“[…]I’ll leave that until later—until we get on the boat. Know how to run one?” Mary said she didn’t. “Well, I’ll teach you, and when I get through with you, you’ll be a master marineress.”

Doesn't anybody recognize humor anymore, or have our faces gone completely stiff from thinking about good vs. evil or character balance or munchkin-zapping?

superficial muscles

Oh, they yelled, you could, eh? Well, let's see you do it, then! Let's see you do it! Let's see you do it! Now! In a moment the crew of little spectators were gibing at Horace. The blow that would make Jimmie's humiliation complete! Instead, it had boomeranged Horace into the mud.