the news."

"Tell it!" Cappy snapped.

"The Retriever arrived at Grays Harbor this morning, Mr. Ricks. She's
broken the record for a fast passage," and he handed Cappy Ricks a
telegram.

"Bless my withered heart!" Cappy declared, and opened his other eye.
"You don't tell me? Well, well, well! All Hands And Feet is making
good right off the bat, isn't he?" Cappy chuckled. "Skinner, my dear
boy," he bragged, "did you ever see me start out to pick a skipper and
hand myself the worst of it?"

"No, sir," Mr. Skinner maintained dutifully, and turned away to hide a
wicked little smile, which under the circumstances Skinner was
entitled to.

"And you never will, Skinner. Paste that in your hat, boy. That big
Swede, Peterson, can handle a ship as well as he can handle a
refractory mate--and that's going some, Skinner--going some! I'm not
surprised at his fast passage. Not at all, Skinner. Come to think of
it, I'm going to fire that Scotchman in the Fortuna and give All Hands
And Feet his berth. He has earned it."

He adjusted his spectacles and read:

Hoquiam, Washington,
June 27, 19--.