Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 95: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Williams fumbled with the tip of a cigar, then clumsily bit it, again laughing foolishly. ~ “You know, Smith,” he went on with the portentous gravity of the intoxicated, 7 “I’m a good Englishman, but I ain’t a fool L, about it. There’s lots of people don’t . like to see an English ship sold to foreigners. ¥ But I don’t care if the red ensign is changed to the Hottentot flag, if I can make money out of it. Did you say the Czar of Russia ; was president of the firm? Would you say f that?” ; “No, I wouldn’t, but I will say you’re e drunk,” Smith spoke impatiently. ‘“What’s . _the use of all this fencing about the thing. L As you'll find when you try to buy, we have picked up about all the options we want. You know as well as I do that American , capital is behind this buymg. Of course, F we had to keep it quiet and don’t intend to talk now, but it was kind of annoying for you and me to pretend there was a mys- ' - tery about it. You knew from the first meeting that I was an American, just as d you know that America has been sorry she hadn’t a merchant fleet. ; “Where you got the hint I do not know, ; but you knew America lacked building 3 facilities and that it would be cheaper to : buy’ from the British, especially with shipping on the blink, as it has been. Besides, it would have taken too long to , have built our own fleet. And watch 2° freights go up when we call our options. ; But it’s a bit of a joke on your country, eh? \ Won't the lion roar? Better become an American citizen, old man.” Williams’ head sank forward as if he were ; falling asleep, and Smith raised his hand to shake him into wakefulness, muttering— 4 . “Wonder if he only guessed—knowing that America was the only place with enough private capital to swing such a 4s deal?” ; —6/es f yN : Sig] SO THAT was it. What a blind yee| bat he had been not to see through tafe) the scheme, Williams, still pretend- ing drunkenness, thought as Smith saw him Americans wanted to buy what the British wanted to sell, whose business was it? Of course, there woul press. But why couldn’t the British ship- owners have thought of a gigantic combine which would have given them power to . <> ™, . i? = to his room. But it was all right. If . be a howl from the for delivery at the same or adjacent ports. 3 eg make their own freight ratesas the American R, buyers intended to do? Well, let them } howl. They needed waking up in England. : Smith, leaving London the next day for some place he did not mention, called to say good-by and to remind Williams > of his promise to say nothing about the 2 big deal until it was consummated. And, 4 when Williams promised readily enough, Smith rewarded him with the advice that he would be wasting his time to look for more options. There might be one or two ships not tied up which the owners were willing to sell, but he doubted it. And Williams found he was right. Liverpool, London, Belfast—every shipping town in the kingdom was visited by the captain. But not a single option could he purchase. ‘‘Whew, some deal,” he muttered as the size of the thing dawned upon him. “Well, I can’t kick. It helped me.” And he decided to visit the town of his birth and indulge in a gentle spree. But the spree did not stop at the gentle stage. It developed into the most involved» experience of its kind in the captain’s eventful life. Famous among his brother officers for his capacity, he was now finan- cially able to do himself proud. So, when he had had enough of it, what with the time consumed running about England looking for options and the time taken up by that remarkable dissipation, some months had passed since his farewell with Smith. And events had occurred which the captain, never a reading man, had not heard about. For whenever a boon companion had at- tempted to discuss the news of the day, =m Williams had choked him off with more palatable suggestion. Thus it happened, when coming out of ; the Turkish bath, he encountered one of the . Pilling brothers, who looked as if he, also, ; had indulged freely. “Been having a good time?” asked the jovial captain. “I have. Smith has called the option, you know. In about a week our first ship will be delivered at the port designated. : It’s a relief to be free.” ~~ ‘What port?” BR need en uninterested but asked for - e sake of something to say, and Pilling _ 4 told him, adding the Hoa Mite Sl that the © options given by several other ship-owners, =» friends of his, had likewise been called— i Go. Saal . od ~ - s i = . al le ~comicbooks.com