Let’s begin with a delightfully surreal design of a ship inexplicably anchored in a treetop, by George Washington Hood.
“Hidden treasures and lost children are always fascinating subjects for childhood. In “The Helter-Skelters” we have both, as well as a dear, lovable little lame girl, an old sailor man, a sea captain and a merry crowd of girls and boys known as “The Scowling Scots,” who are really the “Helter-Skelters”—most lovable and lively.”
Deep indeed! So, a children’s story … but what about that ship in a tree?
They sailed for many days, through rough seas and smooth, until — at last — land appeared on the horizon! Much of the day was spent approaching the coast, and the Petrel dropped anchor in early evening with the cliffs of the unknown land a short distance off to the west.
In the morning they sailed on, rounding a rocky promontory before sighting the low coastline that curved on before them. They took care in entering the large, open bay as the water grew more shallow, finally anchoring several hundred yards offshore.
Captain Finn took Benton to the rail facing the shore and spoke his piece. “I know you’ve not been happy, you scurvy dog,” he said affectionately. “And while I’d hate to lose you, I’ll offer you a choice which everyone has received but few have taken. You are most welcome to stay on board and we’ll continue our adventure and one day circle the globe. Or, if you wish, you may leave us now and be taken to shore on the last of our flatboats.”
“I’ll leave,” Benton replied immediately.
“Consider very carefully—though that gently curving coast may seem peaceful, the waves are rough and there are cliffs inland which must be climbed. It’s a long trek before you’ll encounter any inhabited land, though you’ll find sufficient food and water on the journey. Why take that route when the others remain with me on the Petrel?”
“No, Captain, I’m leaving. I can’t speak for any of the others, but in my opinion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this riveting tale on this, the first day of April. We’ll return before long with a post on a puzzle we encountered recently. There will be bindings, of course, but the subject falls more in the “and beyond” of our blog…
Guest bindings (in order of appearance) …..
Daulton, George. The Helter skelters. New York: Frederick Stokes, 1909. Signed GWH, George Washington Hood.
Hains, T. Jenkins. The cruise of the Petrel. New York: A. Wessels Co., 1906. Signed FP, Florence Pearl England Nosworthy.
Davenport, Charlotte C. Shepherd. A round-the-word jingle. Boston: Thomas Todd Company, Printers, 1918. Unsigned, unidentified.
Frothingham, Jessie Peabody. Sea-wolves of seven shores. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1904. Signed DD, Decorative Designers.
Page, Thomas Nelson. Elsket. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1891. Unsigned, by Margaret Armstrong.
Stockton, Frank R. John Gayther’s garden and the stories told therein. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1902. Signed EWC, Evelyn W. Clark.
Parrish, Randall. The last voyage of the Donna Isabel. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1908. Signed GM, Guernsey Moore.
Masefield, John. Salt-water poems and ballads. New York: Macmillan, 1916. Signed GH, possibly George Washington Hood.
Humphrey, L. H. The poetic old-world. New York: Henry Holt, 1909. Signed BS, Bertha Stuart.
Smith, Francis Hopkinson. The tides of Barnegat. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906. Signed BS, Frank Berkeley Smith.
Crosby, Irving B. Boston through the ages. Boston: Marshall Jones Company, 1928. Signed TBH, Theodore Brown Hapgood.
Walworth, Ellen H. An old world as seen through young eyes, or, Travels around the world. New York: D. & J. Sadlier & Company, 1877. Unsigned, unidentified.
Eggleston, George Cary. The last of the flatboats. Boston: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1900. Signed M within circle (unidentified)
Baring-Gould, S. Winefred. Boston: L.C. Page & Co., 1900. Signed with Amy M. Sacker’s monogram.
Wheelright, John T. A bad penny. Boston: L.C. Page & Company, 1901. Signed AB, Alfred Brennan.
Richards, Laura E. Love and rocks. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1898. Unsigned, by Amy M. Sacker.
Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart. Loveliness. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1899. Picture by Sarah S. Stilwell, lettering possibly by or after Sarah Whitman.
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