He's on the pay
roll at three hundred a month. And--er--Skinner, try to be friendly
with the boy for my sake. The young rascal is engaged to marry my
daughter, and I--er--it's barely possible he'll take up the
business--Hum! Ahem! I'll stick round another year and break him
into the landward side of shipping and then, Skinner, d'ye know what
I'm going to do then?"
"What?" Mr. Skinner asked dully.
"I'm going to learn to play golf," said Cappy.
CHAPTER XXXII
SKINNER PROPOSES--AND CAPPY RICKS DISPOSES
Having, as he thought, evaded the spirit of Mr. Skinner's ultimatum
while conforming to its literal terms, Cappy Ricks hurried home
leaving his general manager a stunned and horrified man. In this
instance, however, Cappy had erred in his strategy. Skinner was calm,
cold-blooded, suave, politic and deferential, but in his kind of fight
he never bluffed. He never played his hand until he had sufficient
trumps to take the odd trick.
He looked ahead now, into the not very distant future, and saw Matt
Peasley, husband of the heiress to the Ricks millions, giving him
orders--and the vision did not sit well on the general manager's
stomach. Consequently, Mr. Skinner decided for a test of strength at
once.
Accordingly, when Cappy Ricks came down to the office the following
morning, Mr.
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