Excerpt from The Storied SeaThrough the courtesy Of the editor Of the New York Independent, I now have the opportunity, and it is a deep pleasure to think that in this new dress I shall be recognized and welcomed as an old acquaintance. As indicated in my initial chapter, I have not tried to entertain the privileged few who have everything, but have sought to amuse those whose recreations are not nrany, -the poor and the sick, the sorry and the dissat isfied. This last is a pale procession, like theinnumerable company John saw, which no man could\nrimber for multitude. In the summer voyage, ~very precious to me, among my unseen friends have been the bride in Nebraska who denied herself butter for a season that she might subscribe to the Independent, and the young girl in Vermont who wants to know why she, who loves poetry so well, carr not write it. Nor have I strained to be in structive. Schools and libraries are crammed with useful knowledge, and the lrackneyed sights of the Elder World may be paved with ponderous volumes of accurate description of the shining Orient I have aimed only at an easy familiarity of talk, such as we would have together should we meet, as I hope we may, some happy morning. The guide-book is for the student of facts, - let me refer you to Baedeker and Murray, but these transient pictures in water are for the gentle, patient soul Wanting rest from that weariness known in our dear native land as mental culture. Parting is sweet sorrow to lovers whisper ing in the starlit stillness of Italian nights.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.