Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker

MATTHEW M. COLTON
Author of Frank Armstrong's Vacation, Frank Armstrong at Queen's, Frank Armstrong's Second Term, etc., etc.
With Four Halftone Illustrations by ARTHUR O. SCOTT
NEW YORK HURST & COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1912, by HURST & COMPANY


On a certain warm afternoon in the early part of July any one passing along the main street of the little summer resort of Seawall might have observed, had he chanced to glance seaward, a trim sloop riding easily at anchor, her milk-white mainsail swaying idly in the scarce-moving breeze. The water was like glass, excepting that here and there it was wrinkled for a moment by a puff of wind which passed instantly, leaving the mirror-like surface as before. Midway of the sloop's cockpit sat the Ancient Mariner himself, nodding. His back was braced against the gunwale and his pipe hung on his chest—a gentle-looking old man with a long, grizzled beard, taking his siesta as even Nature seemed to be taking hers that afternoon. His toil-worn hand hung over the gunwale, and, had one been near enough, the old man might have been heard to snore softly.
A quarter of a mile up the bay there appeared three black specks in the water. They might have been corks merely, but as they came steadily along you could have imagined them to be seals. They came nearer, swimming noiselessly, scarcely making a ripple. Now they were right alongside the sloop. Two of the seals, or whatever the dark forms were, glued themselves close under the sweep of the stern. The third swam cautiously toward the outstretched hand of the Ancient Mariner, and tweaked one of the fingers which hung within reach of any fish that might be bold enough to try a bite at the tempting morsel. Instantly the Ancient was in motion and the seal disappeared below the surface in a twinkling.
Shiver my bloomin' timbers, what was that? yelled the Mariner as he jumped to his feet. Some ding-busted dog-fish trying to make a meal? and he reached for his pike-pole to do execution to the attacking dog-fish.