

/>   When it was announced that Bates had won the heat with Armstrongsecond, there was a great commotion among the members of theArmstrong family on the stand. "Oh, dear, wasn't it too bad thatFrank couldn't win?" said Mrs. Armstrong, disappointment on everyline of her face.

  Her husband chuckled. "Don't be worried, Sarah, that's only apreliminary. Second place gives him a chance to swim in the finaltrial." Mrs. Armstrong was comforted. "He was saving himself, Ithink," said the father.

  Frank swam the few yards to the shore and walked slowly down thebeach. He was met by Codfish and Lewis, who excitedly inquired why hedidn't take first place. Frank only smiled. "What did you want me todo," he said; "tire myself out?"

  "He did exactly right," said the astute Codfish. "His real race iscoming with Peters a little later."

  Meantime the exhibition of high diving had begun from a tower builton the outer edge of the pier, with platforms jutting out every tenfeet up to the height of forty-five feet, the lowest one being fivefeet above the water. From these varying platforms an expert gave aseries of dazzling evolutions--somersaults, back dives, swan dives,and finally a double somersault from the very top platform, whichmade the ladies scream with apprehension. But the diver struck thewater like an arrow and bobbed up instantly, waving a joyful hand tothe crowd.

  As soon as the diving was over the 220 race was called, with sixentries, among them Jimmy. At the outset he lagged behind and seemedto be hopelessly out of the race, but, urged on by the cries of hisSeawall friends, he got his second wind when half the distance wasover and began to pull up on the leaders. One by one he overtook andpassed them until only one was left ahead of him. For the last twentyyards it was a scramble between these two, but Jimmy's hand shot outand touched the float a fraction of a second ahead.

  During the excitement that followed on the float, a boat was rowedrapidly over from the side of the course, containing among othersa stout lady, who wore an enormous picture hat. Even at a distanceit could be seen that she was rather clumsy looking. Her hands werecovered by coarse cotton gloves and her face was concealed by a whiteveil. Evidently it was the intention of the rowers to land her on theswimmers' float. In a moment the rowboat drew alongside the float.

  Every one was watching the strange maneuvers of the boat and laughingat its queer occupant as it drew up to the float. There was muchwondering as to what the lady could want. As the boat touched theedge of the float she stood up awkwardly and put one foot on thefloat, pushing with the other one in the boat to help herself up. Ofcourse, you all know what happened. The boat, instead of giving herthe support she desired, shot away with her vigorous push. The queerwoman lost her balance, toppled over backward, fell with a resoundingcrash into the water and sank, cotton gloves and all.

  Immediately there was a cry from the spectators, and Lewis, whohappened to be standing nearest, without thought of his clothes, wentover after her like a hero. Almost immediately he appeared clutchingsomething desperately. It was the skirt of the drowning woman. How hepulled to save her from a watery grave! But he pulled too savagely,for the skirt was left in his hands, and the woman sank like a stone.Then the feather on that gorgeous picture hat came into view. Lewisgrabbed at the hat. That, too, came away in his hand, and he threwit on the float, debating with himself whether or not he would goto the bottom after her, as Frank had dived a few days before forthe drowning girl. He thought it strange that no one of all thoseswimmers came to help him, but he had been trying so desperatelyto do his duty that he had not looked up. A roar of laughter nowcaused him to look, and to his amazement every one on the float wasconvulsed, holding their sides and swaying back and forth.

  Just then, right alongside him, bobbed up the round and smilingface of Bunny Taylor, the fattest boy of the Point. A bedraggledwig of long hair floated out behind him and one cotton-gloved handgrabbed the side of the float. Then the truth dawned on Lewis. He hadbeen the victim of a hoax. It wasn't a woman at all who had fallenoverboard. He climbed out of the water and dashed for the dressingroom while the crowd laughed and shouted.

  "Poor old Lewis," said Frank, chasing after him. "It was too bad youwere so near. That is one of the regular tricks at a water carnival.Some one made up as a woman falls overboard, and sometimes aninnocent and unsuspecting bystander, not on the inside, jumps in andrescues the drowning 'lady.' It's hard luck that it was you."

  Lewis was almost in tears. "I certainly must have looked like a goat,jumping in after that galoot."

  "You were a hero," said the Codfish, who had followed, "a realout-and-out first-class hero. If she hadn't been the most elusivewoman in the world, you would have saved her for sure. But it'salways safer to grab them by the neck than by the skirt; alwaysremember that, Lewis."

  "Oh, shut up," said Lewis, still ruffled. "I only wish it had beenyou, you walking advertisement for a gents' furnishing store!"

  "I tell you what you can do to even up with this crowd--go out andwin the plunge," said Frank, comforting him. "You can do it, and thenthey won't have the laugh on you. Hurry up, there's the first callfor the event."

  Lewis got out of his wet street clothes, put on his water costume andwalked rather sheepishly out on the float. There he was greeted withsuch a storm of cheers and hand-clapping that he forgot his chagrinand fell into a better humor--so good a humor, indeed, that he wentdeterminedly at the work in hand and won the event by a clean fivefeet from the best plunger that Turner's Point could offer.

  "Bully boy," said Burton, as Lewis passed him on the float, headedfor the dressing room. "You turned the tables on them." Whereat Lewisgrinned more broadly than ever.