Mr. Alden P. Ricks, known in Pacific Coast Wholesale Lumber and Shipping Circles as Capy Ricks, had more troubles than a hen with ducklings.

He remarked as much to Mr Skinner. than a hen with ducklings.

He remarked as much to Mr Skinner,

President and General Manager of the Rick's Logging

and Lumbering Company, the corporate entity which

represented Capi's vast lumber interests and he

fairly barked the information at Captain Matt Peasley, his son-in-law and also

president and manager of the Blue Star Navigation Company, another corporate entity which represented the Rick's interest in the American Mercantile Marine.

Mr Skinner received this information in silence. He was not related to

Capy Ricks, but Matt Peasley sat down, crossed his the wrong man for secretary of commerce.

Stowe your sarcasm young feller, cappy shrilled.

You know Dad Blain well it isn't a question of health or politics. It's the fact that in my old age I find myself totally surrounded by the choicest aggregation of mental duds since Ajax defied the lightning.

Meaning whom?

You and Skinner.

Why?

What have we done?

You argued me into taking on the management of 25 of those infernal shipping board freighters,

and no sooner do we have them allocated to us than a near panic hits the country.

Freight rates go to glory, marine engineers go on strike, and every

infernal young whelp we send out to take charge of one of our offices in the

Orient promptly gets the swelled head and thinks he's divinely ordained to

drink up all the synthetic Scotch whiskey manufactured in Japan for the benefit of thirsty Americans.

...