Chapter 11. "All Ashore Who Are Going Ashore!"

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_ CHAPTER XI. "ALL ASHORE WHO ARE GOING ASHORE!"

Three hours later, refreshed and invigorated by a most delectable lunch, eaten in the beautiful dining-room of the hotel, our travelers were ready for the last stage of the preparatory journey. Nothing remained now but the short ride to the wharf and then--the rapture of embarking on the wonderful "Mauretania," which had hitherto been but a magic name to them, breathing of romance and wonder. Then a final farewell to their friends, and before them stretched the great European continent, holding the unfathomed mysteries of thousands of years.

There was England, upon whose soil, in ancient times the savage Britons fought against great Caesar--and lost. There was France, scene of the bloodiest revolution that has ever dyed red the pages of history--a revolution that proved supreme the tremendous, onrushing power of the masses. And there was Rome itself, where every inch of soil, where every nook and cranny of the famous catacombs marked some great historic drama played in the days when "to be a Roman were better than a king!"

With all the romance of the Old War about to unfold itself to their enchanted eyes, is it any wonder that our girls were eager for the start?

"All ready?" said Jack.

"Oh, I've been ready and waiting for half an hour or more," laughed Lucile. "I do wish the folks would hurry!"

"I'm afraid you don't like our great city, you seem so anxious to leave it--and me," he said, with a reproachful side glance.

"Oh, I do, I do! I love it--the city, I mean!" she added, in some confusion, as he glanced at her inquiringly. "It's all wonderful, and I could spend a year here without getting tired; but as long as we do have to leave it, I wish we would hurry," she added, naively.

"Well, here come your brother and Jessie now, so you won't have much longer to wait--worse luck!" said Jack, with a wry smile. "I suppose I may at least be allowed the privilege of seeing you safely on board?"

Lucile threw him a merry glance as the rest came up. "I suppose you may," she mimicked.

A few minutes later they stepped out of the cab and onto a sun-flooded wharf, where confusion reigned supreme. An immense crowd of people stood upon the dock, talking, laughing and gesticulating excitedly, and every one seemed in the highest of spirits. And, indeed, how could they be anything else, thought Lucile, as she looked about her with dancing eyes; the world had never seemed so essentially a place to laugh in as it did on this glorious morning.

"Well, we haven't very much further to go," said Mr. Payton, beaming genially down upon them. "There's the good ship, 'Mauretania,' mates. Neat little craft, eh?"

And following the direction of his glance, they gazed for a second at the towering bulk of the steamer, scarcely daring to believe the evidence of their eyes.

"Say, that's class!" breathed Phil, reverently, and Jessie added, "You could put all of Burleigh in one corner and never miss it!"

They all laughed, and Lucile started forward. "We can go on board now, can't we, Dad?" she inquired.

"Sure we can go on board. We'll have just about time to look at our staterooms, if we hurry."

Since that was just the very thing everybody was most anxious to do, they wasted very little time in following his suggestion.

Jack kept close to Lucile's side as they threaded their way through the crowd, and Phil took charge of the other two girls.

As Lucile watched the three, she suddenly broke into a little ripple of laughter, and, upon being questioned severely as to the reason of such unseemly mirth, she said, gaily, "I was just wondering what poor Phil will do with three girls, and one his sister, at that."

Jack laughed amusedly. "It will be pretty hard on the poor fellow," he admitted. "I think I ought to go along. I could at least relieve him of his sister."

"For which he would be devoutly thankful," she added.

"No more than I," said Jack, from which we may gather that our friend was much accomplished in the gentle art of flattery. However, to do him justice, he meant it, and even the most confirmed old bachelor, looking at Lucile, must have admitted that he had just and sufficient cause. In fact, there were not many who did not look at Lucile, who, with flushed cheeks and shining eyes, was the very image of radiant happiness.

At last their party had wormed its way through the crowd and were waiting at the foot of the gangplank for them to come up.

"Goodness! I had no idea it was so enormous!" Evelyn was saying. "I'm almost afraid of it."

"You'd better stick close to me," Jessie advised. "Then if we get lost, we'll at least have company."

"Don't let's stand here, at any rate," Mrs. Payton broke in, impatiently. "Our friends won't have a minute to look at our staterooms."

"We had to wait for the young folks, my dear," suggested Mr. Payton, mildly, and then, as Lucile and Jack joined them, he hurried them before him with scant ceremony. "We don't want to lose you," he explained, when they laughingly protested.

And then, at last, they were on deck, where a steward relieved them of their light luggage.

The girls tried to take in everything at once as they followed their guide along the deck and down the cabin stairs, but they had at last to give it up as a bad job.

"I feel as if I must be home in Burleigh, dreaming all this," said Jessie. "I'm getting dizzy trying to take in all the new impressions."

"Stick close to me, then," Phil invited. "I'll be on deck when you faint."

"Much good that will do Jessie when she is in the cabin," remarked Evelyn, with scathing sarcasm.

"Oh-h!" groaned the boys in unison, and Jessie clapped her hands delightedly, crying, "That's right, Evelyn; give it to them whenever you can."

And then all nonsense stopped suddenly as the steward paused and, fitting the key in the lock, disclosed the stateroom engaged for Mr. and Mrs. Payton. They crowded into the room and the girls set about examining everything without more ado.

"Oh, isn't it splendid?" cried Lucile. "You would never dream from the looks of this room that we were on board ship. Why, it's just as complete and comfortable as our rooms at home!"

"Pretty nifty," Phil agreed, as his glance traveled from the neat brass bed to the dresser and the large, inviting chair.

"I hate to hurry you," said Mr. Payton, as he pulled out his watch, "but as time waits for no man, we will have to hustle considerably if we expect to see the other two rooms."

So, reluctant to leave secrets still to be discovered, yet anxious to see their own room, the girls filed out, talking and laughing all at once, till they reached a door a little further down the corridor, which Mr. Payton designated as belonging to their stateroom.

While they waited it seemed to them that never before had simple tasks, such as fitting a key into the lock, been performed with such exasperating slowness, and the girls fairly danced with impatience. The older folks smiled indulgently, and Mr. Sanderson chuckled as he pulled Evelyn's ear and inquired inanely, "if she were having a good time."

He was crushed a moment later by the withering scorn from three pairs of merry eyes, and Mrs. Payton exclaimed, laughingly, "Such a question! All you have to do is just look at them."

Then, at last, the door flew open and they gazed on what was to be their own domain for five days at least; and it is safe to say that, in her heart, each of the girls wished it were to be twice as long.

"Oh, isn't it perfectly, beautiful, wonderfully lovely?" cried Jessie, getting more excited with each adjective, and when the others laughed merrily at the extravagance of her description, she added, defiantly, "I don't care; it is! I'll leave it to any one."

"You are right as far as you went, Jessie," Lucile backed her up, "only you didn't say half enough."

"And there's a full bed and a cot, just as we thought," Evelyn went on with the inventory, "and a bea-utiful dresser, and three darling chairs, and--and----" she finished incoherently.

"I'm sorry you all seem so dissatisfied," said Mr. Payton, with so droll an attempt to look gloomy that Lucile then and there threw her arms about his neck and gave him an ecstatic kiss, crying joyfully, "Oh, you are the most wonderful father in all the world!"

"Lucile!" exclaimed her mother warningly, whereupon Lucile, who was far too happy to consider consequences, promptly kissed the astonished lady. "To say nothing of Mother!" she cried.

Much to every one's surprise, far from being displeased, Mrs. Payton seemed rather to enjoy her daughter's impulsive outburst, merely cautioning her not to overheat and overexcite herself too much, as the day gave promise of being a very hot one.

"The big portholes make it so nice and light, too," said Jessie, again referring to the stateroom. "Why, one wouldn't even mind being seasick here!"

"Oh, Jessie!" cried Lucile and Evelyn, in dismay, and Lucile added, "I guess it doesn't make much difference where you are when you're seasick. From all I have heard, you just about wish you could die."

Mr. Payton laughed, and said, reassuringly, "The probability is that none of us will be sick, but we needn't worry about it till the time comes, anyway. And now," he added, "I guess, if you young people can tear yourselves away, we had better go on deck."

"But we haven't seen Phil's room yet." Lucile began, when that young gentleman, interrupted with a superior, "Don't let that worry you. I wouldn't have a lot of girls making a fuss over my quarters."

"We probably wouldn't anyway," said Jessie, and passed out with her nose in the air.

"I've heard that lemons and salt herring are good for seasickness," Jack teased, as they stepped on deck.

"Oh, don't!" Lucile pleaded, puckering her mouth at the thought of the lemon. "There is only one comfort," she added, triumphantly, "and that is, if I am seasick, you won't be here to know it."

"That's cruel," he laughed back; then added, quickly, "But you are going to write to me, any way, and tell me all about your experiences, aren't you?"

"I don't--know," she answered, doubtfully. "You see, even if Mother were willing, I wouldn't stay in one place very long--and----"

They were standing near the rail, Jack bending toward her very earnestly and she, gazing out over the crowded wharf, a little confused and very uncertain what to do; and yet, in her girl's heart, she knew what she wanted to do!

"If you don't want to get left, Turnbull, you'd better hustle," sang out Phil. "Everybody's off that's going."

Jack leaned forward and took Lucile's hand. "Please," he urged. "Just a little short letter--anything, as long as you write. Won't you please?"

Then Lucile's last little barrier gave way and, with a quick, half-whispered "All right," she ran to join her father and mother, who had caught the little inter-change and had regarded each other with troubled eyes. "Perhaps it's just as well we are going to Europe," Mrs. Payton had said, and Mr. Payton had nodded an unusually grave consent.

Jessie and Evelyn were engrossed in taking leave of their folks, who were half laughing, half crying at the thought of parting with them for so long.

Again the warning cry, "All ashore that are going ashore!" and, with a last hug and kiss and cry of "Take care of yourselves and be good," the ladies, assisted by their impatient escorts, hurried down the gangplank and were instantly lost to sight among the jostling mob down below.

"Phil, run and get the spy-glasses--quick!" directed Mrs. Payton. "They are in the grip in my stateroom. Here's the key--hurry!"

So Phil raced off as directed and the rest were pushed up against the rail by the crowd that pressed four deep behind them, all striving eagerly for a last sight of the dear ones on the wharf.

"Where are they?" cried Jessie, frantically. "I can't see a soul----Oh, yes; there's Dad's hat, I know--look, he's waving it----"

"And there's your mother, too, Evelyn," Lucile broke in. "See, she's waving her handkerchief----"

"Oh, I can see them all now," said Evelyn, dancing up and down excitedly. "They're all there, oh--oh-h----"

"Here's Phil," said Lucile, making room for him, as he wormed his way through. "He didn't waste much time."

"Bet your life I didn't," said Phil. "How I found the place I don't know--must have been a sort of instinct, I guess. Here you are, Mother."

Then there was a great noise and rattle as the gangplank was pulled up, and a moment later the great ship began to draw away ever so slowly and majestically, and the great whistle shrieked a blatant blast of farewell to the shouting, cheering, handkerchief-waving crowd on the wharf.

"Lucy," whispered Evelyn, squeezing her friend's arm so tightly that it hurt, "did you ever see anything like it?" _

Read next: Chapter 12. Monsieur Charloix

Read previous: Chapter 10. Whirled Through The Night

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