The Tupelo journal., 1910-01-28

~ ~ y0a o.
the kind of engineer who'll keep her
red-hot, tell me right off and we'll get
another. And don't you fuss about
burning coal, captain. And see that
the crew get all they can eat and not
a drop of drink but tea and coffee,
if you let 'em go on shore once In a
while, see that they come home right
side up with care, captain, and make
each of 'em say truly rural and Brit
ish Constitution before he goes 20
bed, and if he can't, you just unship
him, or whatever you call it on a boat.
Understand, %captain@"
The captain understood and kept his
c~ountenance.
Nov, l want to know n thing"
continued the new owner. What's
the nearest sea port to Bayreuth, Ba-
varia?"
Venice answered the captain
without the least hesitation, and so
quickly that Mr.. Van Torp was I'M
mediately suspicious.
IF that's so, you're pretty smart"
he observed.
"You can telephone to Cooks office.
sir, and ask them," said the captain
I quietly.
The instrument was on the table at
+ Mr.. Van Torp's elbow. He looked
| sharply at the captain, as ne un-
hooked the receiver and set it to his
ear. In a few seconds communication
was given.
Cooks office? Yes. Yes. This is
Mr.. Van Torp, Rufus Van Torp of
| New York. Yes. l want to know
what's the nearest sea port to Bay
reuth, Bavaria. Yes. Yes. That's
just what / want to know. Yes. I'll
hold the wire while you look it up"
He was not kept waiting long.
Venice, you say? You're sure you're
right, l suppose? Yes. Yes. l was
only asking. No thank you. If l want
a ticket I'll look in myself. Much
obliged. G%ood-by."
He hung the receiver in its place
again, and turned to his captain with
a different expression, in which ad-
miration and satisfaction were quite
apparent.
Well" he said, you're right. It's
Venice. l must say that, for an Eng
lishman, you're quite smart"
The captain smiled quietly, but did
not think it worth while to explain
that the last owner with whom he had
sailed had been Wagner-mad and had
gone to Bayreuth regularly. More
over, he had judged his man already.
Am / to proceed to Venice at once,
sir?" he asked.
CAS- quick as you can, captain"
The Englishman looked at his watch
deliberately, and made a short mental
calculation before he said anything. 1t
was II in the morning.
Il can get to sea by five o'clock this
afternoon, sir. Will that do?"
Mr.. Van Torp was careful not to be-
tray the least surprise.
"Yes," he said, as if he were not
more than fairly satisfied, "thatu dc
nicely"
VERY we'll, sir, then I'll be off. It's
about 5000 miles, and she's supposed
to do that at IS knots with her own
coal. Say eight days. But as this is
her maiden trip we must make allow
ance for having to stop the engines
once or twice. Good-morning, sir"
"Good-day, captain. Get in some
coal and provisions as 500 as you ar
rive in Venice. / may want to go to
Timbuctoo, or to Andaman islands or
something. I'm that sort of a man.
I'm not sure where I'll go. Good-by."
The captain stopped at the first tele-
graph Office on his way to the Water
loo station and te~legraphed both to his
chief engineer, Mr.. M'Cosh, and his
chief mate, Mr.. Johnson, for he
thought it barely possible that one or
the other might be ashore.
Must have steam by 4 p. ~. to-day
to sail at c. long voyage. Coming
next train. Owner in hurry. Send
ashore for my wash. Brown, Captain"
When the clocks struck five on
shore that afternoon, and the man at
the wheel struck two bells from the
wheelhouse, and the lookout forward
repeated them on the ships bell, all
according to the most approved mod
ern fashion on large steamers, the
beautiful Lancashire Lass was steam
ing OUT upon Southampton water.
Out of the merest curiosity MI. Van
Torp telegraphed to Cowes to be in
formed of the exact moment at which
his yacht was under way, and before
six o'clock he had a message.
yacht sailed at 4:39."
The new owner was so much
pleased that he actually smiled, for
Capt. Brown had been 81 minutes bet
ter than his word.
II guess he'll do" though Mr.. Van
Torp. Il only hope / may need him."
He was not at all sure that he
should need the Lancashire Lass and
Capt. Brown: but it has often been
noticed that in the lives of born fnan-
ciers even their caprices often turn
out to their advantage, and that their
least logical impulses in business mat
tiers are worth more than the sober
judgment of ordinary men.
AS for Capt. Brown, he was a quiet
little person with a rather pink face
and sparkling blue eyes, and he knew
his business. In fact he had passed
as extra master. He knew that he
was in the service of one of the rich
est men in the world. and that he COM
manded a vessel likely to turn out one
of the finest yachts afloat, and he did
not mean to lose such a berth either
by piling up his ship, or by being slow