The evening times., 1896-12-11
TALES OF The TOWN.

No one save Mr. McAdoo and the billy
| goat really and canGIdiy know whether
! or not the slory is true The former won't
| and the latter can't tell, but nevertheless
1 the tale has wide circulation among the
| sailors at the navy yard. especially the
seamen on board the Presidents dispatch
| boat Dolphin, which is Just now tied Up
at the wharf down there, and there are
about 100 of them. Mr.. McAdoo will lie
remembered as the Assistant Secretary of
the Navy. How long he will be remenb bered
as such after the ides OF March is an un-
certain quantity, for, unless all prognnsti-
cations are false. from thencef0rth he VIII
Join the ever-increasing ranks of the states
men out of Jobs.
The goat heretofore and hereafter men,
toned is surnamed Billy and he is the
proud mascot of the Dolphin and the pet
or the crew. 1t would be necessary to in
teryiew the sailors before it could be SAID
that the worthy Assistant Secretary ranks
as an equal favorite. 1t might be stated
incidentally, too, that Billy has big
ger "cinch' on his situation than Mr.. Me-
Adoo has on his. and his tenure OF office
is more enduring than Cabinet job or a
civil service appointment. Billy holds
the mascotship FOR life. good behavior not
being considered, and bad department not
sufficient reason for his removal
Billy ana MI McA doc met one da Y on
board the ship. SO the story goes. without
the formality OF an introduction, and it
was directly the opposite OF case of
love at first sight. 1t happened this way:
Last summer the arduous duties OF the
secretary's office and the continued state
OF wonderment he was in as to what the
Texas would do next, bore heavily upon
Mr.. McAdoo. and after mature deliheratfon
he decided to let the navy run itself for
a couple Of weeks while he took a cruise
on the Dolphin. What was that pretty
fnr nv f1r
pleasure OF government officials?
Wise man, this same Mr.. McAdoo, hut
wisdom failed to cope with Billy The
goat watched him with Il furtive glance
as hecam aboardan the Dolphin weighed
anchor and steamed for Northern waters
Now, Billy is no respecter of persons, even
If he only works for his board and lodging
while Mr.. McAdoo draws a good salary
from the government
he doesn't take kindly to strangers
who put on airs, and one morning, 4 S the
Assistant Secretary was standing on deck
leaning over the back of a ch lair andwatch-
ing the foamIng waves rise and swell in
a sort of enchanted dream, Billy stole
quietly up behind him. A sudden impulse
seized him to do mischief, and the most
favorable portion of the Secretary's an
atoIny was selected for the objective point.
When help came they found Mr.. McAdoo
sprawled out in anything but graceful
Ponieoh upon tie uech, wondering W Wndt haQ
come to pass, while the cause of his down
fall stood some distance away, snortinr
and shaking his h cad, while the wild winds
whistled through his hirsute appenIage,
1t was tableau, a picture without words
save those which Mr.. McA doc used, and
they would not look well in type.
There isn't much. and that is not worth
knowing, anyhow. that Supt. Smith doesn't
know about shrubs, flowers. plants. and
vegetables in general. A great deal of his
vast store of know ledge unon theae euh