unusually keen."

Admiral Bentley consulted a memorandum book that lay on his desk, before
he went on:

"Mr. Farnum, if you've nothing in the way, I shall be extremely glad to
have Mr. Pollard and yourself at luncheon at one o'clock this afternoon.
But I shall feel much disappointed if you do not also bring with you
your youthful captain, Benson."

Farnum promptly accepted, with great delight. This all looked as though
the "Pollard" would figure handsomely in the admiral's forthcoming
reports to Washington.

Ere the morning was over all the officers and men of the great war fleet
were laughing at Lieutenant McCrea. The newspaper correspondents with
the fleet got hold of the yarn, of course, and sent stories to their
journals that helped to make the fame of the "Pollard" and of those who
handled her.

As for McCrea, he kept out of sight all he could. It was months before
his brother officers in the Navy would let him hear the last of the joke
that had been played upon him.

"Has it hurt us any?" repeated Jacob Farnum, when he returned to the
submarine. "It has helped us wonderfully. And, Jack, my boy, you're to
lunch with the admiral to-day!"

In fact, that joke of Jack's was heard of in the halls of Congress later
on. The significant fact of it all was that, while the "Pollard" had
been manoeuvred for the successful perpetration of the joke, neither of
the other two submarines with the fleet was "handy" enough to be used
in quite such a neat trick.

When a United States rear-admiral entertains guests at luncheon aboard
his flagship, the affair is a stately one. When our three friends
appeared at table there were several naval officers in attendance.

"I have been laughing a good deal to-day, Captain Benson, over the joke
sprung on us last night," was Admiral Bentley's greeting. "It was
cleverly carried out, and with a great deal of skill in seamanship as
well."

"It wasn't intended, sir, to be so much a joke as a demonstration of
what our boat can accomplish," Jack replied, modestly.

"I haven't lost sight of the practical side of the affair, I assure you,"
rejoined the admiral. "But I am afraid I have wounded one
heart--McCrea's."

"Then I am very sorry," replied Jack, quickly. "I had hoped he would
feel as much like laughing as anyone."

"Mr. McCrea might feel more like laughing, if it weren't for the fact
that his brother officers insist on doing his laughing for him," chuckled
the admiral