the sun came up.
its rays gilded the foaming water of the ship’s wake as the ship moved at its stately place through the boundless ocean.
a young man of presentable appearance, with a smile on his face and a straw hat on his head, appeared on the deck.
he saw two people quietly sitting in the chairs on the deck, placidly watching the churning foam.
they were two women - one, a lady just entering the autumn of her years, and a much younger companion, a pert looking creature, who, like the young man, wore a straw hat.
the young man tipped his straw hat to the two ladies.
“a pleasant sight, is it not?” he asked.
“indeed it is,” the younger woman answered with a smile.
“although,” the older woman added, “one must be careful not to look directly at the sun, magnificent as it is.”
“to be sure,” the young man said. “although i have heard of a new invention, a form of eyeglass that will enable one to confront the most burning rays of the sun, or indeed, of any conflagration no matter how powerful.”
“indeed,” the older woman replied, with just a touch of asperity, as if annoyed at even so slight and polite a contradiction, from one so many years her junior.
“permit me to introduce myself,” the young man said. “my name is harold winkerby.”
“of the albany new york winkerbys?” the older woman asked.
“i have that honor,” the young man smiled.
the older woman relaxed, and smiled for the first time in the encounter. “old general winkerby was a great friend of my father, judge mortimer stewart, of the seventh circuit court of the state of new york. i am mrs edith chapperton, of binghamton , and this is my niece, daphne delton, heiress to the delton oyster packing fortune.”
“a great pleasure,” harold winkerby acknowedged.
daohne delton smiled prettily at harold . “and are you crossing the ocean on business or pleasure, mr winkerby?
“on business, i am afraid.”
“and what might that business be, if it is not impertinent to ask?”
“i have introductions to some of the great banking houses of london, and i seek financing of my new invention - winkerby’s all-purpose coagulant.”
“an all-purpose coagulant!” daohne exclaimed.
“it is has a vulgar ring to it, i know,” harold admitted. “ but this is the modern world, and i mean to take my place, by hook or by crook, among the captains of industry who are the true masters of the age.”
“an admirable sentiment,” mrs chapperton agreed.
“i am afraid,” said daphne, “that my mission is to an altogether contradictory purpose. papa is determined that i marry a member of the decaying european aristocracy, preferably british, but continental if all else fails.”
“but many of those gentry are quite penniless!” harold protested.
“yes, i know. but papa already has enough money to burn a wet mule, and he is hell-bent - “
“daphne!” mrs chapperton exclaimed.
“- hell-bent on my capturing one. we must all of us bear our burdens in this world, and so i mean to do my duty, and to stalk my prey with the patience of a python, and pounce with the precision of a panther.”
“do you play whist, mr winkerby?” mrs chapperton asked.
“i do, madame, and canasta too.”
the conversation continued, as the sun ascended in the sky, and the ship cleaved the waves.
what ship, reader, do you suppose it was?
was it - the argonaut?
was it - the golden hind?
was it - the ship of fools?
was it - the marie celeste?
was it - the titanic!
was it - the bismarck?
no, reader, it was none of these. it was - the ship of life! that ship on which we all must sail alike - rich and poor, first class and steerage, beautiful and plain, sparkling and dull, favored and unlucky, high and low -
into the void!
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