THE OCEAN VOYAGE.
I put in the winter in New York working at Berry's, one of the swellest
catering houses in the city. It is situated on Fifth Avenue and is a
rival of the great Delmonico establishments. The nobs of New York, when
they want to give a little dinner or supper at home, see Berry, who
furnishes all the fine grub, cooks, waiters, dishes, plates, etc., or if
they want to eat at his place they can do so, for he has private
dining-rooms, ball-rooms, etc., where they can have anything they want,
providing they have the price to pay for it. He employs a lot of people
in his establishment, in the shape of a housekeeper, chambermaids, male
chefs and assistants, waiters, omnibuses, porters, head-waiters,
superintendents and a window-cleaner. I was the window-cleaner. It was
the softest snap I had ever struck. I worked from 8 in the morning until
about dusk, and all I had to do was to keep every window in the house as
bright and shiny as a new dollar. The building is a large one and the
windows are many, but it was no trick at all to keep them clean. I
cleaned a few windows every day and put in a whole lot of unnecessary
time at it.
I got twenty-five dollars a month for the job with board thrown in. The
board was extra fine. Roast goose and chicken for dinner every day (left
over victuals, of course), crab, shrimp and potato salads, oysters in
any style, rich puddings, pies and cakes, wines of all vintages--say,
sonny, we lived there and no mistake. I had struck a home. I held the
job down all winter and saved a little money.
I told some of my fellow-workers, both male and female, that I intended
to take a little flyer to the old country in the spring, and they
laughed at me and guyed me unmercifully.
One fine spring day "when fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love" as I
once saw it stated in a novel, I strolled down Bowling Green where the
steamship offices are located and got pointers for my little trip. I
learned that I could go to London direct, to Amsterdam, Rotterdam and
several other dams; to Hamburg, Southampton, Liverpool, Havre, Glasgow
and to so many other places that I grew bewildered.
As I stood in front of the Cunard line office a young fellow stepped up
to me and asked:
"Say, mister, are you thinking of going to Yurrup?"
I didn't think it was any of his business, so I said:
"What do you want to know for?"
"Who, me?" replied he, taking time to gather his wits. "I'm connected
with a ticket agency around on Greenwich Street, and if you want a
ticket cheap, come with me and I'll get you one."
"How cheap?" asked I.
"That'll depend on where you want to go to. We sell tickets to all
places mighty cheap. Where do you want to go?"
"Don't know yet; haven't decided."
"Let me sell you a ticket to Glasgow on the Anchor line. That line will
take you to Ireland and Scotland and is the finest trip in the world."
"What's the fare?" inquired I.
"Only thirty dollars," answered he, "and you will get your money's
worth."
I didn't think I'd see much of Ireland or Scotland if I bought a ticket
from him, so I told him I'd see him later.
I wandered into the Anchor Line office and asked the ticket agent what
the price of a ticket to Glasgow would be.
"Cabin or steerage?" inquired he.
"Steerage, of course; I'm no Vanderbilt."
The agent looked at me quizzingly and then remarked: "From twenty-seven
dollars upward, according to accommodation."
I didn't know what he meant by "accommodation" but I thought
twenty-seven dollars was enough for me.
"Do you want a ticket?" asked the agent, as if he were in a hurry.
"I haven't the price with me now," said I.
"What did you come here for then," snapped he.
"For information," snapped I.
He saw that I was getting huffy so he pulled in his horns and said: "We
can take you to Scotland in pretty good shape for twenty-seven dollars.
You will have a good berth and the best of food, and we'll land you in
Glasgow in less than ten days from the time you leave here. What do you
say; shall I give you a ticket?"
I cogitated. The prospect looked good to me.
"Yes," said I impulsively, "give me a ticket!"
I gave him my name, as he requested, answered all the questions he put
to me, and in a jiffy he had the ticket made out for me.
"What's the name of the ship I'm going to sail on?" asked I.
"The Furnessia," answered he, adding, "she will leave from the foot of
West Twenty-fourth Street on Saturday morning at nine o'clock sharp. Be
on hand at that time, or you'll get left."
"Don't you worry about me getting left," retorted I; "I'll be there all
right."
Was I happy after I bought the ticket? I can't say that I was, for I
wasn't at all positive whether I had better go. I didn't know what the
old country would be like, so that visions of all kinds of trouble
floated through my noddle, but faint heart never won a fair lady. I
might as well be found dead in Europe as in any other place. What's the
dif?
This was Thursday and the ship was to sail on Saturday. It seemed to me
a long time to wait for when I go anywhere I like to go in a hurry.
Saturday morning came and I arose bright and early. I slept very little
that night, for I was thinking, thinking, thinking. After arising and
having a cup of coffee I took my time strolling down toward the
steamship pier. After I arrived there I was about to enter the long
covered shed, when an official strode up to me and asked me where I was
going. I carried no baggage of any sort and didn't think I needed any.
I am too old a traveler to encumber myself with baggage. All I carried
was on my person. I told the official I was bound for Europe on the
Furnessia and showed him my ticket. He looked at it and let me pass. I
went on board.
When I reached the deck a young man dressed in a white jacket and peaked
cap asked me if I were a married man.
I didn't think it was any of his business, so I asked him what he wanted
to know for.
The young fellow frowned and exclaimed: "Don't give me no language,
young feller; I want to know if yer married or single." I told him I was
a single man, whereupon he said: "You go forward to the quarters for
single men!"
"Where's that?" queried I.
"For'ard of the main hatch," responded he. I didn't know the difference
between a main hatch and a chicken hatch, but I went up to the front
part of the vessel where I saw several sailors slinging trunks down a
hole by means of a rope. I walked up to them and asked one of them who
wasn't too busy to answer a question, where the main hatch was.
"It's in the fo'-castle," says Jack, with a wink at his mates; "do you
want it?"
"No," said I. "I don't; where's the quarters for the single men."
"Oh, that's what you're after, is it? You follows your nose till you
gets to the bows, and then you'll see a companionway down which you
goes."
"All right," says I; "thank you." The directions weren't clear, but I
guessed I could find my way. I went forward through rows of boxes,
trunks, valises, ropes and other impediments, and finally came to a
stairway over which was a hood or sliding cover. This stairway was
almost straight up and down, with rough brass plates on each step to
prevent one from slipping. At either side of it was a rope in lieu of a
balustrade.
That stairway did not look good to me.