NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Mr. Winter having telegraphed for rooms, found them ready for him; and
on going down to dinner they were delighted to see the corridors and
dining-room crowded with people, many of them public characters whom he
could point out to Alice, who was so excited she felt the entire evening
as if she were in a dream.
Of all the prominent men there Alice was the most interested in General
Sherman, with his kind, rugged face.
The "Etruria" sailed at noon on Saturday, and Mrs. Winter and Alice
spent the morning buying a few last things, such as a hat and hood and
comfortable steamer-chairs.
At eleven o'clock a Fifth Avenue Hotel stage was at the door, and
several people beside themselves went in it to the steamer. The ladies
had flowers and baskets of fruit, and seemed so bright and happy that
Alice for the first time felt a little lonely and homesick.
On reaching the dock there were so many people going on and coming off
the steamer, and pushing each other, it was almost impossible to cross
the gang-plank and reach their own state-rooms.
Finally they found them, and, instead of nice large rooms, they were so
very small that Alice felt she never could live in them for a week or
ten days, and the berths were so narrow she said, "O papa, you can never
get into one of those in the world."
"Oh, yes, I can," said Mr. Winter, "and perhaps before we reach
Liverpool I shall wish they were narrower yet."'
Mrs. Winter and Alice had one room, and Mr. Winter was across the
passage with another gentleman.
After settling their valises and rugs they went up on deck to see the
people, and also the last of the city itself. Large baskets of fruits
and flowers in every shape were constantly being brought on board, and
much to Alice's delight there was a large bunch of violets from her
school friends at home.
She had been looking at the other people a little enviously, especially
at a girl of her own age who had many friends to see her, and her arms
full of flowers.
Very soon the gong sounded, and Alice, who had never heard one, put her
hands to her ears to shut out the noise. As soon as the man had passed
by Alice said,--
"What is that?"
"That is a gong, dear," said her papa, "and is now being used to notify
the people who are not sailing on the steamer that it is time to go
ashore."
The people who left kissed their friends hurriedly, and went down the
gang-plank as if afraid they might be carried away, after all.
After the people were on the dock and the mailbags had been put on the
steamer, very slowly but surely the great steamer backed out into the
river. Tugs turned her around, and carefully she steamed toward the
ocean, trying to avoid the many boats moving about the river in all
directions.
[Illustration: THE GREAT STEAMER BACKED OUT INTO THE RIVER.--_Page 21._]
Alice was rather frightened, and thought they certainly would run into
some of them.
Many of the passengers were still waving to their friends, who were also
waving to them from the dock as long as they could distinguish it at
all.
Very soon they could see the famous statue of the Goddess of Liberty,
that holds its light so high in the air; then lovely Staten Island, with
its green hills and fine houses.
The two forts, Hamilton and Wordsworth, which guard the entrance to
the harbor, were soon left behind, and on the left could be seen Coney
Island, with its large hotels and elephant and high elevator.
Suddenly, as they were looking at the largest hotel of all, the one at
Rockaway Beach, the steamer stopped. Alice, rather startled, said,--
"Oh, dear! what is the matter?"
"They are going to drop the pilot," said her papa.
"Where?" said Alice. "In the water?"
"Oh, no," said Mr. Winter; "do you see that small boat rowing towards
us?"
"Yes, papa. Will he drop into that? He never can; he will surely fall
into the water."
Mr. Winter smiled and told her to go and watch from the rail, which she
did, and soon saw the pilot go down the side of the steamer by a rope
and drop into the little row-boat, where two men were waiting to row him
to the pretty pilot-boat No. 4, which was quite a distance away.
The steamer started immediately, and in five minutes the row-boat was
only a speck on the water.
"There is another hotel, papa. What is it?" said Alice.
"That is the Long Beach Hotel, and you will not see another until you
reach Liverpool," said her papa.