Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
THE CAPTAINS. TYPEWRITER

| HE CAP AIMS .TYPEWRtT TER
When the U. s. S. Baltimore limped into
| the harbor of Honolulu, two years ago last
January, on her way from the China sta
| ton to San Francisco, she was pretty
| tough-looking man-o'-war as she had a Ii
cense to be, for she had been about twenty
| five days out of Yokohama, and had been
hove to, in one Of the worst-typhoons ever
| known in the China seas for eleven solid
! days-right in the trough of it, AMI often
| enough in danger of completely turning
| turtle She had lost a couple of seamen.
who were swept overheard by the green
seas that washed the to'gallant foc'sle,
and her ships carpenter had been killed by
being damned about while making some re-
pairs. The Baltimore wasn't structurally
damaged, but she was badly bunged up,
and everything washable on ali decks had
been carried adrift by the terrific seas. Her
| fighting tops rested on the spar deck-they
had to be lowered, to give the ship better
Fighting qualities in the blow-and, in gen
eral, when she crawled into Honolulu har-
Dor a the rate of about two knots an hour,
the Baltfmore-a beautiful cruiser, when
rlgnt-was seedy enough looking fighting
packet.
She anchored alongside the yacht-like
Bennington. Anchored about a hundred
nington was one of the most beautiful
steam pleasure yachts in the world-the
Eleanor Of Providence, r. l. The name of
her multi-millionaire owner-the son of a
famous philanthropist-need not be given
here, for he figures largely in the story;
but people who know about wonderfully
beautiful yachts know about the Eleanor
She had been in Honolulu harbor about a
week, and she was proceeding lesurely to
San Francisco. Her owner, the muti-mil-
lfonaire, man of about forty, was aboard
of her, with his beautiful young wife i'd
their two-year-old baby. The muIti-mil-
Honaires wife was tall slender and very
beautiful young woman of twenty-three.
They had been making tour of the world
on the Eleanor and had been away from
the United States for more than year.
The officers of the Bennington had been
charmingly entertained aboard the yacht
and the multi ilionaire often went off
from his yacht in his steam cutter to the
bennington. The social relations between
the gunboat and the yacht were very pleas
ant.
When the Baltimore dropped her mud
hook alongside the Bennington d number of
the officers of the latter ship went aboard
OF her. They were accompanied by the
multi-millonaire owner of the Eleanor,
who had been dining in the ward room with
the Bennington's officers. The Bennington
party went aft aboard the Baltimore to see
the commanding officer, who was, and is,
one OF the genuinely genial officers of the
American navy. The captain told the Ben
nington, s officers OF the severe time he had
had OF 1t with his ship.
Il m rather worried about getting in nv
report of the blow said the captain "The
Australia is going up from here tomorrow
morning to San Francisco with the mails
ana ia like to send my report to the Navy
department up in her. But / haven't even
begun to write it yet, and the yeoman who
has been doing all of my typewriting on the
ASlatlc station was hurled out of his ham
mock during the blow and badly bruised
He's now in the sick bay He's the only
man aboard who knows how to manipulate
a typewriter, and l want to send a type
written report | fear I'll have to defer
making the report until the next steamer
goes up
Perhaps not. captain" said the multi
millionaire, stepping forward. Il fancy /
can undertake to get you a typayriter
Shes on board my craft, and acts as INV
secretary and L think L can guarantee that
smell take your report on the typewriter
II you care to dictate it to her."
The captain of the Baltimore was delight
ed, and he thanked the multi-millionaire
cordially. The latter stepped into a steam
cutter, went over to his yacht and in ten
minutes returned with his charming young
VIE. Ihe BenningtonS officers understood
and smiled. The captain of the Baltimore
Old not understand. but he was pleased
nevertheless.
Captain, permit me to present you to
my secretary, said the multi millionaire
stepping aft on the quarterback of the Bal
timore with his blushing WIFE Her ser
vices are yours until you have finished
ulclatlng your report OF the typhoOn."
The captain escorted the young woman
aft to his cabin and Immediately plunged
into the dictation of the report The young
woman's fingers flew over the keys. She
more than kept pace with the debating
commanding officer, and when he came to
a pause she was always looking up from
the machine, waiting for more words to get
down.
Surely, you handle that machine with
marvellous rapidity,'' said the commanding
officer, smilingly, to his typewriter pro tenn.
He dictated for some hours, and the re-
port was finished Then the yacht was sig
nailed to, and the yachts steam cutter
carrying the multi millionaire, went along
side the Baltimore to take aboard the
young woman Secretary"
Il very heartily appreciate this Kindness"
said the commanding officer to the multi
millionaire. You have an extraordinarily
Skilful secretary
And quite amiable a wife" said the
multi-millonaire, smiling. Then he pre-
scented his wife such to the somewhat
confused commanding officer of the Balti-
more.
II had the honor to become acquainted
with my wife, you know said the multi
millionaire to the captain, when she was
employed in my office in the states as a
typewriter