A rich uncle in Boston enabled her to get a fair education, and the early years of her married life had been full of earnest effort, of economy and heroic struggle, that her husband and family might gain a footing in the world.  The comforts of her early childhood in Ireland had given her a keen relish for luxury.  The pain inflicted by poverty that followed was severely felt, and now, the pleasures of wealth again were all the more enjoyed.

Mrs. Harris was not a church member, but woman-like she found her lips saying, “God bless the colonel and my precious children.”  Then putting her hand over upon Lucille, and satisfied that she was there by her side and asleep, she too became drowsy and finally unconscious.  Alfonso and Leo occupied the adjoining stateroom, but both were in dreamland; Alfonso in the art galleries of Holland and Leo in sunny Italy.

Before morning the storm center was moving rapidly down the St. Lawrence Valley, and off the east coast of Maine.  Long lines of white-capped waves were dashing after each other like swift platoons in a cavalry charge.  The “Majestic,” conscious of an enemy on her flank, sought earnestly to outstrip the winds of AEolus.  When Captain Morgan reached the bridge, the sea and sky were most threatening.  The first officer said, “Captain, I have never seen the mercury go down so rapidly.  We are in for a nasty time of it, I fear.”

Early the sailors were scrubbing the ship while the spray helped to wash the decks, and they tightened the fastenings of the life-boats.  The firemen too were busy dropping cinders astern.  Fires in the cook’s galley were lighted, and the steerage passengers were aroused for breakfast, but few responded.

Mrs. Harris often tried to dress, but every time she fell back into her berth, saying, “Stewardess, I shall surely die.  Isn’t the ship going down?”

“No, no, madam,” the stewardess replied, “I will return with beef tea, and you will soon feel better.”

Lucille was helped to put on a dark wrapper; and after repeated efforts at a hasty toilet, she took the stewardess’s arm and reached an easy chair in the library.  Alfonso and Leo, who were both members of a yacht club in New York, came to the library from a short walk on the deck.  It required much urging with Lucille before she would attempt an entrance into the dining-room.  Several men and a few ladies were present.

“Good morning, Miss Harris, how brave you are,” were words spoken so encouragingly by Captain Morgan that Lucille’s face brightened and she responded as best she could.

“Thank you, captain, I believe I should much prefer to face a storm of bullets on the land than a storm at sea; you courageous sailors really deserve all the gold medals.”

Leo, who was fond of the ocean, said to Alfonso, “Why can’t we all be sailors?  What say you to this?  Let us test who of our party shall lose the fewest meals from New York to Queenstown.  You and your mother or Lucille and I?”