Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-09-06
(CHAPTER Overwhelmingly

y ~ ~ hA'S }
and then, in the next moment, he
called himself a cad, for every hui
man being is interesting, once you
get below the skin. But degrees
Of interest vary, and Dan felt that
be had never met any one who
promised so much at this outspok-
en- girl, with the shining eyes and
sensitive mouth. Which boat was
she sailing by, he wondered? 1t
was an even chance that, like him
self, she would be on the Ottilie.
Yes-but second class? That would
be asking too much of Fortune !
Let it be added here that Dan was
returning in the second cabin not
because - as he was to hear sc
many times ON That voyage!-
there was no room in the first, but
because by doing so, he had saved
the money for an extra week of
travel.
He found more arrivals in the
office when he left. the table, and
a formidable array of baggage,
which waspresentlylo loaded on vans
and trundled away toward the
waiting tender. He paid his bill,
collected the two suit cases which
constituted his total impedimenta,
saw them safely off. for the pier,
tipped the porter, and left the ho-
tel. The whistle of the tender was
blowing shrilly, and, when he
reached the pier, he saw far out
at sea the smudge of smoke
against the sky, which told that
one of the steamers was approach
ing. He boarded the tender, as
'sured a medical inspector that he
was an American citizen and so
did not need to have his eyes ex-
amined, dug his suit cases out of
the pile of luggage, and found him
self a seat near the bow of the
boat. Presently the special boat
train rolled in along the pier and
disgorged the final quota of pas
sengers.
Ten minutes later, with a shrill
toot, the tender backed away and
headed out across the harbor.
With a queer feeling, half of sor-
row, half of JOY, Dan looked back
ct the receding shore, telling him
self that the next soil his feet
touched would be that of America.
A mile out, the great liner lay
waiting, impressively huge as seen
from the deck Of the little tender.
and presently they were alongside
and filing through an open port.
a steward grabbed his suit cases.
the instant he was on board, asked
the number of his room, led him
to it along interminablc passages,
and left him to. make himself at
Therewere two berths init, and.
as he had paid for only one Of
them, he Knew that, at this crowd
ed season, he could scarcely hope
to have the whole room to. himself.
But there was as yet.no sign Q fany
other occupant, SO Dan, ~thrusting
his bags under the lower berth.
Went on deck again. The, last of
the, baggage and mail was being
lifted. aboard by q block and
tackle aae. ste, worked by a donkey en-
Eine, and even as Dan looked. the
tender footed it's whistle, cast
Loose, and backed away, and sud-
denly beneath his feet Dan felt the
culver which told that the screws
had started. Slowly the, great ship
swung around and headed away
into the west toward the setting
sitT7and toward ssthe land Of
frssd0m', How that phrase was
running in his head!
He made a little tour Of that
portion Of the boat set aside for
passengers Of the second class. and
realized that the frugal Germans
we're much less generous in their
KS0YSion tOt hDse humble ones
than MaA EnitgliShsiin 6nswhich
hsssc ZONE to Europe. There the
1c6nd clais wa well amidships.
NH a deck foolfsalmost equal to
kfvSn the afistocrals It the
NV. Hers The second clAssi was
TH@,