Summary

Lillian boards the Alaska Steamship Company’s worst vessel and finds herself among Christians. The captain tries to do her a favor by putting her with the other women on his boat, and Mary and Martha Hornsmith spend most of their time praying – now for Lillian and her eternal soul. On her first night on board, Mary asks Lillian forty-seven personal questions. Frustrated by the barrage, Lillian tells them she is on the run from her pimp, tired of her life of sin. She claims her name was Gumdrop Brown, and tells them stories of her life at the Black and Tan Club.

The next morning, both Hornsmith women are pleased to see that Gumdrop shows no interest in any of the men on board. Martha brews tea which they take back to the cabin, and they take...