yet to learn what satisfaction you men get out of it."

Conversation veered in various directions, and finally rested upon the
subject of piracy; and here the admiral proved himself a rare scholar.
By some peculiar inadvertency, as he was in the middle of one of his
own adventures, his finger touched the burglar alarm. Clang! Brrrr!
From top to bottom of the house came the shock of differently voiced
bells. The two men gazed at each other dumfounded. But the girl
laughed merrily.

"You touched the alarm, father."

"I rather believe I did. And a few minutes before you came in with the
toddies I tried it and it didn't work."

It took some time to quiet the servants; and when that was done
Fitzgerald determined to go down to the village.

"Good night, Mr. Fitzgerald," said the girl. "Better beware; this
house is haunted."

"We'll see if we can't lay that ghost, as they say," he responded.

The admiral came to the door. "What do you make of it?" he whispered.

"You possibly did not press the button squarely the first time." And
that was Fitzgerald's genuine belief.

"By the way, will you take a note for me to Swan's? It will not take
me a moment to scribble it."