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The Pursuit of the House-Boat by John Kendrick Bangs
page 57 of 127 (44%)

"Excuse me, your Majesty," put in Xanthippe. "You said that before,
and I must say it is getting tiresome. You couldn't do anything with
an axe. Suppose you had one. What earthly good would it do you, who
were accustomed to doing all your killing by proxy? I don't believe,
if you had the unmannerly person who slammed the door in your face
lying prostrate upon the billiard-table here, you could hit him a
square blow in the neck if you had a hundred axes. Delilah might as
well cry for her scissors, for all the good it would do us in our
predicament. If Cleopatra had her asp with her it might be more to
the purpose. One deadly little snake like that let loose on the
upper deck would doubtless drive these boors into the sea, and even
then our condition would not be bettered, for there isn't any of us
that can sail a boat. There isn't an old salt among us."

"Too bad Mrs. Lot isn't along," giggled Marguerite de Valois, whose
Gallic spirits were by no means overshadowed by the unhappy
predicament in which she found herself.

"I'm here," piped up Mrs. Lot. "But I'm not that kind of a salt."

"I am present," said Mrs. Noah. "Though why I ever came I don't
know, for I vowed the minute I set my foot on Ararat that dry land
was good enough for me, and that I'd never step aboard another boat
as long as I lived. If, however, now that I am here, I can give you
the benefit of my nautical experience, you are all perfectly welcome
to it."

"I'm sure we're very much obliged for the offer," said Portia, "but
in the emergency which has arisen we cannot say how much obliged we
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