Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-08-24
CHAPTER v.
The Captain Makes a Friend.

.>lfD minutes later ne was at the
street corner inquiring Of a po-
liceman 1.-THE handiest way to get
to Pine street" Following the direc-
tons given, he boarded a train at the
nearest subway station, emerged at
Wall street, inquired once more, To-
Gated the street he was looking for
and, consulting a card which he took
from q big stained leather pocketbook,
walked ON, peering at the numbers Of
the buildings he passed.
The offices of Sylvester, Kuhn &
Graves were on the sixteenth floor of
a new and %gorgeously appointed sky
scraper. When Captain Elisha entered
the firms reception he was &C.
costed by a wide awake and extremely
self possessed office boy.
Informed by the one toe courteous
lad that none Of the firm vas In, he
left his card, saying he'd return later.
Captain Elisha strolled down Pine
street, looking about him with interest.
II had been years sine. he, visited this
locality, and the changes were many.
Soon, however, he began to recognize
familiar landmarks. He was approach
ing the water front, and there were
fewer new buildings. When he reached
South street he was thoroughly at
home.
The docks were crowded. The river
was alive with small craft of all kinds.
Steamers and schooners were plenty,
but the captain missed the old square
riggers, the clipper ships and banks,
such as he had sailed in as cabin boy,
as foremost hand and later command
ed on many seas.
At length, however, he saw four masts
towering above the roof Of a freight
house. They were not schooner rugged,
those masts. The yards were set square
across, and along with them were furl-
ed royals and upper topsails. Here at
last was a craft worth looking at. Cap
tain Elisha crossed the street, hurried
past the covered freight house and saw
a magnificent great ship lying beside a
broad, open wharf. Down the wharf
he walked, joyfully, as one who greets
an old friend.
The wharf was practically deserted.
An ancient Waterman was doing in a
sort of sentry box, but he did not wake.
There was a pile of foreign looking
crates and boxes at the farther end of
the pier, evidently the last bit of cargo
waiting to be carted away. The cap
tain inspected the pile, recognized the
goods as Chinese and japanese, then
read the name on the big ships stern.
She was the Empress Of the Ocean, and
her home port was Liverpool.
The captain strolled about, looking
her over. The number of improvements
since his seagoing days was astonish-
ing. He was standing by the wheel,
near the companionway, wishing that
he might inspect the officers quarters,
but not liking to do so without an in
vitation, when two men emerged from
the cabin.
One of the pair vas evidently the
japanese steward of the ship. The 9th
er was a tall, clean cut young fellow,
whose general appearance and lack of
sunburn showed quite plainly that he
was not a ~seafaring man by profession.
He said he was a friend of one of the
c~onsignees and would be pleased to
show the captain over the ship.
Captain Elisha, delighted with the
opportunity, expressed his thanks, and
the tour of inspection began. The
steward remained on deck, but the
captain and his new acquaintance
strolled through the officers quarters
together.
"Jerushy! exclaimed the former as
he viewed the main cabin. Say, you
could pretty nigh have a dance here,
couldn't you? A small one. This re-
minds me of the cabin aboard the Sea
gull, first vessel l went mate Gifts
so different. Aboard her we had to
walk sittin' down. There want room
In the cabin for more'n one to stand
up at a time. But she could sail, just
the same, and carry 1t too. I've seen
her off the Horn with studdin' sails
set when craft twice her length and
tonnage had everything furled above