"It may be that he is a most
excellent sailor. At least, he spends his money like one."
Cappy had no further comment to make, and the reply to this impudent
communication was accordingly left to Mr. Skinner, who cabled:
San Francisco, Feb. 17th, 19--.
Rickstar,
Cape Town.
No!
Bluestar.
"I think that will settle the upstart," Mr. Skinner declared
confidently as he rang for a messenger boy.
It did not. Four hours later he received this:
Cape Town, Feb. 17, 19--.
Bluestar,
San Francisco.
Why?
Peasley.
Now it was a custom of Mr. Skinner's, when a subordinate laid claim to
an inalienable right which the general manager was not willing to
concede, to regard with very grave suspicion that subordinate's
loyalty to the company. If the subordinate protested Mr. Skinner
would warn him, kindly, quietly, but none the less forcefully; and if
he persisted Mr. Skinner would dispense with the services of that
subordinate so fast the offender, nine times out of ten, would be left
standing in a sort of fog and blinking at the suddenness with which
the metaphorical can had, metaphorically speaking, been tied to his
caudal appendage.
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