"Yes" replied Jack, "but none of them will be about so great a cause."
"You are right, Jack," Captain Dennis said fervently; "it was a good cause. But come, you are tired, so let us say "good night," my friends."
A half hour later Jack and Ned were fast asleep, dreaming of those stirring times when the immortal Abraham Lincoln was President of this glorious nation.
The next week the _Columbia_ sailed again. As she pa.s.sed out of New York harbor, and past Sandy Hook, the pa.s.sengers crowded to the rail to look at a beautiful sea picture.
The sun was setting, and the radiance turned to gold the white sails of a beautiful bark outward bound. As she heeled over on the starboard tack, it was evident that she would pa.s.s close to the steamer. From the wireless room Jack Ready and Billy Raynor watched the pretty sight with more interest, perhaps--certainly it was so in Jack"s case--than anyone else on board.
"It"s the _Silver Star_, Jack, Captain Dennis"s ship," said Billy.
Jack nodded.
"I know it," he answered. "She sailed this morning. I"ve been on the lookout for her all the way down the bay."
There was silence between the two chums. The _Silver Star_, gliding swiftly through the water, came steadily on. As the steamer pa.s.sed her, she was quite close, looking like a beautiful toy from the towering decks of the _Columbia_.
"Look!" exclaimed Billy, half in a whisper, as her ensign fluttered down in salute and then climbed upward to the peak again. A booming roar from the _Columbia"s_ siren acknowledged the compliment.
But Jack had no eyes for this. His gaze was fixed on the stern deck of the _Silver Star_, where, by her steering-wheel, gripped by two stalwart seamen, stood an upright old man, with gla.s.ses bent on the _Columbia_. A graceful girl was at his side. Jack saw her wave, and was waving frantically back, when there came an insistent summons from the wireless room.
When he came out on deck again twilight had fallen, but far back on the horizon was a tiny blur--the _Silver Star_. As Jack gazed back at her, she vanished below the horizon as suddenly as an extinguished spark in a piece of tinder.
"Good-night," breathed Jack, and he stood for a long time motionless, leaning on the rail.
And here, for the time being, we, too, will say good-by to our young friends, to meet them all again in the next volume devoted to their doings, which will be called "The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Pacific."
THE END.
HURST & COMPANY"S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
KINDERGARTEN LIMERICKS
By FLORENCE E. SCOTT
_Pictures by Arthur O. Scott with a Foreword by Lucy Wheelock_
_A Volume of Cheerfulness in Rhyme and Picture_
The book contains a rhyme for every letter of the alphabet, each ill.u.s.trated by a full page picture in colors. The verses appeal to the child"s sense of humor without being foolish or sensational, and will be welcomed by kindergartners for teaching rhythm in a most entertaining manner.
FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES
By MATTHEW M. COLTON
_Frank Armstrong"s Vacation_
How Frank"s summer experiences with his boy friends make him into a st.u.r.dy young athlete through swimming, boating and baseball contests, and a tramp through the Everglades, is the subject of this splendid story.
_Frank Armstrong at Queens_
We find among the jolly boys at Queen"s School, Frank, the student-athlete, Jimmy, the baseball enthusiast, and Lewis, the unconsciously-funny youth who furnishes comedy for every page that bears his name. Fall and winter sports between intensely rival school teams are expertly described.
_Frank Armstrong"s Second Term_
The gymnasium, the track and the field make the background for the stirring events of this volume, in which David, Jimmy, Lewis, the "Wee One" and the "Codfish" figure, while Frank "saves the day."
_Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker_
With the same persistent determination that won him success in swimming, running and baseball playing, Frank Armstrong acquired the art of "drop-kicking," and the Queen"s football team profits thereby.
_Frank Armstrong, Captain of the Nine_
Exciting contests, unexpected emergencies, interesting incidents by land and water make this story of Frank Armstrong a strong tale of school-life, athletic success, and loyal friendships.
_Frank Armstrong at College_
With the development of this series, the boy characters have developed until in this, the best story of all, they appear as typical college students, giving to each page the life and vigor of the true college spirit.
Six of the best books of College Life Stories published. They accurately describe athletics from start to finish.
OAKDALE ACADEMY SERIES
Stories of Modern School Sports
By MORGAN SCOTT.
BEN STONE AT OAKDALE.
Under peculiarly trying circ.u.mstances Ben Stone wins his way at Oakdale Academy, and at the same time enlists our sympathy, interest and respect. Through the enmity of Bern Hayden, the loyalty of Roger Eliot and the clever work of the "Sleuth," Ben is falsely accused, championed and vindicated.
BOYS OF OAKDALE ACADEMY.
"One thing I will claim, and that is that all Grants fight open and square and there never was a sneak among them." It was Rodney Grant, of Texas, who made the claim to his friend, Ben Stone, and this story shows how he proved the truth of this statement in the face of apparent evidence to the contrary.
RIVAL PITCHERS OF OAKDALE.