"My dear boy," he said with maddening calm, "listen to me! I had a
hunch this would happen. As a matter of fact, I declined to charter
to Morrow & Company direct ten days before you came prancing in with
your head all swelled up with a brand-new idea for making a lot of
easy money in a hurry. Me charter to them--me!" In his superb scorn
Cappy waxed ungrammatical. "I should kiss a pig! Why, if sawmills
were selling for six bits each I wouldn't trust that concern with a
hatful of sawdust--not that they weren't honest and capable, but they
haven't got any money to speak of any more!"
"But--but--Why, dad burn it, sir, you said it was perfectly agreeable
to you to have me charter the Tillicum to them!" Matt roared, angry,
hurt and amazed.
"Why should I worry what you do? I have all I can do to attend to my
own business. Why should I tell you yours?"
"But--"
"No ifs or buts, Matt. I played safe; but you're caught away off
third base and now you're out! You've got to settle with me for every
day you have that vessel under charter until you deliver her back here
in San Francisco Bay and formally surrender her to me. You've got to
pay me--and what's more, I'm going to see to it that you do! Business
is business, my boy."
"Well, I'll pay you all the cash I can and give you my note for the
remainder.
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