They rested over one train at Niagara, and took in its splendor as seen
in winter-time, and arrived in New York on Wednesday. Forbes had
purchased the tickets, and secured the rooms on the ship for the whole
party. Thursday and Friday were devoted to taking in as much as possible
of the great city. On Saturday they sailed.
The voyage was generally uneventful, except that one day they were
treated to a beautiful spectacle of rescuing a crew from a water-logged
craft. The wind was fresh, and there was an uneasy sea on, when a signal
of distress was noted off across the water. The steamer was headed for
it, and in half an hour came up to it. It was a little old lumber
schooner. The sea was washing its deck with every wave. In the meantime,
the second officer, with six seamen, had taken their places in a boat.
The boat had been swung out over the water. The sailors were standing by,
holding the tackle by which a boat is lowered; the commander was on the
bridge, and when in hailing distance of the craft he dropped his hand and
the engines stopped. He shouted through his trumpet, asking what was
wanted. "To come aboard," a voice came back. The commander dropped his
hand again, and down ran the boat and pulled away for the wreck. It would
mount a wave, and then sink out of sight of those on the ship's high
deck; then climb again. It returned in twenty minutes, and it was the
commander of the great ship that took the hand of the schooner's rough
skipper as the boat was hoisted, and for the remainder of the voyage the
shipwrecked skipper had a state-room by himself, and his seat at the
table was at the commander's right hand.
They reached Liverpool on the tenth day--Monday--and went up to London
the same afternoon.
Reaching the city, Sedgwick sent a message to Mrs. Hamlin to meet them at
the house of Jack and Rose, for he would not go to the Hamlin house.
Sedgwick, with his wife and Mrs. Hazleton, went at once to the home of
the Brownings.
Rose was wild with delight at their coming. She hugged Grace, kissed her
and cried over her; kissed Sedgwick, and welcomed Mrs. Hazleton so
cordially that the lady was sure it was sincere.
Then Mrs. Hamlin came, and the whole business had to be done over again,
the elder lady reproaching Grace and her husband for not coming to her,
and scolding even as she embraced them.
Then matters quieted down enough to talk. Rose explained that she was a
deserted wife; that Jack six weeks before had come home one night and
told her that he was going to sail for South America next day; that she
could not go along, but must be good and not be lonesome for six or eight
weeks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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