Lost Abroad By George Alfred Townsend Author:George Alfred Townsend General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1872 Original Publisher: S. M. Betts and company Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where... more » you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER n. The Contractor's Family. A Small, shrewdly featured gentleman, of that bodily composition known as " knotty," came presently from the opposite direction, and nodded pleasantly to Apple- gate, as he warmed his hands at the smoke-stack. Ho wore a steel fob chain, with a bit of the Atlantic cable at the end of it, and one of his large fingers supported a large ring, bearing upon a red seal the design of an arm wielding a hammer. "Rather fine ship, this,"said the gentleman ; "wonder what it cost to build six of 'em ? " Applegate smiled at the oddity of the question. " Costs a power to run "em," continued the stranger, shutting one eye and looking. very shrewdly with the other, as if at an invisible caleulation, -- "wear and tear, crew, coal -- By the way, who furnishes 'em with coal?" " I am sure it never occurred to me to ask," said Applegate. The little person laughed quietly, and took the dimensions of the ship with one eye, and counted something on his fingers. " Wessels of all sorts bad stock," he said. " Storms, you know; but then storms good things for marine insurance." As Applegate was at a loss what to say, the other went on warming his hands, speaking the while. "I haven't had nothing much to do with craft; bought ten ferry-boats on a wenture, that's so ! Six of 'em sunk, as was natural. Got my money back on four. Bought a fleet of sloops and schooners, likewise; hay, you know." "Heigh, sir !" said Applegate, alarmed at the other's abruptness. " Yes, hay -- straw -- fodder -- I promised 'em all to the War Department." "Oh ! "cri...« less