The Cruise of the Noah's Ark Read online

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  MR. JONAH LEAVES THE WHALE FOR THE ARK_The Cruise of the Noah's Ark._ _Frontispiece_]

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  _LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPY LAND__(Trademark Registered)_

  THE CRUISEOF THENOAH'S ARK

  ByDAVID CORY

  Author ofThe Little Jack Rabbit Series

  _Profusely Illustrated_

  _GROSSET & DUNLAP_PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

  Made in the United States of America

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  _LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPY LAND_(Trademark Registered)

  The Cruise of the Noah's ArkThe Magic Soap-BubbleThe Iceberg Express

  BYDAVID CORY

  Author ofLittle Jack Rabbit Series(Trademark Registered)

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  Copyright, 1922, byGROSSET & DUNLAP

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  CONTENTS

  ALL ABOARD! 3COCK-A-DOODLE-DO 17THE CIRCUS 31THE MAJESTY OF THE LAW 49MAN OVERBOARD 59FIRE! FIRE! 75REPAIRS 87THE ICEBERG 99A THRILLING RESCUE 111A LEAK 125THE PICNIC 135THE STORM 143

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  Mr. Noah "shooed" the Hen aboard the Ark.]

  ALL ABOARD!

  A stands for Animal, Ant or Ape, Quite different in spelling as well as in shape.

  "Oh, dear!" sighed Marjorie, "I'm tired of writing in this old copy book.What's the use of making the letters just like the copy, anyhow? Motherdoesn't. Her capitals are very different."

  B stands for Bruin, Bee or Bug-- The Bee has a sting and the Bear has a hug!

  "Oh, dear!" sighed Marjorie again, while she rested her head on her armand looked over at the Noah's Ark.

  And then, all of a sudden, something very strange happened. Mr. Noah cameout of his little Ark and said, "You had better come with us, for it isgoing to rain for 40 days and 40 nights, and goodness knows where thisnursery will be by the end of that time; probably floating about, halffull of water, in the apple orchard."

  "Do you really mean it?" asked Marjorie, gazing anxiously out of thewindow at the rain which was falling in torrents.

  "I certainly do," replied Mr. Noah.

  And then Mrs. Noah poked her head out of a little window in the Ark."Listen to Mr. Noah, my dear, for he was certainly right the first time,and why shouldn't he be now?"

  Mr. Noah smiled and walked across the table towards a little yellow hen."Shoo," he cried, as the contrary fowl tried to dodge around a toyautomobile. "Shoo there. You know you can't swim like Mrs. Duck, so whydon't you have some sense and get aboard out of harm's way?"

  As he finished speaking, water began to pour over the windowsill, and soonthe nursery floor was ankle deep. Marjorie stood on a chair and, climbingupon the table, walked over to the Ark. On her way she picked up her ragdoll, Maria Jane, and the little toy automobile.

  "Hurry, my dear," cried Mr. Noah, "here comes the water over the edge ofthe table."

  As it was, Maria Jane was splashed a bit, and so was the automobile beforeit was pushed through the narrow doorway, for the Ark was rolling fromside to side in rather a dangerous manner.

  "Make everything tight. Close the hatches and the portholes!" commandedCapt. Noah (for now that they were actually afloat, this seemed the propertitle for him), and in a few minutes it was comfortable and snug inside.

  And then, all of a sudden, a big wave carried them over the windowsill andout into the garden. But it didn't look very much like the garden, foronly the tops of the rose bushes could be seen, and the roses rested onthe water like pond lilies. And then, away sailed the Ark, across thegarden, over the fence, down the road, until it reached an open space.

  "The ocean!" cried Mrs. Noah.

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Marjorie, "I beg your pardon, Mrs. Noah, I mean it'sUncle Spencer's meadow. Why, there's Tim! Let's save him!" And Marjorieran down to the lower floor of the Ark and commenced to unfasten the door.

  "Careful, my dear," cried Capt. Noah. "What are you about?"

  "Oh, hurry, Captain," begged Marjorie, "Tim, Uncle Spencer's dog, is inthe water and I want to bring him aboard."

  "Here, mates, bring me a life line," shouted Capt. Noah, and in less timethan I can take to tell it the line was thrown to the little dog, whomanaged to catch hold of it with his teeth just in time, for the Ark wasgoing at a tremendous rate of speed.

  "Don't haul in too fast," advised Capt. Noah, as his three sons beganpulling in the rope, "or he'll be drawn under the water and smotheredbefore we can get him aboard."

  At last, the little dog was landed safely on the deck. Everybody ran awayfrom him to avoid getting a shower bath as he shook himself again andagain.

  "Well, you've all proved to be brave lifesavers," said Mrs. Noah. "NowI'll give him some warm milk and dry him by the kitchen fire, or he mayget a severe cold. Goodness knows what would happen if he gave it to theother animals and they all got to sneezing and coughing at the same time."

  And then the good woman took the little dog down into the hold of the Ark,where the pantry and kitchen were, and he was soon fast asleep by thestove, none the worse for his wetting.

  It was now time for supper, so Mrs. Noah busied herself preparing theevening meal, while Capt. Noah and his three sons, Ham, Shem and Japheth,fed the animals. This was not an easy matter, for each animal had adifferent taste, and the fodder had to be carefully measured so as to giveeach one enough and no more.

  The elephant ate almost a bale of hay for each meal, and the lion ateabout twenty large Delmonico steaks.

  "It's lucky we haven't a whale on board," said Capt. Noah, as he rolled abale of hay up to Mrs. Elephant, at the same time warning Ham not to givethe lion a sirloin steak by mistake.

  "You might feed the pigs, too," he added, wiping his forehead with ared-bordered handkerchief. "They seem to like you, Ham. I guess theyconsider you one of the family!"

  Marjorie thought the rabbits were very pretty, but just as she was aboutto play a game of hide and go seek with them, the supper bell rang, and assoon as the three Noah boys had washed their hands and combed their hairthey came to the table. Shem pulled out his mother's chair and Hampolitely helped Marjorie into hers.

  It was all very interesting to the little girl, and when Mrs. Noah lookedover at her and said, in a motherly way, "I always wanted a little girl ofmy own," Marjorie felt quite at home.

  "Thank you, ma'am," she said, "but I think you have very nice boys!"

  After the supper table was cleared and the dishes washed, Mrs. Noah andMarjorie went up on deck, where they found Capt. Noah contentedly smokinghis pipe. The three boys were having a merry time with the little dog. Therain had stopped and the sky was full of stars.

  "I don't know how much of a rainfall we have had this time," said Capt.Noah, "but it must have been pretty heavy, for there seems to be as muchwater around as there was when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights."

  And then, all of a sudden, a harsh, grating noise was heard and everybodyjumped up. "Have we struck a rock?" inquired Mrs. Noah anxiously.

  "I don't know," ans
wered Capt. Noah, peering over the side. "I can't seebottom."

  Suddenly the Ark stopped altogether.

  "Guess we're aground now, all right," said Japheth. "It's too dark to tellmuch about it, though."

  "No, it isn't!" cried a deep, gurgling voice, and their astonished eyessaw the head of a whale rise above the bow.

  "I have a passenger for you," continued the whale. "He doesn't like hispresent mode of travel, so I'm going to ship him over to you."

  "How do you know we want him?" inquired Capt. Noah, going forward toinvestigate. "We have a pretty full house as things are. And, besides, hemight be a Jonah."

  "That's just who he is!" spouted the whale, with a gleeful gurgle, andbefore any one could say "Jack Robinson!" Mr. Jonah appeared upon the deckof the Ark, and with a swish of his great tail the whale disappeared inthe darkness.

  "Sorry if I am intruding," said Mr. Jonah apologetically, "but the truthis it was so dark and uncomfortable inside that whale that I would havehad nervous prostration had I been obliged to remain there anotherminute."

  "Well," said Mrs. Noah, slowly, looking Mr. Jonah over and seeing that hewasn't such a bad looking person, after all, although a trifle damp,"we'll see how we get along."

  By this time Marjorie began to feel tired.

  "Would you mind," she said, turning to Mrs. Noah, "if I went to bed? Ifeel so sleepy, and it's long past Maria Jane's bedtime, I'm sure."

  "Come right along with me," answered Mrs. Noah kindly.

  "Good night, all," said Marjorie, following Mrs. Noah into the Ark.

  "You shall sleep in the room next to mine," said Mrs. Noah, turning to thelittle girl with a smile as she led the way into a pretty bedroom. "Wouldyou like me to unfasten your dress for you?"

  "I think I can manage that," replied Marjorie, "but if you wouldn't mind,I'd like to have you wait and tuck me in bed after I've said my prayers. Ican't very well tuck in the sheets at the side after I'm once in."

  So good, kind, motherly Mrs. Noah tucked in the little girl and kissed hergood night, and in a few minutes she was fast asleep, with her armstightly clasped around her rag doll, Maria Jane.