“The City of Para leaves for Panama to-morrow. Give me a letter to Captain Grant, commanding him to turn his ship over to me on presentation of this letter. I will furnish him the funds to pay his transportation back to San Francisco.”
“Fair enough,” said Cappy; and, calling in a stenographer, he dictated the desired letter.
Ten minutes later Matt Peasley had left the office without the formality of saying good-by to Cappy Ricks, and was in a taxicab en route to his lodgings to pack his steamer trunk and hand baggage. Cappy Ricks chuckled as Matt went angrily out.
“Ah—that first time a man goes broke!” he soliloquized. “What a blow to one's pride! What a shock to the nervous system!” He sighed. “Poor old Matt! Nobody knows better than Cappy Ricks how you feel, because he's been there twice and it blamed near broke his heart each time it happened.”
He shook his head with an air of satisfaction, for things were going well with him. He had made a prophecy and it was in a fair way of being fulfilled—nay, its fulfillment was inevitable; whereat Cappy, after the habit of the aged in their conflict with Youth, felt very much like shaking hands with himself. Indeed, so pleased was he that presently he called in Mr. Skinner and related the story in meticulous detail to the general manager.
Mr. Skinner was delighted. More—he was overcome. He sat down and permitted himself the most soul-satisfying laugh he had had in years.
CHAPTER XLII. UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENTS
Mr. Skinner thrust his head into Cappy Ricks' office and said:
“I've just had a telephone message from the Merchants' Exchange. The Tillicum is passing in.”