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[yeah Comewine
SA EET A She
Vol. 21. No, 26, { runtsnep
WEBKLY.
Copyright, 1922, by David O, Cook Publishing Company.
DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING COMPANY, Exain, ILtrots.
Sho Swin in ’ Boss
HERE, I guess
T that'll bring
‘em inside the
‘Swinging. Bess!”
exclaimed Tink
Green, as, with paint
brush poised in hand,
he stepped back a
few feet. to inspect
the effect of his
handiwork. Proudly
she read aloud the
signs which he had
just finished paint-
ing:
Pop on Ice, Candies.
Sodas, Ice Cream, I
and Cold Sandwiches,
Fish Dinners on Saturdays,
Worms and Minnows ©
v For Sale on All. Days.
“It looks good to me and it’s all mine,
‘too!” he added half aloud to himself as
his eyes traveled from the signs, glistening
in their freshly painted coat of black and
white; to a newly painted houseboat which
slowly rose- and fell in obedience to. the
gentle swell on Lake .Flickazoo, as the
sudden expansion of the Flickazoo River
was called, and lazily pulled on the ropes
which held-her moored alongside the old
OCK
“ “ Swinging Bess!” said Tink caress-
‘ingly, as he read aloud the name which he
had so carefully painted on her side. ‘‘ That
name alone, Old Girl, ought to bring to
your side those air-staryed, nerve-racked,
summer tourists that come here, hungry
fur rest, fish, and the cooling waters of
the Flickazoo and Lake Michigan.
“Tl bet that I clean up three hundred -
dollars this summet; then, it’s me for col-
lege!”
“Hello, Tink!” suddenly called a voice.
“Crazy folks always talk to themselyes!
How long you been this way?
“Why, Bick Simpkins! Where'd you
hail from?” burst forth Tink, as he whirled
about and beheld his old friend and chum,
standing near,’ his hands in his pockets
and a smile wreathing bis round, good-
natured face, “ Same old moon-faced grin
—hut it looks good just the same!”
“Oh, I'm just back frum school, and
came to look you up down here where
they said I'd find you; but they didn’t tell
me I'd find a muttering maniac in khaki
overalls, covered with paint from head to
foot. What's doing?”
“I'm in business; she’s mine,” answered
Tink laconically pointing to the “ Swing-
ing Bess.”
“Why, that's Judge Brown's: old house-
boat! Did he hire you to paint her up
and give her that rock-me-to-sleep-mother
ame
“Nope; bought her for fifty dollars.”
“Well, what’s the story?” questioned
Bick. “Going to housekeeping all by
yourself in your old water hammock?”
“Read the signs, son; read the signs,”
replied Dick gravely.
By George 7. Srerght ss
.
In Cao Chapters
CHAPTER ONE.
surprise, “ What! Going to run’ a soda
fountain and fish restaurant on ‘the briny
deep? I'd like to know when you learned
to cook!”
“Last fall after you started off for
school, when I was doing kitchen work for
that bunch of trappers I wrote you about.
And let me tell you, boy, I can cook fish!”
ou can prove that to me later,” an-
swered Bick with a sugs zestive chuckle,
“but where ware you going to anchor this
old fish ark
“You know. from your own past ex-
perience, that bathing inside the precincts
of this fair and beautiful city,” bere Tink
swung his- paint brush in an inclusive ges-
ture which embraced the peaceful little
village of Nipontuck, “ig strictly prohib-
ited. This wise and beneficent ordinance
sends the summer boarders two miles down
the river to the bathing beach in the big
lake alongside the south pier; but the lake
is usually cold, so the summerites have
to toddle back to the other end of the pier
where the big sand dune runs out into the
river which is always warm, no matter
how cold the lake is. In fact the summer
people do most of their bathing there,
sometimes two and three hundred’ strong,
It’s there ['m going to anchor ‘ Swing-
ing Bess. run a-vine-clad gangplank to
shore and serve to the hungry and thirsty
ones everything that the sign advertises.
“Besides I've contracted with young
Bob Crabtree to furnish me with worms
, from his back-yard fish-worm farm, at three
“cents a: dozen; the minnows I'll have to
net out in the lake. Fishermen are only
too happy to pay fifteen cents a dozen for
worms and two bits for minnows. So. you
see, Bick, my fortune’s as good as made.
Shouldn't wonder but that I: might need
a little help later on in the season. Want
a job?”
“Nope; guess not. But Ll belp you
move down to the bathing beach. We can
tow ‘Bess’ behind my launch.”
“That'll be great! I’ve been wondering
how I'd get her down there. I'm ready
to stock up; we can move down this aft-
ernoon.” ss
While. Tink was hoisting bis big sign in
place and making it fast by means of
screws and a couple of iron braces, Bick
Simpkins stepped aboard the * Swinging
Bess” and inspected her interior. He at
once saw that Tink had accomplished the
almost ‘inbelievable with th house-
boat. Not’ only had .he removed the
partitions and made one large room, but
he had most tastefully decorated it.
half-dozen carefully varnished tables with
chairs could casily accommodate ten peo-
ple at one time without crowding; electric
fans, operated by a storage battery, had
been installed for use in extremely hot
weather, Shelves for candy, cracker jack,
etc, and a counter, supporting -a glass
.Show case, had been set up in one corner
Bick read the signs and exclaimed in _
and next to these stood a small soda foun-
tain which already had the appearance of
being ready to “ fizz” at a moment's no-
tice. In the opposite corner was a move-
able screen partition, Behind this was a
full kitchen equipment and dishes.
“She'll do!’ called out Bick to Tink
who was busily hammering on the top of
the houseboat.
“Do for w hat? ” suddenly asked.a harsh
voice at Bick’s elbov
Bick turned to see “Catty Filkins stand-
ing at his side and looking curiously about.
“Looks like a store,” continued Catty
without waiting for an answer to his ques-
tion.
“Tt is,” answered Bick.
heard about it?’,
“No; just got back from Battle "Creek
last night,” explained Catty as he closed
one eye and looked suspiciously about. _
Sick now recalled the forgotten fact
that, like himself, Catty, too, had been
away from Nipontuk for the past year.
“What are’ you back for?’ asked Bic
“Lost my job in Battle Creek. Looking
per another, Who owns this, and what's it
“Haven't you
When Bick had enlightened Catty as
to the _ burpose and ownership of the
“ Swinging Bess,” the latter niade no reply
“Read the signs, son; read the signs,” replied
Dick gravely.
but proceeded to nose about into this and
that corner in a stealthy, catlike manner
which had caused the sobriquet, Catty, to
become attached to him, At length he
said, more to himself than to Bick, “ Look’s
like a good proposition ; sorry I didn't
think of it myself.”
“The proprietor is up on the roof put-
ting up his advertisement, if you want to
see him,” replied Bick with- a smile;
“maybe he'd take a partner.”
“No;. guess I'll be going.
So this rest-
July 1, 1922.
aurant and soda parlor is to be anchored
down by the bathing beach, is it?
“ Sure thing; at least that’s what Tink
ys.
‘atty, who, so far as bis size was con-
cerned, might equally well have been called
“Tatty,” waddled away and disappeared
around the corner of a near-by warehouse.
“Where's Catty?” asked Tink when he
had climbed down from the roof. “I saw
him come ‘in here.”
“Oh, he toddled away after asking more
than a million questions.”
“ Funny he didn’t stop to say’ hello to
me,” observed Tink; “T haven't seen him
for almost a year.
“You'll see plenty enough of him,”
Jaughed Bick; “ he's lost his job in Battle
Creek abd is looking for another. Shouldn’t
wonder but he'd apply to you for.one.”
“ Wouldn't have him,” answered’ Bick
“he's smart, but you can’t always
trust him,
“But say, can you tow me down tomor-
row afternoon just as well? I've got a
lot more to do than I thought.”
“Sure thing,” answered Bick,
isn’t the ‘South- Atlantic” going out
then?’ As he spoke Bick cast a_ glance
at two huge steamers, the “South” and
“North Atlantic,” which always wintered
in Nipontuk. .
“No, the captain's changed his plans,”
answered Tink. “ Since the Government
has abandoned this harbor, the river and
pier channel have filled up with sand in
places, so the captain is wondering ‘how
he's going to get out.”
“All right then,” replied Bick; “ since
there’s no danger of our being bumped into
by that floating Goliath of steel, I'll be
ready with my launch at three o'clock.”
ow I'll go and finish up some errands
on * which I’ve been sent.”
At this announcement Tink broke into
a hearty laugh. Rick, although the best
natured, kindest and most reliable fellow
in the world, had been famous since child-
hood-for the slowness with which he did
errands,
“But Um improving; I swear I am!”
ejaculated Bick who subtly divined the
reason for Tink's laughter.’ “UH prove
it by being on time tomorrow.”
“All right then,’ replied Tink, pausing
in the midst of his laughter, “don’t forget
that your repotation is at stake tomorrow
at three P. M. shar
“T won't,” romived Bick, climbing slow-
ly ashore, as if loath to leave the restful
rocking of “Swinging Bess.”
(Continued on page 7.)
“Give you seventy-five dollars for your houseboat,”
drawled Catty
“but.