The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-03

When Melville went homo one night with
a preoocupied air his young wife naturally
scented . mystery. OF course she did not
leave him alone until she knew what was
| the matter. In this case that was pre-
/ cisely what he wanted her to do.
A fellow that owed him few hundred
dollars couldn't pay him in cash but had
made him an offer OF boat In settlement
for which he had paid when new three
times the amount Of the debt. 1t was
gasoline launch, ls. by 81, built not lot
racing, but for comfort. yet fast enough
for all ordinary purposes; that 10 10 say
running seven and q half knots with q
1 rse-power engine.
Tho, idea caught Melville's fancy; he
could take short excursions IN It nearly all
the year round. Besides, one could take
great long trips during the summer at
less cost than boarding. -,
'Theo why don't you jump At the oner',
snapped his wife. Don't you know now
to run the engine?" So -.
| She knew this would irritate him. for
| II there was anything he prided himself
ON as an amateur it was his knowledge OF
machinery. It was the occupation OF his
| leisure hours; IN fact. II he could not get
into Heaven any other way he expected
| at some time or other to blow himself up
| into it. 'a'-' 80 -.
well, then. II not that said she' what
| ia the trouble?"
Then she found out that the trouble was
nothing less than herself She would not
let him out OF her sight The remarked
they were not very long n,arriedTso OF
what use would the boat be to him.
| - vuit &yO,IoH abe asked
aggressively:. w.. "4...,....
This was just what he was angling for;
but, Of course, having hooked his fish he
must play it. f. -
what! A woman in a oockleshell'
She 60 without all the little conn
and. Mxuries OF homo? Cooped up IN q
space about as big as her Saratoga trunk
That settled it-as perhaps Melville
thought it would.
A week later the couple started on their
second honeymoon. Ms. Melville had
the time Of her life.. Every situation was o
new sensation; everything about her was
a new doll to be broken in.
First Of all, Of course, came the question
what to wear, for she had to take with hel
everything necessary to face everybody
from the women in the hotel ballroom to
her husband at breakfast. At first she &C.
lected costumes enough to fill four trunks
When it was fundamentally proven tc
lrer that these would fill the entire living
space in the launch she proposed to ex.
press them ahead from one point at which
they were to touch to another. But simpler
oounsels prevailed. She was shown thai
this would deprive cruising Of the happy
po-lucky uncertainty that was half III
charm.
Then her husband argued that dozer
| towns with one gown were about the SAME
as a dozen gowns in ono town. So she
compromised on one evening dress, a ligh'
white sumner silk made decollete, one tai
feta. one linen suit, six shirt waists ane
two skirts. These were all packed in .
steamer trunk which was slowed in the
stern Of the launch under Melville's even
ing clothes, which she insisted on his tax
ing in spite OF his protests.
During most OF the cruise the dnery has
an idle time Of It, for in truth the dress sh'
lived in was her bathing suit. 1t took he
a whole morning to get accustomed to thu
idea; but Melville told her 90 often tina
she looked her best in it and 80 evidentl!
meant what he said that she soon stoppet
ducking into the cockpit every time thel
steered within a quarter OF mile OF AM
other craft. He lived in his bathing suit
too but of course that did not matter.
The bathing suit costumes had their I'D
vantages. In the first place. it's hot al
day on board launch. with the SUN stream
ing down on you and the canopy folded w
and slowed. and It's pleasant to be able K
shut of power and jump overheard to GO
cool whenever the fancy seizes one-botl
Melville and his wife are crack swimmers
But. in addition to that, things harper
when boat goes nosiug around in shallow
water in places where drydocks and pro
fessional divers are too far away to b
thou ght OF. even II they were not expensive
First aid to q stranded or crippled gasolin,
launch ia more speedily and effectively
rendered in bathing suit than even in tn,
lightest form Of shore toys, and It happened
more than once that the services Of both
plunging around In the water, were needes
to avert the calamity Of having to lie 81,
hours or so on a mud bank until the It'd
rose, or else wait until some other highl,
improbable pleasure craft sighted them b.
accident and played rescue party.
They went all the way up the Hudson
as far as Troy, nosed into the Erie Canal
but Qulckly ran Out AG6An UoCdub6 tno lock
frightened Mrs. Melville. They lodged int,
Rondout Creek, camped for days on som
of the little islands scattered through tn
upper regions Of the river and praeticall
drifted down again to the city with the cur
rent.
Then, one very fine day. they venture
out on the ocean and got into Jamaica Bay
where a single days cruising among tn
- mosquitoes was quite enough for then
but where they, or at least the launch, ha
to linger for three days. waiting for sti
weather to make the voyage to the Nal
rows and safety.
They still have the Kill Van Kull, Rarita
Bay and the Shrewsbury to explore, an
II Melville can close . business deal betwee
whites they may 60 by canal to the Del,
ware River and Philadelphia, and perhaE
even through the Chesapeake Canal an
. inlet to Baltimore before they lay up the
seahorse for the winter.
It was while they were stranded in j,
maica Bay that the evening dress came
handy. After one nights acute strugg
with the biting pests OF these waters the
| dacided not To try another