The Rock Island Argus And Daily Union

FUN ON THE BEACH

"Exactly," replied their father, "we'll go tomorrow night. And I'm sure you will learn much more in the ten day's trip with me through Florida than you could possibly learn in as many days at school. Ask your teacher today if I am not right." It was a very short time after Christmas vacation, and Tom and Grace had hardly got settled back into regular habits when a telegram came asking their father to come South at once. He had many times promised them that "next time" he would take them along, and this sudden call seemed to take him to the very part of Florida he most wanted them to see. So at the dinner table in the evening, he announced that they all three would start for the Sunny South the next evening. Of course, there was excitement enough after that. Reservations to get on the train; bags to bring up from the store room and pack; teachers to interview (and sure enough, Tom's teacher did say she was glad to have him miss school when he could see and learn so much that was new and interesting), and friends to bid farewell. And when, two days later, the two children found themselves on a silvery beach, with dancing waves near at hand, warm sunshine overhead and interesting sights on all sides, they felt as though the city of snow and ice and soot and school they left behind was very, very far away. "What are we going to do first?" asked Grace, as they watched their father walk away toward the big hotel, where he was to keep an engagement with a business friend. "Let's sit down and see what we can do first," suggested Tom. "Maybe we'd rather play in the sand and maybe we'd rather hunt shells to take home to mother and maybe—" But he never finished that sentence, for Grace interrupted with the exclamation, "Tom! Look! What are those funny creatures?" Tom looked where his sister pointed and saw a dozen queer creatures tossed up by the wave that was even then receding down the sandy slope. "There's one jellyfish," he said. "Oh, I don't mean the jellyfish," exclaimed Grace, "I mean those funny little things!" But even as she pointed the funny things were gone—right before the children's eyes they disappeared! Tom was much excited and ran down close to where the wave had been, with Grace tagging at his heels. "Now, you watch!" he commanded excitedly. "There's another wave coming. Now watch!" Grace watched and Tom watched and again they spied a dozen wiggling creatures that looked more like crabs than anything else they had ever seen, only they were smaller than the crabs up where the children lived. But again, even as they watched, the crabs disappeared before their eyes. "Is that what they are," asked Grace. "Let's empty out our lunch and hide it behind these rocks," suggested Tom. "And then we can grab up some of those funny creatures and put 'em in the box." No sooner said than done. With many a warning from Grace, to cover it tightly and to set the rock close on top so nobody would ever guess two perfectly good lunches were hidden there, Tom put the lunch safely away, and the children filled the box with the creatures they had begun to watch. Put in the box, the little things couldn't get away, and in an hour the box was full. What to do then was a question that was answered when Daddy appeared. "What you going to do with so many sand crabs?" he asked laughingly. "Is that what they are?" asked Grace, "well, we're going to take them home." "I'm afraid you can't do that, those little things can't live long out of wet sand. Haven't you noticed how quickly they 'dig themselves in' once they get thrown up on the beach?" "Is that what they were doing all the time we thought they were disappearing?" exclaimed Grace. "Well, we don't want them to die. If they can't live without wet sand, let's let them go back, Tom." Tom agreed, so finding a place where the sand was wet and warm, the children tipped the box over, and let the dozens of sand crabs spill out on the beach. In half a minute—by papa's watch—there wasn't a crab left on the beach! Every single little creature had "dug itself in" to safety. But Tom and Grace had the fun of watching. On the beach. In half a minute—by papa's watch—there wasn't a crab left on the beach! Every single little creature had "dug itself in" to safety. But Tom and Grace had the fun of watching.