"Something to cool the Captain's head," was the way Nort described it. It was hot weather, doubly hot in the office of the _Star_, surrounded as it was by taller buildings, and the Captain especially suffered from the heat. In some way Nort had led him guilefully into the scheme of installing a fan on the ceiling of the office, and, what is more, had made the Captain believe it was his own idea. The old Captain was in reality as simple hearted as a child, and once he and Nort had agreed upon the plan, it delighted him to carry it forward secretly and "surprise Anthy," as he was always surprising her with some one or another of his extravagances. Afterward, when he referred to the great new scheme it was at first: "We had the idea," "We thought," "We worked it out." But in no time at all, it had become, "I had the idea," "I thought." And when visitors came in to see the wonderful new fan waving its majestic wooden arms over the devoted heads of the staff of the _Star_, you would have thought the old Captain did it all himself. I laugh yet when I think of the first few moments of the operation of Nort's invention. We had all been a good deal excited about it, Ed not exactly with approval, although it was a good "ad" for the _Star_--but the old Captain was quite beside himself. "How are you getting along, Nort?" he began inquiring early in the afternoon of the great day. He had been particular at first to speak to Nort as "Carr," indicating purely formal relationship, but in the enthusiasm of putting up the fan he soon dropped into the familiar "Nort." "Fine, Cap'n, we'll have her running now in no time." "Good!" "We'll cool your head yet, Cap'n." "I'm waiting, Nort." When Nort finally gave the word, the old Captain drew his lame-legged chair squarely under the fan, sat himself down in it, and stretching out luxuriously, leaned his beautiful old head a little back. I saw the Grand Army button on his coat. "Whir!" went the fan. The Captain's white hair began to flutter. He sat a moment in ecstatic silence, closing and opening his eyes, and taking a deep breath or two. Then he said: "Cool as a cucumber, Anthy, cool as a cucumber." Fergus barked away down inside somewhere, his excuse for a laugh. "Now, Anthy," said the Captain, "this was to be your surprise." So he had Anthy sit down in the chair. "Fine, isn't it?" said he, "regular breeze from Labrador. Greenland's icy mountains." "Fine!" responded Anthy.