182 LETTER-FILES OF S. W. JOHNSON 



songs and yarns serve to sacrifice the hours. I drop in 

 now and then, when it is dull elsewhere, as when tired of 

 walking, or in cold or rain, or when cold, and take a hand in 

 the talk, or enjoy a quiet snooze. Last night a quiet-mannered 

 man but a determined-looking one, from 'Frisco, undertook 

 to make a time and ordered up the drinks until he got quite 

 unsteady, but the other imbibers kept their heads and got the 

 Captain to stop the supplies. This made a muss and 'Frisco 

 went for the Captain, but was let down so gently that he seems 

 to feel almost happy again today. He only brought $10,000 

 gold for his four months amusement, so he says! I believe 

 I haven 't mentioned on board the extent of my supplies ! We 

 saw yesterday some porpoises jumping in the distance, but 

 too far away for fun. This morning a ship under sail was 

 in view to the south, but still far away. We are practically 

 alone. The ocean is so vast that all the world's harbors are 

 a drop in its bucket, and in steaming 2600 miles we have seen 

 but four vessels since fairly out of New York. . . . 



Another afternoon on deck with Willie F. We walked, 

 jumped, ran and told stories. This time he wanted a snake 

 story, so I told him of a lady who, when a little girl, fed a 

 rattlesnake. That story, with suitable details and embellish- 

 ments, was pronounced extremely satisfactory. Miss Mamie 

 came up just in time to hear it. Then she asked if I had any 

 little children, and when I explained the extent of my house- 

 hold and added that the Mother in my house was the heroine 

 of the snake story, the children's gratification rose to the 

 highest pitch. . . . 



Now my twelfth page is almost done, and under a sky full 

 of the stars that you may be seeing in an hour or two, under 

 the same Dipper that hangs low over Trumbull Street on 

 winter nights, I write goodbye and God keep you. ... To all, 

 best love, S. W. J. 



While in Liverpool he greatly enjoyed seeing once 

 again an old friend of Munich days. He tells of this 



