The Project Gutenberg EBook of Harper's Young People, May 4, 1880, by Various

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Title: Harper's Young People, May 4, 1880
An Illustrated Weekly

Author: Various

Release Date: May 19, 2009 [EBook #28881]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, MAY 4, 1880 ***

Produced by Annie McGuire

[Illustration: HARPER'S

YOUNG PEOPLE

AN ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY.]

* * * * *

VOL. I.--NO. 27. PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK. PRICE FOUR
CENTS.

Tuesday, May 4, 1880. Copyright, 1880, by HARPER & BROTHERS. $1.50 per
Year, in Advance.

* * * * *

[Illustration: "THERE SAT THE OLD ONE-LEGGED SAILOR, JACK
PEABODY."--[SEE NEXT PAGE.]]

ROB'S NAVY.

BY W. O. STODDARD.

The tide was just out on the Staten Island shore, and the water in the
little cove below Mr. Drake's residence was as smooth as a pan of milk
with the cream on.

Nothing in the shape of a ship ought to have tipped over in such water
as that.

So Rob Drake had thought, but every time he shoved his new ship away
from the flat rock at the head of the cove, over she went. First on one
side, then on the other, it did not seem to make much difference which.
She stood up well enough so long as Rob kept hold of her, but as soon as
ever he let go, down she tumbled.

Rob was about twelve years old, and he believed he knew all about ships.

Did he not live on Staten Island, right across the bay from New York?
Did he not go over to the city on the great ferry-boat every now and
then, and see all the shipping at the wharves, and sail past all sorts
of craft on the way there and back?

Some of them, he knew, came from almost all the countries in the world,
and he had seen hundreds of them sail out of the harbor to go home
again.

Of course Rob knew all about ships; but this one, on which he and Larry
McGee had been whittling and working for a week, seemed determined to
float bottom up.

What could be the matter?

"Larry, she's top-heavy."

"No, she ain't. It's ownly a sort of a thrick she's got. All she wants
is practice."