Friday afternoon

I saw Cousin Willie on the deck this afternoon.  I had not seen him all day yesterday as he seems to keep out of sight.  His eyes looked bloodshot and I was sure that he had been drinking.

I asked him where he had been in the storm while Uncle William was ill.  He gave a queer sort of leering chuckle and said, “Over there,” and pointed backwards with his thumb towards the first class part of the ship.  Then he said, “Come here a minute,” and he led me round a corner to where no one could see, and showed me a gold brooch and two diamond rings.  He told me not to tell the others, and then he tried to squeeze my hand and to pull me towards him, in such a horrid way, but I broke away and went back.  Since then I have been trying to think how he could have got the brooch and the rings.  But I cannot think.

S.S.  America.  Saturday

To-day when I went up on deck, the first thing I saw was Uncle Henry.  I hardly recognized him.  He had on an old blue sailor’s jersey, and was cleaning up a brass rail with a rag.  I asked him why he was dressed like that and Uncle Henry laughed and said he had become an admiral.  I couldn’t think what he meant, as I never guess things with a double meaning, so he explained that he has got work as a sailor for the voyage across.  I thought he looked very nice in his sailor’s jersey, much nicer than in the coat with gold facings, when he was our High Admiral.  He reminded me very much of those big fair-haired Norwegian sailors that we used to see when we went on the Meteor to Flekkefyord and Gildeskaale.  I am sure that he will be of great service to this English captain, in helping to work the ship across.

When Cousin Ferdinand came up on deck with his two friends, Mr. Mosenhammer and Mr. Sheehan, he was very much interested in Uncle Henry’s having got work.  He made an arrangement right away that he would borrow Uncle Henry’s wages, and that Mr. Sheehan would advance them, and he would then add it to our capital, and then he would take it and keep it.  Uncle Henry is to get what is called, in the new money, one seventy-five a day, and to get it for four days, and Cousin Ferdinand says that comes to four dollars and a quarter.  Cousin Ferdinand is very quick with figures.  He says that he will have to take out a small commission for managing the money for Uncle Henry, and that later on he will tell Uncle Henry how much will be left after taking it out.  Uncle Henry said all right and went on with his brass work.  It is strange how his clothes seem to change him.  He looks now just like a rough, common sailor.

S.S.  America.  Tuesday

To-day our voyage is to end.  I am so glad.  When we came on deck Mr. Peters told me that we were in sight of land.  He told me the names of the places, but they were hard and difficult to remember, like Long Island and Sandy Hook; not a bit like our dear old simple German names.