Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-07-29
A STEAMBOAT STORY.
BY MATTHEW WHITE, u.
I'M OW, Clinton, are you quite sure
IN you've understood all my di-

as he kissed his daughter and wrung
his sons hand.
"Yes, sir. You know we went with
you last summer, and besides, as we go
on the boat, we won't have to change
cars"
"Oh, you'll get along all right with
such sharp reasoning as that!" laughed
his father.
And then he hurried off down town
to business.
The present occasion was an i'm
portant one in the Joy family, for it was
to signalize the first venturing abroad
by themselves of 13-years-old Clinton
and his younger sister Daisy.
They had been invited to spend q week
with their grandmother near the sea-
shore, and as Mrs. Joy was an invalid,
and her husband happened just at the
time to be very busy at his office, it was
finally decided that the children might
safely be trusted to take care of them
selves for the 80 miles.
They were, of course, highly de-
lighted with this arrangement, and
when they were at last actually in the
street car, on the way to the boat, they
botn felt very important.
81 wonder how many adventures We'll
have?" said Daisy, as she sat on the very
edge of the seat in order to have her
feet touch the floor.
"Oh, you mustn't talk about or look
for 'em," replied her more practical
brother, cor we won't have any at ALL"
All went smoothly until they reached
the pier, where Daisy was seized with
a mortal terror of passing the score or
more of wagons and trucks that were
continually coming and going, and
blocked the way.
ooh, Clint" she cried. "Just see
that horrid big horse, with the muzzle
on his mouth! I'm sure if he bites, he'll
kick, too, and how will we ever get by
him?"
Her brothers only response was to
bravely lead the way, fourishing his
umbrella threateningly, and, after
squeezing between greasy hubs and I'M
der several tailboards, they finally man
aged to board the May Queen, which
was the romantic name painted on the
paddle box of the steamboat that was
to bear them across the bay to Sun
side. All their baggage had been sent
by express the day before, and after the
tickets had been bought, the young
travellers had nothing to do but to sit
quietly on the after deck and keep cool.
Pretty soon the bell was heard to ring
in the engine-room, the whistle gave
warning shrek, the great wheels be-
gan to revolve, and in a few moments
the May Queen was speeding on her
course down the harbor, and so on out
to the bay.
at seems as if we went almost as fast
as the steam cars" remarked Daisy, as
she watched the foaming water dash
out from behind the wheels "But, oh!
what was that?" as sudden jar was
followed by the stoppage of the en-
CINE.
"Guess we must have run off the
track" responded her brother, laugh
ingly. ...-
But when he heard the rush of feet
in the cabin and the loud shouts of
captain and pilot the smile quickly
faded away, and he put his arm around
Daisy as if determined to protect her
first of all.
''The boats snapped her shaft in
two!" cried an excited-looking man, as
he rushed out of the cabin toward a
lady and gentleman he had left few
minutes before.
"Oh, please tell me what that means!
Are we going to sink?"
And Daisy ran across the deck to find
out all about it.
Clinton followed her, and with much
interest heard it explained that the
shaft was the sort of axle that turned
the wheels, and under which he had
ducked his head when they came on
board.
"And can't we go at all now?" he
asked.
Not 4 boats length, except as the
wind and tide carry u.s." replied the
gentleman, as he looked at his watch
and then gazed anxiously out over the
bay, on which the only sails visible were
long distance off.
"Then how are we going to get to
grandma's for dinner?" said Daisy, in
dismay.
But the May Queens long, shrill whis-
ties for help drowned Clinton's answer,
if, indeed, he had known how to make
any.
"Oh, look, Frank!" exclaimed the
lady, during an interval in the blasts.
1--WE must be drifting out to sea-"
"That's what feared" said the gen.
tleman, gfavely, "for the tide is still
running out, and what wind there is
is blowing in the same direction"
Lets go down and see the break,
will you, Daisy?" proposed Clinton.
And hand in hand they went down
stairs, but there was such crowd
around the shaft that they could not
get near it.
Daisy was rapidly growing very nerv-
Gus, and Giinton was wondering what
he could do or say to reassure her, when
man with gilt band around his cap
beck0ned to him from the after gang
way.