In a Steamer Chair | Page 9

in her steamer chair, snugly wrapped up in her rugs, Miss
Katherine Earle, balancing a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. The
steamer chair had been tightly tied to the brass stanchion, or hand-rail,
that ran along the side of the housed-in portion of the companion-way,
and although the steamer swayed to and fro, as well as up and down,
the chair was immovable. An awning had been put up over the place
where the chair was fastened, and every now and then on that dripping
piece of canvas the salt rain fell, the result of the waves that dashed in
on the other side of the steamer.
"Good morning, Mr. Morris!" said the young lady, brightly. "I am very
glad you have come. I will let you into a shipboard secret. The steward
of the smoking-room brings up every morning a pot of very fragrant
coffee. Now, if you will speak to him, I am sure he will be very glad to
give you a cup."

"You do like to make fun of me, don't you?" answered the young man.
"Oh, dear no," said Miss Earle, "I shouldn't think of making fun of
anything so serious. Is it making fun of a person who looks half frozen
to offer him a cup of warm coffee? I think there is more philanthropy
than fun about that."
"Well, I don't know but you are right. At any rate, I prefer to take it as
philanthropy rather than fun. I shall go and get a cup of coffee for
myself, if you will permit me to place a chair beside yours?"
"Oh, I beg you not to go for the coffee yourself. You certainly will
never reach here with it. You see the remains of that cup down by the
side of the vessel. The steward himself slipped and fell with that piece
of crockery in his hands. I am sure he hurt himself, although he said he
didn't."
"Did you give him an extra fee on that account?" asked Morris,
cynically.
"Of course I did. I am like the Government in that respect. I take care
of those who are injured in my service."
"Perhaps, that's why he went down. They are a sly set, those stewards.
He knew that a man would simply laugh at him, or perhaps utter some
maledictions if he were not feeling in very good humour. In all my
ocean voyages I have never had the good fortune to see a steward fall.
He knew, also, the rascal, that a lady would sympathise with him, and
that he wouldn't lose anything by it, except the cup, which is not his
loss."
"Oh yes, it is," replied the young lady, "he tells me they charge all
breakages against him."
"He didn't tell you what method they had of keeping track of the
breakages, did he? Suppose he told the chief steward that you broke the
cup, which is likely he did. What then?"

"Oh, you are too cynical this morning, and it would serve you just right
if you go and get some coffee for yourself, and meet with the same
disaster that overtook the unfortunate steward. Only you are
forewarned that you shall have neither sympathy nor fee."
"Well, in that case," said the young man, "I shall not take the risk. I
shall sacrifice the steward rather. Oh, here he is. I say, steward, will
you bring me a cup of coffee, please?"
"Yes, sir. Any biscuit, sir?"
"No, no biscuit. Just a cup of coffee and a couple of lumps of sugar,
please; and if you can first get me a chair, and strap it to this rod in the
manner you do so well, I shall be very much obliged."
"Yes, sir. I shall call the deck steward, sir."
"Now, notice that. You see the rascals never interfere with each other.
The deck steward wants a fee, and the smoking-room steward wants a
fee, and each one attends strictly to his own business, and doesn't
interfere with the possible fees of anybody else."
"Well," said Miss Earle, "is not that the correct way? If things are to be
well done, that is how they should be done. Now, just notice how much
more artistically the deck steward arranged these rugs than you did
yesterday morning. I think it is worth a good fee to be wrapped up so
comfortably as that."
"I guess I'll take lessons from the deck steward then, and even if I do
not get a fee, I may perhaps get some gratitude at least."
"Gratitude? Why, you should think it a privilege."
"Well, Miss Earle, to tell the truth, I do. It is a privilege that--I hope
you will not think I am trying to flatter you when I say--any