Bert Wilson, Wireless Operator

tling

ommands of the mates, and bringing order out of the apparent confusion. The pier and decks were thronged with friends and relatives of the passengers, come to say good-by to those who seemed to become doubly dear, as the hour of parting drew near. The cabins were piled with flowers that, under the in

l breeze blew up from the bay. The tang of the sea was in their nostrils, and, as they gazed over the splendid panorama spread out before them, their spirits rose and their hearts swelled with the mere joy of living. The slight melancholy of the night before had vanished utterly, and something of th

sles of E

rple spher

r, and watching the animated scenes about them, Ralph came up to them,

diality became enthusiasm. He was one of the men who, despite the passing of the years and the growth of business cares, remain young in heart, and he was soon laughing and

ad the returns sent in over a special wire in my office. And when you forged ahead and then held down their heavy hitters in the ninth, I was so excited that I couldn't keep still,

y would have knocked me out of the box. But since you are so interested, let me show you a memento of the gam

r in the ninth had been encased in a larger ball of solid gold on which Bert's name had been engraved, together w

to contribute toward getting it. I suppose it will be rather hard on you fellows," he went on, "

l' game. In Japan, especially, there are some corking good teams, and they play the game for all it is worth. Take the nine of Waseda University, and they'd give Yale or Princeton all they wanted to do to beat them. Last year, they hi

mong themselves, and every vessel has its nine. Feeling runs high when they are in port, and the games are as hotly contested as though a World's Serie

ke and best wishes for the journey, Mr. Quinby went forward

tled down to the piers and discharged their occupants. All the passengers were on the shore side of the vessel, calling to their friends on the dock, the women waving their handkerchiefs, at one moment, and, the next, putting them to their eyes. The last bell rang, the huge gangpl

ing of the sounder and the spitting blue flames, he felt perfectly in his element. Here was work, here was usefulness, here was power, here was life. Between this stately vessel, with its costly cargo and still more precious freight of human lives, and the American cont

of farewell, that he was taxed to the utmost to keep his work well in hand. Fortunately he was ambidextrous, could use his left hand almost as readily as his right, and this helped him immensely. From an early age, more from fun than anything else, he had cultivated writin

nner, he signaled the San Francisco office to hold up any further communications

Dick, who sat at his right, while Tom

t's pleasure. I'm so interested in it that I almost grudge

rd as that," said Tom, in mock concern. "I'll hav

e gets seasick, he'll have a good excuse

appetite is off," retorted Bert, as he att

ou made for any message that may come, while you ar

we're likely to hear from just now, and the worst of the rush is over. After we get out of range of th

nothing happen. But, in the last minute of the twenty-fourth hour, there might be something of vital importance. You know when that awful wreck occurred last year, the operator

ts, so that someone could be on hand all the time. I know that the Company is considerin

re working on the subject, there would have been some way devised to make a r

is to get a call that will be really one long dash, so that it won't be confounded with any letter of the alphabet. He figures on making this s

in the next room was very irritable and a mere bundle of nerves. He couldn't bear the least noise, and my friend promised to keep it in mind. He was out rather late that night, and when he started to retire he dropped one of his shoes heavily on the floor. Just th

ve frogs are to electricity. Well, they attach a frog to the receiving end, and under him they put a sheet of blackened paper. As the dots and dashes come in, the current jerks the frog's legs over the

very name of electricity. Galvani started with them in the early days

d Tom, "it's s

lph made a play

ng Tom's awful pun, "and the humane societies are taking it up. The p

or diphtheria. Rabbits and mice and guinea-pigs and monkeys we inoculate with the germs of cancer and consumption, in order to study the causes of these various diseases, and, perhaps, find a remedy for them. All this seems barbarous and cruel; but the common sense of mankind agrees that it would be far more cruel to let human beings suffer and die by the tho

erfully and rhythmically, and everything betokened a rapid run to Hawaii, which the captain figured on reaching in about eight days. The more seasoned travelers were wrapped in rugs and stretc

uld probably have ceased altogether as far as the land stations were concerned, and from that time on un

ear caught a click. He straightened up and listened eagerly. Then his face went white and his eyes gleamed with e

one of you fellow

hat had winged its way ove

tude 37:12, longitude 126: