Show 7 7 I A SAILING DAY S SCENE beni E ON THE DOCK WHEN A BIG OCEAN STEAMER MAKES HER START tome borne of the amusing and ludicrous X yua denti witnessed on the wharf ok W ft day when a well known Is X about to UM A sailing day at the docks of any of our conr huge ocean going boats is an inter es ti ing and amusing occasion the dock is nothing more than a long shed stretching out several hundred feet into the river with two offices one on an either side aide and littered over with casks bales and cases of merchandise either uncalled for from the tha last steamer in or waiting for the next outgoing vessel and the bag gagel it comes down oil oa the transfer wagons and on the hotel buses and carriage footboards foot boards mountains of it some of it is labeled cabin ab iii but most of it hold and you yon see it ran lp p the baggage gangway and swung out oat oter ever the open hatchway there ther is a rattle t and crash at the donkey engine as these american boxes are consigned w us depth below next in importance is ig the hand bag gage age g and this consists not only of bags but overcoats rugs rags and wraps of every conceivable description the inexperienced traveler has been told that they weigh all the trunks in europe and charge accordingly so he loads himself down with bundles bandies and boxes galore forgetting thattie that the first principle of a successful going abroad is to travel in ill light marching order it is surprising too how much enthusiasm thusia sm can be kindled in the breasts of your friends when you are going abroad in fact you never can tell the measure of your own popularity until an a oc occasion of this kind when they combine to give you a sendoff bendoff sen doff often going so BO far as to hire a tug and an Eye band of music to accompany the party going abroad as 03 far down the bayas bay as the chartered steamer can keep pace with the cunard white star guion or inman liner or what is more to the point when the bendoff sendoff sen doff party reach a few of the white caps and the in rolling swell from the lower bay some friends have come all smiles and cheers othra others lachrymose and full of sighs and there by the rail is a party of five silent and constrained amid so much light heartedness and hilarity it is motherland mot mother herand and father and two sisters the brother is leaning against a pile of steamer chairs chain and the bonde wondering ra i n 8 eager look that brilliant sunken e eye ye and hectic flush on the pals pale wan cheel cheek ic tell why he when too late is go going ing abroad and how bow many times some people will kiss each otherl other and how many last messages and frequently too commissions which mean an infraction of uncle sams custom laws at the end of the return trip are exchanged at the lat last moment in the midst of all this turmoil and crowding and pushing to and fro the old timers with their record of many voyages look on in amused disgust and wonder why some people can make such euch a fuss about such a little thing a as 3 going abroad A fortune too is spent on flowers huge baskets set pieces wreaths bou quota and cut flowers ad infinitum cover the tables of social hall and make the already close atmosphere heavier and more unbearable yet by their sweet perfumes m to me this floral extravagance rava means a ridiculous waste of money in a day they have wilted and drooped and are thrown overboard here comes an excited group up the companionway you hear a confused jumble between man and woman about keys left on her bureau and you are conscious she ehe has left the keys of her steamer trunk behind the in man a n fairly hoots shoots down the gangway leaps into the nearest cab and begins a wild drive for those keys meanwhile the woman haunts the entrance to the gangway and five minutes after the man has gone the she finds the missing key securely stowed away in her pocketbook her troubles of going abroad are beginning early now that ponderous whistle deafens the ears of all on board there are final tears and smiles and a rush down the gangway by the well dressed mob and then some climb on the nearby cases or gather on the outer end of the dock to catch the last glimpse of the thip handkerchiefs are tied to canes and parasols bara sols there is much cheering and last farewells one young man calls out cat in a stentorian voice give my love to maryl whereat there are cheers and laughter and now at the far end of the dock there is a rattle and rumble and two cabs come tearing along one contains a belated passenger who has just time to scramble on board th the s ot other herthe the man who went after the key and as the lady holds up the missing article a conciliatory smile upon her face that man sinks back upon a bale of goods looking unutterable things the key to the situation is ia plain to everybody now the I 1 planks are down and slowly and silently the huge black ship chip that seems so high out of the wa ter that she looks like a great warehouse afloat backs out of 0 her dock and is soon in midstream slowly yet she swings around and finally squares away her nose pointing for the narrows A moment she seems to hang and to be taken aback by the tide then forges ahead the flag is dipped then hauled down from the flagpole on the dock and those on board are at last going abroad H hardys arbors weekly |