The Monticellonian., 1918-08-02
Cap'n Ben's Spy Glass
 sa- By JONATHAN BANG of The VigiIdnfes
By JONATHAN RANI


 figure that I knew at once
 Taller than most men and slow in his movements, his clothes q combina- tion of nautical and rustic, he stood out like a lone pine tree In a field. He was the ideal type of the old-fash- toned New England shipmaster. with an eye as blue as the sky on a summer day. l recalled how I had first seen him at a little town down East where l was spending my summer vacation. He was standing out on the wharf looking out to sea through a large spy glass We had got into conversation, he had taught me how to use the glass and l had learned how greatly he val ued It and had carried it around the world with him on several voyages.
 Seeing him again now in the crowd ed station, l went up to him at once.
 "Why, Cap'n Ben" I exclaimed, where in the world did you come from and what are you doing in BostonY
 Oh my daughter is married to feller that works down In the market district and I've been up here maxim them q visit. I'm goin' back tonight on the train. I'd rather go down by boat, but they have pulled 'em all off on account of the war"
 well, how is the old spyglass?" I said. 'I presume you go down every lStle while and have q look around just as you did last summer"
 Gapn Ben paused minute before he answered and then said, "There's quite tile yarn ter spin about that old glass since you last saw her. My train don't go for an hour and if you have the time and would like to hear 1t I'll spin 1t to yer"
 Well. Captain. real yarn from real sailor isn't to be heard every day. I think that we had better take one of these seats and you reel it off to me-
 Old Man Did His Bit
 .Yer know" said Cap'n Ben after being seated, q told yer last summer that I thought q powerful lot of that glass and I didn't think that she and I would ever part company, and now, by jingo. Pye sold her, or just as good as sold her for a dollar"
 Why. Cap'n Ben" exclaimed, "how did that happen?"
 "Well. I'll tell you" resumed Cap'n Ben. Ever since Uncle Sam went in- ter this war, I've felt meaner than q skunk that I want in it. I wrote to Washington and to some kind of q shipping board here in Boston offerin' I,,IY hao was too old. I ain't but seventy-three at that, and then, too they said that they wanted men who had experience in steam and as I'd been on wind. jammer all the lime I went to sea, they didn't seem ter have any place for me
 'Well, of course, like everybody else, l was reading in the papers as how the submarines were sinking vessels right and left and how our boys on the de stroyers had gone over to help the English ter destroy that special breed of sea lice and one day saw a piece saying that the navy was mighty shy of marine glasses of all kinds Ii seems that most of them had been made in Germany and we couldn't make them here fast enough because we hal to have lot of 'em right away ql ok, and this article said that if anybody had a spyglass or pair of binoculars, If they would send them to the navy department they could use them to mighty good advantage; it said that Uncle sam would pay dol lar for the use of them and return them after the war, but if they were lost the dollar was to be the purchase price of 'em. It seems that they had to give you the dollar. for there was some kind of law that wouldn't let you give 'em to the government.
 "Well, I got to thinking the thing over, and I concluded that if they wouldn't give me a show, here was a chance for the old glass to do her bit, and I sent her along. My name was engraved on 1t, had that done years ago, and in about a week 1 got q letter from this man Roosevelt who is as- sistant secretary of the navy, saying he had received 1t.
 Glass Saved Thousands of Men.
 I good deal, but I didn't regret it fer a minute, although I'll admit I didn't bank much on ever seeing her ag'in.
 "Well, do you know about three weeks ago I got one of these letters from across that had been opened by the censor; I couldn't imagine who it was from, and I looked at 1t quite while before opened it. but when I did I sure got good surprise. I've got the letter here in my pocket and you can read 1t for yourself"
 He took out large, old-fashioned wallet from an inside coat pocket and took letter from its spacious depths and handed 1t to me to read.
 "Mr BenJ. F. Buck:
 Dear Sir-I have In my possession, aboard the U. s. torpedo destroyer J., a spyglass on which your name Is engraved As I am. aware that q great many patriotic citizens have con- tributed such articles to the U. s. navy, take it for granted that you were one of that number. As this glass was only yesterday probably the means of saving the lives of several thousands of our boys on one of our transports. thought it might interest you to be acquainted with the fact. Of course naval regulations are such that I cannot at present give you the details of the affair. but after the war yc oyor I homo to mpet VOu and fell