The Iceberg Express | Page 6

Presently, she went over
to her wardrobe and took out a beautiful shimmery pink shawl. What it
was made of I cannot tell, except that it shivered and quivered with
little colors like a rainbow. Perhaps it was made of changeable sea-silk.
At any rate, Mary Louise, who at that moment opened her eyes,
thought it was the most exquisite thing she had ever seen.
"Is it really for me? Is it really?" she asked with a cry of delight, as the
mermaid came toward her.
"Of course it is, my dear," replied the mermaid princess," and as soon
as you have put it on, and combed your hair--you needn't wash your
hands and face, you know--the banquet will be ready."
Mary Louise clapped her hands and hopped, or, rather, flopped about,
so happy was she to receive such a gift in the depths of the sea.
When she was dressed in the lovely shawl, and a beautiful
mother-of-pearl comb fastened in her hair, the princess mermaid
declared she looked "too sweet for anything!" Then they floated down,
arm in arm, to the great dining hall.

King Seaphus

The great dining hall of King Seaphus was considered by all the

inhabitants of Merland--that is, all those who had been lucky enough to
have seen its splendor--to be the most magnificent of its kind
anywhere.
The dining table, or banquet board, as it was called, was made of
mother-of-pearl. The pale, shimmery cloth was woven from the most
delicate of sea-grasses. The gold and silver plates shone with a strange
luster, and the goblets, fashioned of the thinnest and most exquisite
pearl, gave the impression that they were strange sea lilies.
King Seaphus seated himself majestically at th head of the banquet
board, and little Mary Louise was shown the place on his right. At the
other end sat the Mermaid Princess. Mermen in dark green liveries
served the meal. But what delighted and interested Mary Louise the
most was the way in which the food was served. Instead of ordinary,
everyday dishes, it appeared in little airtight boats, which the servants
guided dexterously to the table, and when opened, the steam escaped in
hundreds of little bubbles that took on all the hues of the rainbow.
These slowly ascended through the pale green water until they reached
the surface, where they probably floated off in the air, until they burst,
like fairy soap-bubbles.
All kinds of delicious fish, little pink and white crabs, goldfish,
luscious oysters, and, finally, coral-candy, made up the different
courses of the dinner. When it was over and the coffee was served in a
beautiful room adjoining, King Seaphus smoked a big cigar, which, to
Mary Louise's amazement, glowed and burned like any ordinary
Havana her father smoked at home.
After King Seaphus had smoked away in perfect silence for some time,
he turned to Mary Louise and asked:
"Where were you going, my dear, when you met my daughter?"
"Oh, nowhere in particular," replied little Mary Louise quickly. "You
see, I was playing on the beach when I saw the Princess,
and--and--and---"

"Then I combed her hair with my magic comb," said the Princess,
coming to the relief of little Mary Louise, who was very much
embarrassed by the question. You see, she was not at all accustomed to
hold conversation with royalty, and to be talking to a Merman King
was, perhaps, even more disconcerting.
"We took the subway," continued his daughter, "we caught the Iceberg
Express, and, well, here we are."
"So I see," said the King.
Mary Louise gave a giggle and, forgetting her embarrassment,
exclaimed, "And just as we were safe on board, after the Polar Bear
porter had told us to 'watch our step,' there was an awful explosion, and
we found ourselves floating about in the midst of a lot of cracked ice."
"Indeed," exclaimed King Seaphus, "this is the second time in the last
month we've had an accident on the Sea Bottom Subway. I must call in
my Prime Minister and have an investigation begun at once."
Pulling vigorously on a beautifully braided sea-grass rope, he awaited
the coming of a page. Little Mary Louise heard the far-off tinkle of the
bell, and presently the Mer-bell-boy appeared.
"Summon his most excellent self, the Prime Minister," commanded
King Seaphus.
The Mer-boy page glided away and presently appeared, deferentially
escorting the Prime Minister. The latter was a very distinguished
looking person. His long, white beard was parted gracefully in the
center, no doubt by the action of the water as he swam up to where the
King sat. As befitted so important an official, he was clad in a long, red
robe, which reached nearly to the end of his fin-tail. His head was
adorned with a crimson cap