Page:My Life and Loves.djvu/112

82 memory often prevents one thinking for oneself. I shall come back to this belief of mine when I later explain how want of books gave me whatever originality I possess. A good memory and books at command are two of the greatest dangers of youth and form by themselves a terrible handicap, but like all gifts a good memory is apt to make yon friends among the unthinking, especially when you are very young.

As a matter of fact, Doctor Keogh went about bragging of my memory and power of reciting, until some of the Cabin passengers became interested in the extraordinary schoolboy. The outcome was that I was asked to recite one evening in the First Cabin and afterwards a collection was taken up for me and a first-class passage paid and about twenty dollars over and above was given to me. Besides, an old gentleman offered to adopt me and play second father to me. but I had not got rid of one father to take on another, so I kept as far away from him as I decently could.

I am again, however, running ahead of my story. The second evening of the voyage, the sea got up a little and there was a great deal of sickness. Doctor Keogh was called out of his cabin and while he was away, someone knocked at the door. I opened it and found a pretty girl.

"Where's the Doctor?" she asked. I told her he had been called to a cabin passenger.

"Please tell him", she said, "when he returns, that Jessie Kerr, the chief Engineer's daughter, would like to see him".

"I'll go after him now if you wish, Miss Jessie". I said. "I know where he is".

"It isn't important", she rejoined, "but I feel giddy and he told me he could cure it".

"Coming up on deck is the best cure". I declared: