make him almost wild.

"One day, a man who lived off somewhere in the woods, came down to Cairo
to get an appointment for his son as master's mate. Our office, you
know, was just to the right of the door, and, if there was any thing
that bothered me, it was for some body to stick his head over the
railing when I was busy, and ask, 'Is the commandant of the station in?'
There was an orderly on watch day and night, always ready to answer such
questions, and besides, there was an abundance of notices on the walls
pointing out the different offices; but in spite of this, every stranger
that came in must stop and make inquiries of me.

"Well, this man came into the office, and as he had evidently never been
there before, judging by the way he gaped at every thing, I told him
that it was after office hours, and that he must call again the next
morning about nine o'clock. He took a turn or two across the floor
(by-the-way, he wore squeaking boots, that made a noise like a
steam-whistle), and finally went out.

"The next evening, just as I was locking up my desk, he came in again,
and I repeated what I had told him the night before, that he must come
at nine o'clock in the _morning_--not at night--if he wished to see
the captain, and he went out, after making noise enough with his
squeaking boots to set a nervous man's teeth on edge. Now, would you
believe it, that evening, after I had finished my work, and was starting
out for supper, I saw this man coming up the stairs. He met me with the
usual question, 'Is the captain in?' and I suddenly hit upon a plan to
get rid of him, for I had made up my mind that the man didn't know what
he was about; so I replied: