ee a word about it on the sportin' page."

He gave me the program, though; how they was goin' to have a sham
torpedo battle, windin' up with a grand illumination of the fleet.

"You ought to run up and see it," says he.

"It looks like I had to," says I.

"But what about The Toreador?" says he.

"Nothin' much," says I,--"only I've bought the blamed thing."

It was Pinckney's turn to grow bug-eyed; but when I'd told him all about
the deal, and how the veiled lady had stung me into sayin' what I had,
he's as pleased as if he'd been readin' the joke column.

"Shorty," says he, "you're a genius. Why, that's the very thing to do.
Get together your party, steam up there, anchor in the harbor, and see
the show. It's deuced good form, you know."

"That's all I want," says I. "Just so long's I'm sure I'm in good form,
I'm happy. But say, I wouldn't dare tackle it unless you went along."

I found out later that Pinckney'd turned down no less than three parties
of that kind, but when I puts it up to him, he never fiddles short at
all.

"Why, I'd be delighted," says he.

With that we finishes our cold fried egg salad, or whatever fancy dish
it was we had on the platter, and then we pikes off to the pier where he
says the yacht's tied up. And say, she was somethin' of a boat. She made
that Dixie Girl, that Woodie and me brought the Incubator kids down in,
look like a canoe. She was white all over, except for a gold streak
around her, and a couple of dinky yellow masts.

I didn't go down stairs. We plants ourselves in some green cushioned
easy chairs under the back stoop awnin', and I sends one of the
white-wing hired hands after the conductor.

"It's the sailing master you want," says Pinckney.

"Well, bring him along, too," says I.

But there was only the one. He was a solid built, quiet spoken chap,
with a full set of red whiskers and a state of Maine accent. He said his
name was Bassett, and that he was just packin' his things to go ashore,
havin' heard that the boat had been sold.

"The shore'll be there next month," says I. "What'll you take to stay on
the job?"

Well, he didn't want no iron worker's wages, bein' content with a
captain's salary, so I tells him to take hold right where he left off
and tell the rest of the gang they could do the same. So inside of half
an hour I has a couple of dozen men on the pay roll.

"Gee!" says I to Pinckney, "I'm glad the yachtin' season's most over
when I begin; if i