by David Cory
Damages
King Seaphus waited anxiously as the knocking on the castle doorcontinued. "Billows and breakers," he exclaimed again, expectantlywaiting for the visitor or visitors to be announced.
Just as his impatience was nearly exhausted, a court page appearedescorting a Polar Bear and a Star Fish. Mary Louise at once recognizedthe former as the porter on the Iceberg Express. The visitors bowedrespectfully to the King, and the little Star Fish winked one of hisfive small eyes at the Princess. The Polar Bear smiled at Mary Louise,but said nothing.
"Well," exclaimed King Seaphus, after a brief silence, "you honor us byyour presence, but, what do you want?"
"I want redress," cried the Star Fish in a queer little gurgle.
"You want what?" thundered the King, realizing now that his visitorswere looking for damages on account of the accident. This naturallyworried him, as he was a heavy stockholder in the Sea Bottom Subway.
"One of my five fingers has been badly bruised," continued the StarFish, "for which reason I shall sue for damages."
"I have suffered internal injuries," said the Polar Bear, speaking upquickly, encouraged by the independent manner of the Star Fish.
"Internal injuries!" laughed the King; "infernal fiddlesticks, I haveheard that tune before!"
"Your Highness," interposed the Star Fish, "my condition is quiteserious. As I have but five fingers, to have one of them injured isfar worse than to have one of my feet, for of the latter I havehundreds."
The King looked at him inquiringly. Although he was Monarch of theSea, perhaps he did not know that a Star Fish, while he has hundreds oflittle feet, has no legs at all. Even his feet do not move as ordinaryfeet do, one before the other; they can only cling like little suckerspulling him slowly along from place to place.
"Neither am I like the everyday common fish. My mouth is in the centerof my body, and I have a little scarlet-colored sieve through which Istrain the sea-water. I couldn't think of swallowing sea-water witheverything that might be floating in it."
"Holy mackerel!" exclaimed the King, under his breath, "I'd bettersettle with this individual as quickly as possible. He'll drive mecrazy if I don't, and maybe, cause me no end of trouble."
"Your Royal Highness," began the Polar Bear, "I was hit by a largepiece of ice in the chest."
"In the ice-chest or in the ice-box?" inquired the King, his humorgetting the better of his anger, for he could never let go by anopportunity to make a pun.
"Your Royal Highness," interrupted the Star Fish, "I wish to state thatI took this little trip for my health. My doctor told me I must goSouth. So I boarded the Iceberg Express at Cape Cod, intending tospend the summer in the mountains."
"In the mountains!" roared King Seaphus. "You don't go to the seashorefor the mountains! You should have gone inland to the White Mountainsor the Catskills--those are well-known summer resorts."
"May it please your Royal Highness," said the Star Fish, stroking hisbeautiful purple coat with one of his five little fingers, "I was boundfor the Caribbean Sea, which is as full of mountains as New Hampshireand Vermont are. Of course, none of them have caps of snow like MountWashington, for it's nice and warm in the Caribbean Sea; that's thereason I want to go there. But, if the Iceberg Express is wrecked, howam I to continue my journey?"
"Sufferin' mackerel!" exclaimed King Seaphus; this time he uttered thewords aloud and not under his breath, "Sufferin' mackerel! I'll seethat you get there, if I have to charter a special train!"
"But what about my finger?" asked the Star Fish.
"Oh, I'll reimburse you for your ticket," exclaimed the King. "Andnow, what can I do for you?" he asked, turning to the Polar Bear.
"Train Porters have very low wages," replied the Polar Bear.
"Very well," answered King Seaphus, "I will see that yours aredoubled," and he waved the two visitors away with a haughty gesture.The court page then escorted them to the door.
"You heard what I said," cried the King, turning to the Prime Minister."Now go to the General Manager of the Sea Bottom Subway and inform himof my wishes. Also that he must have an express ready to start for theCaribbean Sea tomorrow morning without fail."
The Prime Minister bowed respectfully and departed.
"Whew!" exclaimed the King, smiling at Mary Louise and his daughter assoon as the three were again alone, "if that Star Fish wasn't a walkingencyclopedia! He had everything at his five finger-ends!"
"I think I'll take the same train as the little Star Fish," said MaryLouise, "for I've never been to the Caribbean Sea and I think it mustbe a lovely place."
"May I go with Mary Louise?" asked the Mermaid Princess.
"Well, I don't see why not," answered her father, after a pause, "onlyyou must get back inside of a fortnight, for your mother will be homeby that time."
"I must see that my mother-of-pearl trunk is packed," said thePrincess. "Come with me, Mary Louise." Then curtseying to the King,they swam up the water stairway to the room of the little mermaid.
The next morning found Mary Louise and the Mermaid Princess waitinganxiously at the station for the Iceberg Express. On the platform theyrecognized among the passengers their little friend, the Star Fish. Ina few minutes the express thundered into the station. "Watch yourstep!" yelled the Polar Bear Porter as he helped Mary Louise and thePrincess on board. Then with a rush and a roar the Iceberg Expressstarted on its journey for the Mountains of the Sea!