The Washington times., 1905-10-01


Like as nor yau are horse thieves or
well tell you that NC would have put
you into Jail long ago on general prin-
ciples. IL we only had JAIL
well. what do YOU want us &c do?
Starve2 roared the captain. who was
not accustomed TO such blunt talk
No" replied the settler. we do not
want you 10 do anything. We don't care
what you dc. It's none OF our busi-
ness
Now. If Captain staybolt had been
cast adrift suddenly in the very middle
of the Atlantic ocean. he would have
known very well what to do. But. be-
ing in the very middle of a lot of dry
land. he felt nerfectly helpless. No
doubt he would have starved had it not
been for the baIloonist. who was a per-
son of great shrewdness.
The balloonist thought for while and
then he said suddenly:
There are lots of trees around here.
How long do you suppose il would take
you 10 build ship?"
The captain thought that he might
finish ship (not very good one. but
good enough for the interior OF a coun-
try) within three months.
Very We'll" said the balloonist. "Go
ahead. and III kill enough game to keep
us alive till then"
But what is the use of a ship?' roar
ed the captain.
why. I'll tell YOU" replied the bal
loonist. Yesterday | discovered a very
fine lake on top Of the mountain along
side Of this valley. and / found that If
We were 10 cut just a few hundred feet
or earth away, the water would flow
down the side Of the mountain and make
a lake down here You will remember
that the settlers have informed us that
they don't care what we do. AS they
choose to follow their own pursuits of
the land there Is no reason that / can
see why you should not follow your own
pursuits OF the sea If we make
lake here, the only way that
the different people can visit each
other or get their crops 10 market
or ger PROVISIONS from the outside world
viii be by ship. l have measured the
place, and / find that some of the farms
VIII be real islands and vet there will
not be enough water when II is all
I spread out to drown any of them or
/ TO overflow their property, because all
the farms are on high ground. The water
viii only cover the land that belongs
10 nobody. so. of course nobody can
object
That is a very good idea" said Capt
! Obed Staybolt. He went to work at
! once TO build the ship, and whenever a
settler asked him what he was doing he
said; None of your business"
SO everybody in the valley was truly
amazed one morning when dawn came
ana Shone on a great inland sea all
around them, with Capt. Obed Staybolt'
4 Snip saillng placidly to and fro on H.
Al first the people were terribly angry
and they threatened to kill the captain
ana ms companion. But the captain
| sailed close to them and explained tc
them that in the first place they couldn't
catch him because they had no boats
and In the second place they could not
Eet along without him because they
didn't know anything about navigation
They thought this over for q time
ana decided that he was right. So final
~ they agreed with him to let him dc
baloonist organized the Dry Land and
interior Navigating Company. and there
they are 10 this day. sailing their shin
around among the farms and collecting
SO much for passenger fares and freight
mat both OF them are so rich that they
DO not know what TO do with their
money.
They are thinking now OF inviting
some nice children out there so they
can spend some of their wealth oil
candy and TOYS. Perhaps you viii get
! an invitation If YOU are especially good
thls coming year. so that your school
reports will be satisfactory.