Farnum, too," smiled Jack.
"But, see here, Mr. Pollard engaged me to work aboard one of your
submarines."
"It looks that way, doesn't it?" laughed the young skipper.
"And you're the captain?"
"Yes; but I can't undertake to handle Mr. Farnum's business for him."
"You'll let me go aboard the craft to sleep for to-night, anyway?" coaxed
Truax.
"Why, that's just what I'm not at liberty to do," replied the young
submarine captain. "No; I couldn't think of that, in the absence of Mr.
Farnum's order."
"But that doesn't seem hardly fair," protested Truax. "See here, I have
spent all my money getting here. I haven't even the price of a lodging
with me, and this isn't a summer night."
"Why, I'll tell you what I'll do," Benson went on, feeling in one of his
pockets. "Here's a dollar. That'll buy you a bed and a breakfast at the
hotel up the street. If you want to get aboard with us in time, you'd
better show up by eight in the morning."
"But--"
"That's really all I can do," Jack Benson hastily assured the fellow. "I'm
not the owner of the boat, and I can't take any liberties. Oh, wait just a
moment. I'll see if there's any chance of Mr.
Pages:
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54