DOCK RATS
There are human beings who seem to regard the place as craftilyas we do—who seem to feel that it is a good place to comehome to. On what a river; wide—twinkling like a chopped sea under someof the finest shipping in theworld: the square-rigged four-master, the liner, the battleship, like the two-thirds submerged section of an iceberg; the tug—strong moving thing,dipping and pushing, the bell striking as it comes; the steam yacht, lyinglike a new made arrow on thestream; the ferry-boat—a head assigned, one to each compartment, makinga row of chessmen set for play. When the wind is from the east,the smell is of apples; of hay, the aroma increased and decreasedsuddenly as the wind changes;of rope; of mountain leaves for florists. When it is from the west, it isan elixir. There is occasionally a parrakeetarrived from Brazil, clasping and clawing; or a monkey—tail and feetin readiness for an over-ture. All palms and tail; how delightful! There is the sea, moving the bulk-head with its horse strength; and the multiplicity of ruddersand propellers; the signals, shrill, questioning, peremptory, diverse;the wharf cats and the barge dogs—itis easy to overestimate the value of such things. One doesnot live in such a place from motives of expediencybut because to one who has been accustomed to it, shipping is themost congenial thing in the world.
There are human beings who seem to regard the place as craftilyas we do—who seem to feel that it is a good place to comehome to. On what a river; wide—twinkling like a chopped sea under someof the finest shipping in theworld: the square-rigged four-master, the liner, the battleship, like the two-thirds submerged section of an iceberg; the tug—strong moving thing,dipping and pushing, the bell striking as it comes; the steam yacht, lyinglike a new made arrow on thestream; the ferry-boat—a head assigned, one to each compartment, makinga row of chessmen set for play. When the wind is from the east,the smell is of apples; of hay, the aroma increased and decreasedsuddenly as the wind changes;of rope; of mountain leaves for florists. When it is from the west, it isan elixir. There is occasionally a parrakeetarrived from Brazil, clasping and clawing; or a monkey—tail and feetin readiness for an over-ture. All palms and tail; how delightful! There is the sea, moving the bulk-head with its horse strength; and the multiplicity of ruddersand propellers; the signals, shrill, questioning, peremptory, diverse;the wharf cats and the barge dogs—itis easy to overestimate the value of such things. One doesnot live in such a place from motives of expediencybut because to one who has been accustomed to it, shipping is themost congenial thing in the world.
There are human beings who seem to regard the place as craftilyas we do—who seem to feel that it is a good place to comehome to. On what a river; wide—twinkling like a chopped sea under someof the finest shipping in the
world: the square-rigged four-master, the liner, the battleship, like the two-thirds submerged section of an iceberg; the tug—strong moving thing,dipping and pushing, the bell striking as it comes; the steam yacht, lyinglike a new made arrow on the
stream; the ferry-boat—a head assigned, one to each compartment, makinga row of chessmen set for play. When the wind is from the east,the smell is of apples; of hay, the aroma increased and decreasedsuddenly as the wind changes;
of rope; of mountain leaves for florists. When it is from the west, it isan elixir. There is occasionally a parrakeetarrived from Brazil, clasping and clawing; or a monkey—tail and feetin readiness for an over-
ture. All palms and tail; how delightful! There is the sea, moving the bulk-head with its horse strength; and the multiplicity of ruddersand propellers; the signals, shrill, questioning, peremptory, diverse;the wharf cats and the barge dogs—it
is easy to overestimate the value of such things. One doesnot live in such a place from motives of expediencybut because to one who has been accustomed to it, shipping is themost congenial thing in the world.