making a sorry mess of it.

"How do we know what the good fairy may do for you, so as to outwit
the villain of the piece?" continued Tom. "While it isn't a pleasant
thing to speak of, still some marauding undersea boat may lie in wait
for his ship, and in the sinking who can tell what fate may overtake
your cousin?"

"It would only serve him right if he did go down like others, a thousand
times nobler than Randolph, have done before now," grumbled Jack; and
somehow the vague possibility excited him, for his eyes began to sparkle
and take on a look that told Tom he was seeing the whole thing before his
mental vision.

For a purpose Tom chose to encourage this supposition; it would have the
effect of building up Jack's sinking hopes, and just then that was the
main thing. So Tom proceeded to picture the scene, having plenty of
material from which to draw, for he had read the details of more than one
submarine sinking.

"It must be a terrible sensation to any passenger, no matter how brave
he may think himself," he went on to say, "when he feels the shock as
a torpedo explodes against the hull of the steamer and knows that in a
short time she is doomed to be swallowed by the sea. And you told me
once yourself, Jack, that this scheming cousin of yours couldn't swim
a stroke."

"Worse even than that!" declared Jack, with a sneer on his face to
express his contempt, "he's a regular coward about the water. And if they
do have the hard luck to run up against a Hun torpedo, Randolph will be
frightened half to death."

"Queer," commented Tom, "how most of these schemers prove to have a
yellow streak in their make-up, when the test really comes. Just picture
him running screaming up and down the deck, and being kicked out of the
way by every officer of the vessel when he implores them to save him."

"I can see it all as plain as day!" cried Jack excitedly. "And if I know
human nature the chances are those sailors would think of the coward
last of all."

"Yes, they'd leave him to the sinking ship if there was no room in the
boats, you can depend on that, Jack. And now set your teeth as you
usually do, and tell me again that you're not going to own up beaten
until the umpire says the game is over."

"I do promise you, Tom," came the immediate response, showing that Jack
was getting a fresh grip on his sinking courage and hopes. "But all the
same, I keep on groping, and I'd like to see the light."

"For a change of subje