524 



they said Florence would show me how and 

 get me started. Now, as Florence is nearly 

 eighteen I am a little shy of her. and nat- 

 urally she would be a little shy of chmbine- 

 around with me on a boat; but my two good 

 friends, Clara and Flossy, were on hand 

 and they said they could tell me "all about 

 It It took us all three to set up the mast 

 and spread the sheet to the wind; and just 

 as I was about to "launch out" I asked 

 Flossy (eleven years old) if she couldn't go 

 along. Clara ran to get permission, while I 

 inquired If Flossy had ever run a sail- boat, 

 bhe said she had, while one of her brothers 

 was along, but never all alone; but she felt 

 sure she knew all about it. 



«fl^"^J^.5¥i^^r' ^^"^ ^^^ Clara, and we were 

 ott I held the ropes attached to the rudder- 

 and when I found it was just as easy to 

 ?. w^ as driving a gentle horse, I said, 

 Why, Flossy, one could almost read a 

 newspaper while running a sail boat. It's 

 just the easiest and nicest thing in the 



If I remember, Flossy didn't exactly agree 

 to this, especially as we were nearly across 

 the bay and approaching the dock near the 

 store. I suggested that we come up to the 

 dock with the wind behind us; but Flossy 

 said not so -that we must swing around so 

 as to run up against the wind; and she man- 

 aged so well 1 actually said, "Hello! we are 



coiner tn ttiqL-q on ' ^^™«u„n j i_- t ^ 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



_o-^_ „v, „v,.» X tiv,i,uaiij^ Bitiu, neuo! we are 

 going to make an 'eggshell' landing, I ver- 

 ily believe; but when the boat got up so I 

 might have reached the timbers of the pier 

 If I had been on the alert, the boat struck a 

 piank under water and veered off We 

 swung round and tried to run up again; but 

 the boat got contrary, and, like an old horse 

 that found children had got hold of the lines 

 wouldn t go anywhere. The wind was blow- 

 ing us further and further from the dock in 

 Fpite of us; and as Flossy was "captain" I 

 supposed she had some plan in mind, and 

 wanting directions so I could fall in with 

 her plan, I said : 



" Well, Flossy, what are you going to do?" 

 ^^ ^ Why, Mr. Root, I don't know what I can 



"Well see here^ We are going right 

 toward the postoffice dock; let's go down 

 and get off there. " ^ 



Tir"m 'I "^^*^' ^® ^^^ do that, can't we? 

 We 11 have to walk back to the store to do 

 our trading but that won't matter much." 

 r- We had both just begun to feel happv 

 again when we got too near the shore, and 

 were aground. I said: 



T I'-'^^^fu ^^^^.' Flossy, I can fix that;" and 

 1 took the pohng-oar and pushed off with 

 such zeal that I swung the boat clear round 

 and the contrary thing started briskly for 

 the store-dock, right where we had been 

 trying to go and couldn't. Then we both 

 laughed, and I told her our boat was like 

 the dog. His master opened the door and 

 ordered him to go out; but instead of obey- 

 ing he ran under the bed. ^ 

 K^^i^ "ght '' said the man, "go under the 

 bed then Any way so you mind what you 

 are told. •' 



«nH^f h5'\^'"'f ^^ ^^""^ "P ^^ the Store-dock, 

 and the storekeeper said: 



" What are you two trying to do'" 



c^i^'^^u ''i.^^^®^® Ji^st trying to stop 

 somewhere, but our boat got contfary " ^ 



Atter we got our purchases aboard with 

 f^l.^'^ffl^l^ trepidation we hoisted sail 

 and started for home. Said I : " Flossy can' t 

 we get home without tacking?" 

 "\^}A^^'^ exactly know," she said slowly; 



but I am going to try hard. " 



sail boat'^%W *f°v. ^^""'^ unacquainted with 

 thP hn»?fl -^^ the same wind that sends 

 wl=f ^^^ ^^'°F eastward will also send it 

 wf.<$^^'*lv^"'^' "'T strange still, that a 

 Z^A^r^^L'^ZT ^^^ P^th of the boat will 

 send It with still greater speed than if the 

 wmd IS exactly behind the boat. In our casi 

 the wind was a little west of south, and wl 

 tried so hard to run straight to our dock thlt 

 the sails often flapped fn the wind and we 

 SS A ^^i ^^^^^ ^^ ^"- Flossy finally de^ 

 tl^' Th"" ^^°"^ ^^^f way across the bay 

 lirw^''^' K^^^^' ^'^^ ^^ undertookTo 

 fhhj^^ f «T^ ^^^ ^e^" the boys do; but 

 the boat got fidgetty and contrary, just as it 

 had before; and after trying severil times 

 and finding the.boat - jLt wouldn' t'^urk 

 romid we gave it up. * The wind also began 

 w/tl^°''^ tri^' ^".^ ^he« it looked a! if 



^n nff^= r^',^^V^'".?5'*^ of a" «^^ could do) 



go off as Columbus did across the great ocean 

 Flossy announced we would have to run ?n 

 below our dock and ' ' pole up. " I was going 

 to do the poling, but she said I would ne^e? 

 get anywhere without practice; that if I 

 could get the sails down and tied up she 

 would get us up to the dock OK 



x^v,o?-' l^^l- ^can take down the sails, sure- 

 what is to hinder?" ' 



By this time we were so near the shore 

 Flossy shouted, " Pull up the center- board. ^'^ 

 As 1 had just commenced on the sails, this 



I SlbhpH %"^'l" ^^,' ^1?* I ^«t it up 'then 

 1 grabbed for the sails; but they flopped in 



face'a.'/.^'.""^ ?^"" iT^PP^^ me acrS?s the 

 If^^'Ji ^""l^^ tH^ ^" possessed. The boat 



know hntYcl? ^}^^^ "^y ^^°^i"^' ^"d didn't 

 know but I should go overboard, while the 

 eleven-year-old child puffed and blowed^th 



helvrpoHng-ol.'^"'""^ ^^^^ ^-^^ ^-^ 



The first thing in getting down the sail is 



to loosen the "spnt" (pronounced '^spreet'^) 



o^?. .S^°''^L'-''^ *^^* keeps the sail spread 

 out, and as this is almost as long and fieavy 

 as the pohng-oar, when there is much wind 

 It IS quite a job. When it is out, the saU 

 manifests a wonderful unwillingness to be 

 tied up to the mast. We both drew a long 

 breath of relief when we got our boat tied 

 and found the folks on shSre, who hfd been 

 watching and laughing at our maneuver^ 

 And I, too, laughed until I almost cried when 

 1 thought of how serious Flossy looked when 

 she^said,"I don't know whatever I shafl 



tZ'?:^'^7"'^"i"" '"^ andTotenoagt momentum to 

 the boat. Had we turned the boat so as to sSlXre 

 tecking we should have done better. oetore 



