bottle; it'll fix your cough,
savvy? _Harry my_[1] and I'll measure you a tablespoonful in the palm of
my hand, for all our plate is at the bankers.' So I thought the old
party came up, and the nearer he came the less I took to him. But I had
passed my word, you see."

"Wot is this bloomin' drivel?" interrupted the clerk. "It's like the rot
there is in tracts."

"It's a story; I used to tell them to the kids at home," said Herrick.
"If it bores you, I'll drop it."

"O, cut along!" returned the sick man irritably. "It's better than
nothing."

"Well," continued Herrick, "I had no sooner given him the cough mixture
than he seemed to straighten up and change, and I saw he wasn't a
Tahitian after all, but some kind of Arab, and had a long beard on his
chin. 'One good turn deserves another,' says he. 'I am a magician out of
the "Arabian Nights," and this mat that I have under my arm is the
original carpet of Mohammed Ben Somebody-or-other. Say the word, and you
can have a cruise upon the carpet.' 'You don't mean to say this is the
Travelling Carpet?' I cried. 'You bet I do,' said he. 'You've been to
America since last I read the "Arabian Nights,"' said I, a little
suspicious. 'I should think so,' said he. 'Been everywhere. A man with a
carpet like this isn't going to moulder in a semi-detached villa.' Well,
that struck me as reasonable. 'All right,' I said; 'and do you mean to
tell me I can get on that carpet and go straight to London, England?' I
said 'London, England,' captain, because he seemed to have been so long
in your part of the world. 'In the crack of a whip,' said he. I figured
up the time. What is the difference between Papeete and London,
captain?"

"Taking Greenwich and Point Venus, nine hours, odd minutes and seconds,"
replied the mariner.

"Well, that's about what I made it," resumed Herrick, "about nine hours.
Calling this three in the morning, I made out I would drop into London
about noon; and the idea tickled me immensely. 'There's only one
bother,' I said, 'I haven't a copper cent. It would be a pity to go to
London and not buy the morning _Standard_.' 'O!' said he, 'you don't
realise the conveniences of this carpet. You see this pocket? you've
only got to stick your hand in, and you pull it out filled with
sovereigns.'"

"Double-eagles, wasn't it?" inquired the captain.

"That was what it was!" cried Herrick. "I thought they seemed unusually
big, and I remember now I had to go to the money-ch