The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-21

nj growing custom nuch 10 De con- con-
Ssn,ned. Therefore. | VIII close my eyes
u Sd other memories. ana enaeavor 10 see
w. that little white and green houseboat
hr the ferry.
su.nseboats then were not built to the
- ~ Mississippi steamers, but this boat
-. smalI one, even for that primitive
The man from whom we hired il de-
80 il as compact. The man TO
hon. 1t the end OF the first month, We
s.:Sd 10 sublet it. characterized il as
saaokvD In our letters, we traversed this
.sSn;.ion. In our hearts, We agreed with it.
:. frst however, its size-or, rather, its
IS 10 If size-vas one of its chief charms in
1 ir.sIh.ihertha's eyes. The fact that if you
q .s'ss nm out of your bed carelessly you were
..1tain TO knock your head against the
ss;I;ne. and that it was utterly impossible
for any man TO put on his trousers except
=, the saloon, she regarded as capital
THAT she herself had to take looking
.ss.. and 20 upon the roof to do her back
ss;r she considered less amusing.
Imenda accepted her new surroundings
nth philosophlc indifference. On being
,.scymed that what she had mistaken for
: linen press was her bedroom, she re-
.rs-ked that there was one advantage
lt.o.t X and that was, that she could not
snmble out of bed, seeing there was no
here 10 tumble; and. on being shown the
r;tchen. she remarked that she should like
q for two thingS-one was that she could
- in the middle and reach everything
r;thout getting up; the other that nobody
slse could come into the apartment while
she was there. :,
bertha, apologeticaiiy, I'VE shall really
live outside"
ayes. num-" answered Amenda, II
.houd saw that would be the best place to
IfonIy we could have lived more out
hide the life might have been pleasant
enough. but the weather rendered it i'm
possibie, six days out OF the seven, for us
r. do more than look out of the window
and feel thankful that we had got roof
over our heads.
have known wet: summers before and
since. have learnt by many bitter ex-
neriences the danger and foolishness Of
saving the shelter of London during any
time between the first of May and the 31st
If October. Indeed. the country is always
associated in my mind with recollections
al long, weary days passed in the pitiiess
rain. and sad, dreary evenings spent in
other people's clothes. But never have I
known, ana never, pray night and morn
ing may know again, such a summer as
The one we lived through Though none of
MS expected tol on that confounded house,
boat.
al about o'clock in the morning we
would be awakened by the rains forcing
its way through the window and wetting
The bed, and would get up and mop out
the salon. After breakfast l would try
70 work, but The beating of the hail upon
the roof just over my head would drive
eyefy ides out of my brain, and, after O
vssted hour or two, would fling down
my pen and hunt up Ethelbertha, and We
would put on our mackintoshes and take
our unbrelas and go out for a row or
vsk 1t midday we would return and
put on aoms dry clothes and sit down to
dinner.
In the afernoon the storm generally
freshsnsd up a bit, and We were kept
pretty busy rushing about with towels
and cloths, trying TO prevent the water
from coming into the rooms and swamp
ING u.s. During tea time the saloon was
usually illuminated by forked lightning,
The evenings We spent in bailing out the
boat. after which we took it in turns to go
into the Kitchen and warm ourselves. At
6ve supped, and from then until it was
time to go to bed we sat wrapped up in
rugs, listening to the roaring of the
thunder and the bowling of the wind and
the lashing of the waves, and wondering
whether the boat would hold out through
the night.
Eiiuhap WOutd COiuc uOWH W sUeuu tUe
day with us-elderly, irritable people, fond
Of warmth and comfort; people who did
not. IS rule. banker after jaunts, even
under the most favorable conditions; but
Who had been persuaded by our silly talk
4hAta day on the rlver woald be to them
Ike . Saturday to Monday in Paradise.
Poor creaturesl They would generally re-
turn home, looking as if they had had a
day in the river.
They would arrive early in the morning,
soaked; and We would shut them up in
different hunks, and leave them to strip
themselves and put on things of Ethel
bertha's or of mine. But Ethel and /, in
those days. were slim, SO that stout, mid
dle-aged people in our clothes neither
looked well nor felt happy.
Upon their emerging, We would take
them into the saloon and try to entertain
them by telling them what We intended to
DO With them had the day been fine. But
their answers were short. and occasionally
snappy, and after while the CONVERSE
ton would flag, and We would sit round
reading last weeks newspapers and cough
Ing
The moment their own clothes were dry
I've lived in perpetual atmosphere Of
SCANNING clothes) they would insist upon
leaving US, which seemed to me discourte-
Gus after all that we had done for them.
md would dress themselves once more
tMstart oil home, and get wet again be-
hpthey got home.
We would generally receive letter q
kx days aiterward, written by some rcla-
we, informing us that both patients were
DONG as well az could be expected, and
pfamlslng To send us card for the funeral
10 case OF Il relapse.
Our chief recreation, our sole consola-
uon during the long weeks OF our impris-
Vhment. was To watch from our windows
ihe pleasure seekers passing by in their
sma.l, open boats, and TO reflect what an
ss'ui day they had had, or were going to
nave, rs the case might be.
In the morning they would head up
slfeam-young men with their sweet
hearts; nephews taking out their rich old
sanis, husbands and wives tsome of them
PAIRS, some of them odd onesl: stylish
aooalng girls with cousins; energetic look
ny men with dogs; high class silent par
YES low-class noisy parties; quarrelsome
family parties-boat load after boat load
.aey went by, wet, but still hopeful. point
ing ont bits of blue sky 10 one another.
In the evening they would return,
ssasshehed and gloomy, saying disagreeabc
Ghgs 10 one another.
lhat summer. | ann convinced, was re-
sponslhle for the breaking Oft of many an
Engagement and the abandonment, may
~ one or t%o Opponents. \ wet day
- sHS itstt AhoFus lovers an insight into
zach others character that is not other
ssse easily obtainable. Angelina learns
AiN EdwIn's language is not so limited as
we imagined. and Edwin perceives that
aageilna's smile is not the fixture he had
Aongat it.
aVne couple, and one couple only. out OF
= many hundreds that passed under
q view, came back from the ordeal with
fsssant faces. lie vas rowing hard and
u hssrN at a
81 mead 10 keep his hat on, and she was
SEEMING al hln y b ln trying To hold nm