men, who yelled
in such a frightful fashion about bursting boilers and rotten timbers
that the Roverings were very glad to find that they were on the wrong
dock, and that the Manhattan Beach boats started from a quiet wharf near
by, where there were no opposition steamers.

And now a most wonderful thing happened. The crowd on this first pier
was a most dreadful one, and yet neither of the Eds got lost in it, nor
did Mr. Rovering have his pocket picked; and this fact struck Mrs.
Rovering as so extraordinary that she stood still for a full minute in
the Battery Park before she could realize it, while an elevated railroad
engine overhead dripped grease all over the cherry-colored ribbon on her
hat.

After blundering into Castle Garden, and knocking at the door of a free
swimming bath, they succeeded in finding the boat they wanted, which,
after several very narrow escapes from being run into by ferry-boats,
running over tugs, swamping row-boats, and grazing barges, took them
safely to the pier where the cars were waiting.

With these latter the two Eds were much delighted, as they were open
ones, and consequently offered to them unlimited opportunities for
falling out and breaking their necks.

"Here we are!" suddenly announced Edgar, as the train slowed up and then
stopped; but after the heavy basket had been carefully lifted out, and
Mrs. Rovering had laboriously stepped down, they discovered that there
was no station there at all, and they had just time to squeeze back into
their places before the engine started again.

The family went through this performance three times, until finally Mr.
Rovering found out that these mysterious haltings were only made as a
matter of precaution before crossing other railroads.

But at last the cars stopped for good, and after waiting until everybody
else had left the train, the Roverings concluded that they had actually
arrived at the famous Manhattan Beach.

The two Eds were for at once dashing off to the shore, but Mrs. Rovering
declared that they hadn't time for play yet, as they must first walk up
as far as the new hotel, so as to be sure they had seen everything. Mr.
Rovering, however, had caught sight of the bathing pavilion, and decided
that, for fear they should forget it, they had better take a dip in the
ocean immediately.

So they all went into the Atlantic--and a good deal of it into them; and
on coming out, Mrs. Rovering was lost in more wonder than ever when s