The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-11-23

Tire Mad Sea Captain.

The Mad sea-captain.
IAeutenans Donald Pagef, emerginl
from iia navy otfiee III Washington y
a state ~ high exuberanea at having
received command 81 submarine, col.
lldea violently with d tali elderly man
~ singular aspect.
The stranger wax dressed In quasi
nautical costume 81 his own deglaing
resembling nothing known 70 any naYy
III the worid. Iiia irongray beard
swept down 10 Eia waist, giving hlm
the aspect III 4 Notwithstanding
Noah and just then no was very angry
indeed, for, standing atOckatlll az the
entrance ~ the building, he shook his
enormous aAt nj ono 81 The portera,
whose black and highly shocked *.
precision indicated hia unhappy frame
Of mind at thls breach of decorun.
"Confnund you. slrla exclaimed Tho
lieutenant augrliy as he reeolled from
his impact upon the sturdy figure on
which the collision had made no more
impression than II he had fallen
against the Washington monument.
tYhy don't you look
Then. catching sight OF the long
heard Why Captain Masterman +
he exclaimed.
Dorald Pageti r. cried the elderly
man, &nfping him By the hand. Eek
euse my being upset, bnt theses jacks
in-otiice VIII be the death ~ the .repnbr
llc enc of these days, have Just
been trying 70 see the secretary on a
matter affecting not only America Ia
which case his Indifference would not
surprise me but the entire human
race. What 90 you suppose they told
meY
- am inclined 10 think that you got
no further than the porter, captain
replied the lieutenant.
"iSsEhI, STRIP exclaimed Masternan,
begiaainR II grow nnsry again. "And
III ! Wgrs not mau ~ supefhnmAr
patience. combined with iaexhaustihl'
tact, singular clarity az mind. and te.
nacity ~ purpose~In fact, An ohstl'
nate old mule I should let tho human
race KS hangi"
lieutenant Paget took the irate old
man IS the arm Il wouldn't do that.
enpfain," ne sald. smlilHg "Como aud
ten fne aii about II, and let us see
whether We ennn0t devise some means
~ saving me race You see. now that
the navy department II 80 busy on ae-
count 0f the war, perhaps 4 little leni-
ency With its shortcomings might be
10 order eh3'
..rhe warf what WARP demanded
Masferuan.
@Why. our few words with the Ger
mans, Masterman."
whats that7 War with the Ger
mansf You don't mean 20 tell me we
are al war with Germany
"Do you mean 20 say yen don't
know that America and Germany are
at WARE demanded Pgget incredu'
iously.
enc. slrs And, what's more, Il
doesn't interest me. How tho deuce
should know all the gossip and fFiyol
titles 81 the day when | only returned
20 the capital yesterday
'.I1t. my dear captain gossip ans
frlyellties e exclaimed the lieutenant
"surely yon have seen newspapers, o
heard people talking about itf'
II tell sou ] haven't seen OF hear,
anything Tvs eot more Emporium
thinEs "a think about. Anyhow, Il VII
have to BE- stopped AZ once" said Mas
tetnan. halG turnlng si'li have % 8
back and 500 the secretary ltnmed
Ately.s
However. he suffered bis eOmpanlo
10 lead him out ~ the building Rn
along the street while the ueutepan
FIRMLY convinced that his old frler
was mad. held him ~ the arm tightl
and llstenvd to fhs captaiu's dialoints
mutteFings N the hepe Ok discoyerif
the nature u his dalusion,
Fb6aald Paget had known CaptaI
Jonathan Masgernan when he was
Annapolis. where the cid man. wi
had enee been qunrtprHaster Ia q
navy. held q subsidiary position on q
INSTRUCTORS stan The acaaalutant
had ecutinned Internationally Aasts
mnn hSd risen IL llfe until he ohtnin'
ths epsunssna % ship titted out, RAJ
" ~ private subscription. partly ~
ths AID % = government subsidy, {
the purpose % deep sea exploration,
L. thls and subsequent expedi,io
he had made a name fos himself
the remarkable nature 81 bis dlsce
cries, lae had discovered the prolQ
gation II the Submarine spur u 1
eonfinentsl shelf, extending from {
Norwegian coast toward the Farce
be had Invested an Improved net I
seoopsng W the larger denixens of I
oeean depths: and then be had nui
Ted All the personal appreciation =
Tame which be had seqaired duri
bis various voyages By asserting u
nGmneiian life existed on the I