e should not be
having such a meal as this to-day," remarked Mrs. Tolman.

"You are right," was Mr. Ackerman's reply. "Let me see! Fruit from
Florida, California and probably from Italy; flour from the Middle West;
coffee from South America; sugar probably from Cuba; turkey from Rhode
Island, no doubt; and vegetables from scattered New England farms. Add
to this cigarettes from Egypt and Turkey and you have covered quite a
portion of the globe."

"It is a pity we do not consider our indebtedness to our neighbors all
over the world oftener," commented Mr. Tolman. "We take so much for
granted these days. To appreciate our blessings to the full we should
have lived in early Colonial times when the arrival of a ship from
across the ocean was such an important event that the wares she brought
were advertised broadcast. Whenever such a vessel came into port a list
of her cargo was issued and purchasers scrambled eagerly to secure the
luxuries she carried. Pipes of wine, bolts of cloth, china, silks,
tea--all were catalogued. It was no ordinary happening when such a boat
docked, I assure you."

"I suppose it was a great event," reflected Mrs. Tolman, "although I
never half realized it."

"And not only was the advent of merchandise a red-letter day but so was
the advent of travelers from the other side of the water. Picture if you
can the excitement that ensued when Jenny Lind, the famous singer,
visited this country! And the fact that we were now to hear this
celebrated woman was not the only reason for our interest. She had
actually come in a ship from across the sea! Others would come also.
America was no longer cut off from the culture of the old world, an
isolated country bereft of the advantages of European civilization. We
were near enough for distinguished persons to make trips here! Charles
Dickens and the Prince of Wales came--and how cosmopolitan we felt to be
entertaining guests from the mother-country! Certainly the Atlantic
could not be very wide if it could be crossed so easily and if we could
have the same speakers, the same readers, the same singers as did the
English! Our fathers and grandfathers must have thrilled with
satisfaction at the thought. The ocean was conquered and was no longer
an estranging barrier."

"What would they have said to crossing the water by aeroplane or bobbing
up in a foreign port in a submarine?" put in Doris.

"And some day I suppose the marvels of our age that cause our mout