Here and Now Story Book Part 13

(Begin very softly rising to a climax with "I'm here" and gradually dying to a faint whisper)

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming.

I'M HERE, I'M HERE, I'M HERE, I'M HERE, I'M HERE, I'M HERE, I'M HERE, I'M HERE.

I'm Going, I'm Going, I'm Going, I'm Going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going."

THE FOG BOAT STORY

The refrains must be intoned if not sung to get the proper effect. Most of the informational parts of the original story have been cut out. The story grew out of questions asked before breakfast on foggy days, and was originally told to the sound of the distant fog horns.

THE FOG BOAT STORY

Early, early one morning, all the fog boats were talking. This is the way they were going:

"Toot, toot, toot, too-oot, to-oo-oot!" (on many different keys.)

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Way down at the wharf a big steamer was being pulled out into the river.

The furnaces were all going for the stokers were down in the hole shoveling coal, down in the hole shoveling coal, shoveling coal, and a lot of black smoke was coming out of the smoke stack. And the engines were working, chug, chug, chug. And all the baggage and freight had been put down in the hold. And all the food had been put on the ice. And all the pa.s.sengers were on board and the gang-plank had been pulled up. And this is what the big steamer was saying:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Toot toot I'm mov-ing; toot toot I'm mov-ing."]

And do you know what was making the steamer move? What was pulling her out into the river? It was a little tug boat and the tug boat had hold of one end of a big rope and the other end of the rope was tied fast to the steamer. And the little tug boat was puffing and chucking and working away as hard as he could and calling out:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Too too too too toot I'm aw-ful smart; too too too too toot I pull big things."]

And do you know why the tug boat and the steamer were talking like this?

It is because they were afraid they might b.u.mp into some other s.h.i.+p in the fog for they can't see in the fog. You know how white and thick the fog can be.

So the old steamer and the little tug boat both kept tooting until they were way out in the middle of the river.

"Toot, toot, I'm moving." "Tootootootootoot, I'm awful smart."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Now when they were way out in the middle of the river, the little tug boat dropped the rope from the big steamer and turned around. As it puffed away it called out:

"Too-too-too-tootoot, I'm going home Too-too-too-tootoot, I'm awful smart."

Then the big steamer moved slowly down the river towards the great ocean calling through the fog:

"Toot, toot, I'm moving."

Up on the captain's bridge stood the pilot. He is the man who tells just where to make the steamer go in the harbor. He knows where everything is. He knows where the rocks are on the right and he didn't let the steamer b.u.mp them. He knows where the sand reef is on the left and he didn't let the steamer get on to that. He knows just where the deep water is and he kept the steamer in it all the time.

Now down on the right so close that it almost b.u.mped, there went a flat boat. This boat was saying:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Toot toot My load is heavy, load is heavy, load is heavy, toot,"]

And that was a coal barge. And then down on the left so close that it almost b.u.mped on the other side they heard another boat saying:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Too toot, back & forth, Too toot, back & forth"]

And that was a ferry boat! Then off on the right they heard a great big deep voice. This is what it said:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Toot toot, 'tis I"]

And that was a war boat! And every time the old steamer answered:

"Toot, toot, I'm moving."

Once off on the left the pa.s.sengers could hear this:

"Ding----g! dong----g!

Hear my song----g!

Ding----g! dong----g!"

And what bell do you think that was way out there? A bell buoy rocking on the water! Every time the wave went up it said, "ding" and every time the wave went down it said, "dong."

By this time the old steamer was out of the harbor way out in the open sea. The pilot came down from the captain's deck; he climbed down the rope ladder to the little pilot boat that was tied close to the big steamer. Then the little pilot boat pushed away into the fog calling:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Too too toot too toot I'm go-ing go-ing home"]

And again the big steamer answered:

"Toot, toot, I'm moving."

Then way off on the left so far away it could barely hear it, it heard:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Musical Score "Don't hit me, toot toot, don't hit me, toot toot"]

And that was a sail boat! Then way off on the right so far away it could barely hear it, it heard

"Toot, toot, I'm moving"

and that was another steamer.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

And again the big steamer answered: