The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-02-03

CHRISTOPHER MORLEY
I>>TALIMENT %
CHAPTER NH

ia. I dIdn { really Know where the
place vas except that We named a
skin lotion after II and the Man
Line used 10 90 there Tor Easter.
This was August however SO every
thing vas pretty folksy. Bermuda
had Just been discovered as the
stenographers vacation. Delphine
bought ny ticket and saw me Of.
when she looked the crowd over
she said 'keety. what you better
drink THIS trip IS Bronx cocktail
Deiphlnes always a bit snobbish.
/ but 4 woman isn't s1ob Of
some kind she's probably short on
a gland Anyway she had me fixed
up in q deck cabin and private bath
and a ehaise lounge reserved for
me vas feeling rotten. one Of
those heavy summer colds. and It
was hot humid weather
Il wasn't Bronx cocktail. II Was
i Planters Punch That was new to
me then ike lots Of other things
l didn't even know Bermuda was
British. supposed in sort of way
il was part OF Florida AS a mat
ter Of fact II you scummed off the
tourists It's acted a good deal like
the cricket club wing Of Philadel-
phis. recognized the tourist bunch
all right because I'd seen then
stripped for action in the Catskins.
/ The girls wore shorts up 10 the
/ timber line and by the time they
hit Hamilton they were as burned
as grilled chickenskin. Not even
our Caribbean Cream could take
care of exposure like that II was
shock to them when they landed,
they found they had to get the
shorts down to the knee or else
really wear something Bermuda
didn't seem the least bit curious
shout the Upper West Side pelvs.
They consoled themselves buying
sun helmets.
Delphlne knows all the ropes
aboard shipping and must have
given the deck steward some big
sweetening because while l was
Topped out in my chair he came
round to know what he could do
for me. Il can hear all the lunch
bells ringings," l said. Il guess |
ough to go down and eat" The
steward explained those weren't
lunch gongs just the bellboys
didn't know what they would be
doing out in the water. unless
warning people away from Staten
Island. but l was too limp to
argue, He said ! could take nv
lunch right there in the chair.
said would be more Conscientious
for my first sea voyage, / better
go downstairs and eat a square
meal, feed a cold and starve a
fever Then the man in the next
chair pipes up. I'd sort of half
way noticed him because he was
watching things as if he vas
amused. He was Jewish so ! fig
ured he'd probably been cruising
before. You misunderstood that"
he says 1T means if YOU feed a
cold you'll have TO starve a fever
later. subsequently, With cold
like you got ii I'm prescribing
Planters Punch, maybe some Jelly
consomme and toast Melba.
The last thing I felt like it was
starting conversations but the
steward thinks that's a good idea
and brings il TO me on tray. And
DR.. Marcus Eisen. that being who
il was IN person didn't make any
attempt to carry through He went
off downstairs and got his own
lunch and when he came up again
! was asleep. BY evening ! felt
better and even got into the diner.
l found him at the same table with
me l Just supposed maybe the
seating was arranged according as
the chairs were on deck Well Of
course when my wits got sorted
out I realized he had fixed 1t with
the maitre d'hotel
II was fun to be talking to A
man again. Just socially It's Ike
good highball after a long spell
Of soda fountain He was smart
enough TO see I wasn't in a mood
for any forward passes to be
thrown at me. l guess he used me
for his intellect stimulus and when
he wanted chicken gumbo he'd go
after some Of the deck tennis gals
in shorts. l figured must be a
pretty sour old spinster to accept
the situation like that. but Gulf
Stream air just makes you let
things slide 1t was hot as my old
bedroom under the roof in Frank
ford, and everything was new 10
me the funny smell Of a ship and
that sort OF anxiety in your stom-
ach and such blue water with big
yellow sponges floating. l guess
the sail vas only two days but It
certainly seems like longer.
OF course Wyn got ne so condi-
TONED about mems clothes that
hate TO see them overdressed.
striped pants. creased like
a knife-edge. would blackbaH him
al any cricket club. and those
black and white yachting shoes
with perforated breathing holes
were definitely Hollywood. Then
you'd notice MS hands and forget
about the other foolIshness. Mas
sage and chiroprsctc 7 studied out
IN Chicago made me observant
about hands When 7 learned he
WAS working In the Chiidren-s Hos
pitsl We had lots 70 talk about. He
was curious what kind Of line was