large/7245/short_story_053_1212_librivox_64kb_mp3/shortstory053_04_titbottomsspectacles_lja_64kb_81
large/7245/short_story_053_1212_librivox_64kb_mp3/shortstory053_04_titbottomsspectacles_lja_64kb
English
7245
She glided smoothly, slowly, over the summer sea. The warm morning air was sweet with perfumes, and silent with heat. The sea sparkled languidly, and the brilliant blue sky hung cloudlessly over. Scores of little island vessels had my grandfather seen coming over the horizon, and cast anchor in the port. SHE GLIDED SMOOTHLY SLOWLY OVER THE SUMMER SEA THE WARM MORNING AIR WAS SWEET WITH PERFUMES AND SILENT WITH HEAT THE SEA SPARKLED LANGUIDLY AND THE BRILLIANT BLUE SKY HUNG CLOUDLESSLY OVER SCORES OF LITTLE ISLAND VESSELS HAD MY GRANDFATHER SEEN COMING OVER THE HORIZON AND CAST ANCHOR IN THE PORT
dress along the streets of the little town. "'They ought to know,' said he, 'that I have a proper coat, and that not contempt, nor poverty, but forgetfulness, sent me to a ball in my dressing-gown.' "He did not much frequent social festivals after this failure, but he always told the story with satisfaction and a quiet smile. "To a stranger, life upon those little islands is uniform even to weariness. But the old native dons, like my grandfather, ripen in the prolonged sunshine, like the turtle upon the Bahama banks, nor know of existence more desirable. Life in the tropics, I take to be a placid torpidity. "During the long, warm mornings of nearly half a century, my grandfather Titbottom had sat in his dressing-gown, and gazed at the sea. But one calm June day, as he slowly paced the piazza after breakfast, his dreamy glance was arrested by a little vessel, evidently nearing the shore. He called for his spyglass, and, surveying the craft, saw that she came from the neighboring island. HER WAS SEEN PROMENADING IN FULL BALL DRESS ALONG THE STREETS OF THE LITTLE TOWN THEY OUGHT TO KNOW SAID HE THAT I HAVE A PROPER COAT AND THAT NOT CONTEMPT NOR POVERTY BUT FORGETFULNESS SENT ME TO A BALL IN MY DRESSING GOWN HE DID NOT MUCH FREQUENT SOCIAL FESTIVALS AFTER THIS FAILURE BUT HE ALWAYS TOLD THE STORY WITH SATISFACTION AND A QUIET SMILE TO A STRANGER LIFE UPON THOSE LITTLE ISLANDS IS UNIFORM EVEN TO WEARINESS BUT THE OLD NATIVE DAWNS LIKE MY GRANDFATHER RIPEN IN THE PROLONGED SUNSHINE LIKE THE TURTLE UPON THE BAHAMA BANKS NOR NO OF EXISTENCE MORE DESIRABLE LIFE IN THE TROPICS I TAKE TO BE A PLACID TORPIDITY DURING THE LONG WARM MORNINGS OF NEARLY HALF A CENTURY MY GRANDFATHER TIT BOTTOM HAD SAT IN HIS DRESSING GOWN AND GAZED AT THE SEA BUT ONE CALM JUNE DAY AS HE SLOWLY PACED THE PIAZZA AFTER BREAKFAST HIS DREAMY GLANCE WAS ARRESTED BY A LITTLE VESSEL EVIDENTLY NEARING THE SHORE HE CALLED FOR HIS SPY GLASS AND SURVEYING THE CRAFT SAW THAT SHE CAME FROM THE NEIGHBORING ISLAND
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