A House-Boat on the Styx | Page 5

committee?" queried the Ferryman.
"Sir Walter Raleigh, Cassius, Demosthenes, Blackstone, Doctor
Johnson, and Confucius," replied the shade.

"Tell 'em I'll be back in an hour," said Charon, pushing off. "I've got a
cargo of shades on board consigned to various places up the river. I've
promised to get 'em all through to-night, but I'll put on a couple of extra
paddles--two of the new arrivals are working their passage this
trip--and it won't take as long as usual. What boat is this, anyhow?"
"The Nancy Nox, of Erebus."
"Thunder!" cried Charon, as he pushed off and proceeded on his way
up the river. "Named after my mother! Perhaps it'll come out all right
yet."
More hopeful of mood, Charon, aided by the two dead-head passengers,
soon got through with his evening's work, and in less than an hour was
back seeking admittance, as requested, to the company of Sir Walter
Raleigh and his fellow-members on the house committee. He was
received by these worthies with considerable effusiveness, considering
his position in society, and it warmed the cockles of his aged heart to
note that Sir Walter, who had always been rather distant to him since he
had carelessly upset that worthy and Queen Elizabeth in the middle of
the Styx far back in the last century, permitted him to shake three
fingers of his left hand when he entered the committee-room.
"How do you do, Charon?" said Sir Walter, affably. "We are very glad
to see you."
"Thank you, kindly, Sir Walter," said the boatman. "I'm glad to hear
those words, your honor, for I've been feeling very bad since I had the
misfortune to drop your Excellency and her Majesty overboard. I never
knew how it happened, sir, but happen it did, and but for her Majesty's
kind assistance it might have been the worse for us. Eh, Sir Walter?"
The knight shook his head menacingly at Charon. Hitherto he had
managed to keep it a secret that the Queen had rescued him from
drowning upon that occasion by swimming ashore herself first and
throwing Sir Walter her ruff as soon as she landed, which he had used
as a life-preserver.

"'Sh!" he said, sotto voce. "Don't say anything about that, my man."
"Very well, Sir Walter, I won't," said the boatman; but he made a
mental note of the knight's agitation, and perceived a means by which
that illustrious courtier could be made useful to him in his scheming for
social advancement.
"I understood you had something to say to me," said Charon, after he
had greeted the others.
"We have," said Sir Walter. "We want you to assume command of this
boat."
The old fellow's eyes lighted up with pleasure.
"You want a captain, eh?" he said.
"No," said Confucius, tapping the table with a diamond-studded chop-
stick. "No. We want a--er--what the deuce is it they call the functionary,
Cassius?"
"Senator, I think," said Cassius.
Demosthenes gave a loud laugh.
"Your mind is still running on Senatorships, my dear Cassius. That is
quite evident," he said. "This is not one of them, however. The title we
wish Charon to assume is neither Captain nor Senator; it is Janitor."
"What's that?" asked Charon, a little disappointed. "What does a Janitor
have to do?"
"He has to look after things in the house," explained Sir Walter. "He's a
sort of proprietor by proxy. We want you to take charge of the house,
and see to it that the boat is kept shipshape."
"Where is the house?" queried the astonished boatman.
"This is it," said Sir Walter. "This is the house, and the boat too. In fact,

it is a house-boat."
"Then it isn't a new-fangled scheme to drive me out of business?" said
Charon, warily.
"Not at all," returned Sir Walter. "It's a new-fangled scheme to set you
up in business. We'll pay you a large salary, and there won't be much to
do. You are the best man for the place, because, while you don't know
much about houses, you do know a great deal about boats, and the boat
part is the most important part of a house-boat. If the boat sinks, you
can't save the house; but if the house burns, you may be able to save the
boat. See?"
"I think I do, sir," said Charon.
"Another reason why we want to employ you for Janitor," said
Confucius, "is that our club wants to be in direct communication with
both sides of the Styx; and we think you as Janitor would be able to
make better arrangements for transportation with yourself as boatman,
than some other man as Janitor could make with you."
"Spoken like a sage," said Demosthenes.
"Furthermore," said Cassius, "occasionally we shall want to have this
boat towed up or down the river, according