A Seaside Flirtation

This is a bright little comedy, very amusing and not too long. In it are narrated the troubles and worries of a Mr. Hothed, the father of a pretty and fascinating daughter, who endeavors to beguile the tediousness of a seaside holiday, spent in his company, by a flirtation with a chance acquaintance, named Archie Tinkle. Her father, however, strongly objects, deeming the young man in no way eligible for his daughter on account of his impecuniosity. The couple are therefore obliged to resort to various ruses to obtain a few minutes of liberty away from the sharp eyes of the old gentleman. On one occasion, in the door of his bathing machine as a precautionary measure the latter insists upon Molly clinging tight to a towel held fast to ensure her presence close at hand. Archie finds a way out of the difficulty thus created, by tying a camp stool to a towel. Furthermore, he bribes a small boy to purloin Mr. Hothed's clothes whilst that gentleman is bathing, and so secures altogether ten minutes uninterrupted conversation with Molly. Molly, however, finds the flirting under such circumstances much too strenuous, and dismisses her admirer. As a set-off to the joys she thus voluntarily sacrifices, she concocts a little plan for the mystification and subjugation of her father by pretending to be in loving conversation with a dummy figure, much to the old gentleman's exasperation.