[CHAPTER XIV—FUN IN THE SURF]
The next morning the boys learned that the tourists had decided to leave on the following day. Mrs. Fennington, Herbert’s mother, had decided to stay at Ocean Point and “take care of the boys and her girls,” she said. All that day there was great excitement and bustle of packing, and by evening all was ready for the tourists’ departure. Everybody went to bed early that evening, as they intended to get the early train to Clintonia, whence they were to go direct to Washington.
Everything went according to schedule, the boys going down to the station with their parents to see them off. Many were the injunctions laid on the boys to “be careful” and “not to swim out too far.” This was duly promised, although the boys prudently forebore to say just what they considered “too far.” Anything less than a mile was all right, as they figured it.
At last the train pulled out, and after it was lost to view around a curve the boys took their way rather more quietly than usual back to the bungalows, which seemed to them to wear a rather forlorn and deserted air. But their usual good spirits soon asserted themselves, and they began to plan what they should do for the rest of the day.
“It’s a swell day for a swim,” said Bob. “Let’s jump into our bathing suits and fool the hot weather.”
“I’ll never say no to a swim,” said Jimmy. “It seems to me that all I do all summer is melt and sizzle except when I can get into the ocean. That’s about the only time I feel comfortable.”
“A swim it is, then,” said Joe. “And the last one down to the beach gets thrown in by the others.”
There was a mad scramble as the boys rushed into their respective bungalows and changed from regular clothes to bathing suits. Articles of clothing flew in every direction, and in an incredibly short space of time Joe emerged, followed closely by Bob, and they set off at an easy pace for the beach, looking backward from time to time to see if the others were coming. Jimmy was the next to emerge, and he started off with head down and hands and feet flying, evidently determined not to be the last this time.
But he had hardly started when Herbert came bursting out of the door and made after his corpulent friend. But Jimmy had gained quite a lead, and it was hard to predict which would be the last to the beach and therefore subject to a thorough ducking at the hands of his friends.
Bob and Joe were so far in the lead that they were in no danger, and they enjoyed the race between Jimmy and Herb immensely.