Skinner and
his bride would travel without charge.
The sight of the Skinners coming aboard was not a pleasing one to Matt
Peasley. He did not like Mr. Skinner well enough to care to eat at
the same table with him, and he bethought him now of all the mean,
nagging complaints of the past six months. In particular he recalled
Mr. Skinner's instructions to him anent the carrying of dead-head
passengers--and suddenly he had a brilliant idea. He sent for his
wireless operator and ordered him to send this message:
Blue Star Navigation Company, San Francisco, Cal.
Please accept my resignation as master of your steamer Quickstep, said
resignation to take effect immediately upon my arrival in San
Francisco. Kindly have somebody on hand to relieve me.
Matthew Peasley.
Matt had just remembered that his six months in the Quickstep were up.
His next move was to call on the steward.
"Go into Stateroom 7," he ordered, "and collect fifteen dollars from
that man and woman in there. They came aboard without tickets."
Two minutes later the steward was back with word that the passengers
in question were dead-heads, being none other than the manager of the
Blue Star Navigation Company and his wife.
"Steward, you go back and tell that man Skinner that Captain Peasley
never carries any dead-heads on the Quickstep.
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