The Wreck
Mary Louise and the Mermaid Princess settled themselves backcomfortably in their seats and looked about them. The Iceberg Expresscertainly had every convenience. Of course almost everything was madeof ice. But, then, so is most everything in a Pullman car made ofsteel. There was really very little difference except that the ice wasmuch prettier, it was so clear and white, and the moss cushions thatcovered the seats were soft and springy. The crystal chandeliers thathung from the ceiling were resplendent with little twinkling lights,and the curtains at the ice-paned windows were made of the thinnestspun ice threads. Even the little drinking cups that were packed in acolumn, one within the other, at the ice water tank, were made of thinice.
"I don't feel the least bit cold," said Mary Louise, turning with alaugh to her mermaid friend. "Do you?"
"Not the least bit," she replied.
"It's so different, though, from the first train we were on," continuedMary Louise. "It isn't anything like it really. Why, the first trainwas only an ordinary iceberg, don't you remember?"
"That's because we never went inside," replied the mermaid. "We didn'thave the opportunity, the explosion came so soon."
"That's so," agreed Mary Louise. "The only think I distinctly rememberis the Polar Bear porter calling out to be careful, and then the awfulexplosion. After that we were in the water and there was nothingaround us but cracked ice."
"Dining car in the rear," announced the Polar Bear porter, walking downthe isle with a menu card held gracefully in his paw. "Last call forthe dining car!"
"Goodness!" exclaimed Mary Louise. "Let's hurry, or we won't be ableto get anything to eat, and I always love to eat in a dining car."
Jumping up from the seat, she and the Princess swam down the aisle,across the vestibuled platform, through the next car, and then into thediner.
There were quite a number of passengers still seated at the differentlittle tables. A soldierly looking Penguin sat at one and a few tablesbeyond a motherly looking Seal with a baby boy Seal at her side wasjust finishing some delicious looking pink water ice.
Mary Louise and the Mermaid sat down at the nearest table and lookedover the menu. It was great fun selecting what they wanted, and whenthey had finished their water ices they felt that they had dined mostsumptuously.
They then returned to their seats and looked out of the window for atime. Strange sights met their eyes as the train rushed on. Therewere no telegraph poles to count, nor cows to see grazing in greenmeadows. Instead, however, were numerous fish swimming here and there,some of gorgeous coloring, others of white or silver hue. Hills andvalleys of sand, as well as long meadows of seaweed, stretched away formiles and miles. Strange-looking sea animals crawled close to therushing train. If they came too close the suction of the water drewthem along until they disappeared beneath the car.
As darkness settled down over the quiet deep, Mary Louise turned fromthe window with a sigh. "I feel sleepy already," she said, "and it'sonly supper time!"
"We'll tell the porter to make up our berths," said the MermaidPrincess. "He can do it while we are having our supper in the diningcar."
On their return they found their berth in readiness. Soft greenseaweed curtains hung gracefully to the floor, one of them being drawnaside, showing a little white bed. It looked as comfortable as her ownlittle bed at home, Mary Louise thought.
It took the two little mermaids but a few minutes to undress, and assoon as their tired heads touched the pillow they were sound asleep.
Softly the seabells are ringing away, Dipping and dripping and white with the spray, Ding-dong, and ding-dong, and ding-dong, so deep, The seabells are singing me softly to sleep.
Over and over again in her dreams little Mary Louise repeated thissong. Then suddenly the bells seemed to change their tune. Theyclanged out wildly until a sudden loud crash awoke her with a start.The engine whistle was sending forth loud, warning cries. The MermaidPrincess began to tremble with fright.
"What do you suppose is the matter?" she whispered.
"I'm sure I don't know," replied little Mary Louise. "Perhaps there'ssomething on the track."
By this time all the passengers were thrusting their heads out throughthe curtains of their berths.
"Porter, Porter!" called the Penguin, who had been vainly pressing theelectric call-button.
But as usual, when a porter was wanted he is nowhere to be found.
Then the Baby Seal began to cry. Suddenly all the lights went out.Mary Louise hastily caught up her clothes and commenced dressing."Thank goodness," she said in a trembling voice, "I don't have tobother with stockings!"
"I never was anything but a Mermaid," said the Princess in a frightenedwhisper, "so I don't know anything about them!"
"Where's my waist?" asked Mary Louise, hardly able to keep from crying."I can't find it anywhere, and it's so dreadfully dark, too."
"Oh, dear me!" suddenly cried the Mermaid Princess. "I believe I'mtrying to get yours on over mine. I'm so excited I forgot that Ialready had on my own."
"Well, I'm dressed at last," exclaimed Mary Louise after wriggling andsquirming about for a few minutes longer. "Isn't it awful hard workdressing in a berth?"
Suddenly the engine bell clanged out more furiously than ever. Thewhistle shrieked again and again. Mary Louise looked with frightenedeyes at the princess who gave a cry of terror and threw her arms abouther neck as the lights again went out. Then there was a sudden crash,and the Iceberg Express shivered and toppled over.
The next instant Mary Louise and the Mermaid Princess found themselvesin the water.
It was quite warm and pleasant, and in a few minutes they reached thesurface. To their surprise they saw their fellow passenger, the littleStar Fish, swimming near them, and not far away, on a piece of ice, thePolar Bear porter.
"Where are we?" asked Mary Louise. But no one replied to her question,although the Star Fish looked all around, before and behind and bothsides at once, which I'm sure you can't do no matter how hard you maytry--while with his fifth eye he kept a bright lookout for sharks.
Presently the Polar Bear porter replied, "I think we are in theCaribbean Sea."
And if you don't know where that is, please get out you map of NorthAmerica, although school is over, and find it.
"I never thought we'd get here so soon," said the little Star Fish atlast. "You see, I boarded the train somewhere off Cape Cod. Andthat's a long way from here."
"I got on much farther north," said the Polar Bear porter, fanninghimself with a large sea shell. "Gracious me, but it's dreadfully hotdown here."
"This Caribbean Sea is as full of mountains as New Hampshire andVermont are, but none of them have caps of snow like that which MountWashington sometimes wears," said the Mermaid Princess. "Snow wouldn'tlast a second under this hot sun."
"Where did you learn all this?" asked Mary Louise.
"Oh, I went to the Coral School for Girls," answered the MermaidPrincess, and she sighed, for she suddenly remembered she was a longway from home.
Just then the little Star Fish met a soft little body, much smallerthan himself, who invited him to visit her relatives, who live, bymillions, in this mountain region.
So off they started for Coraltown, where this little Miss Polyp lived.
Her father and mother, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, were allpolyps. They had built the coral islands by fastening themselves tothe tops of the mountains under the sea, year after year, and at lasttheir soft bodies had turned into stone. And now you know how thesemillions of little polyps finally made the small islands that dottedthe surface of the water.
After the Star Fish and his little friend had swum away, Mary Louisespied a boat drifting toward them. So she and the Mermaid Princessscrambled inside, and the polar Bear porter hoisted a sail, which hefound wrapped around a mast in the bottom of the boat.
"Hip, hurrah, we're off once more," Shouted the Polar Bear, waving his paw, And the
Mermaid Princess laughed in glee As he held the tiller and sailed o'er the sea!
By and by the air became colder and the Mermaid said:
"We must be near my father's castle. I think I'll slip into the oceanand swim home."
"Before you go, please comb my hair with your magic comb so that I maybe a little girl again," begged Mary Louise; "I don't want to be amermaid forever."
As soon as the magic pearl comb touched Mary Louise's hair her tailchanged into her own little pair of legs.
"Now kiss me good-by," said the little Mermaid Princess, and, with asplash, she disappeared in the ocean.