Evening star., 1899-03-04
MET AFTER MANY YEARS

eleven or twelve years ago-old man Cur
rie had been in the United States navy as
a chief ma chinisM for fully twenty-five
years. He may be ,sailoriZing and handling
tools in the rnachiffe shop of a man-o'-war
yet, for all the writer hereof knows. He
was known everywhere in the naval SER
vice. He was Stationed at Annapolis for a
good many yHars, sand he taught many
cadet the difference between an air and
circulating pIfhp afqd ventilating engine.
Older officers of the engineer division al
ways had hearty handshake and CHEEKY
word for old aCurrie when he Joined
ship and got into clean suit of dungarees.
He always carried with him aboard ship,
as part OF his dunnage. an old fiddle, upon
which, when the smoking lamp was lit, he
would scrape THE DEVILS Dream Rory
OMore," and other whirligig tunes of the
ancients-but the old fiddle is part Of the
story to follow.
One morning, about eleven or twelve
years ago, one of the old ships of the old
navy, that had been on the China station
Tor four-year cruise. pulled alongside the
dock at the Mare Island navy yard. with
her homeward-bound pennant in ribbons
from a couple of typhoons she had en-
countered on the long trip across the Pa
clhc and all hands crazy to get their feet
once more on United States soil. The ship
hadn't been docked for more than an hour
before the word was passed that all hands
OF the starboard watch could go on a
three-day liberty Old man Currie be-
ionsed to the starboard watch, and he
was one of the bunch of two hundred and
odd men who went over the side for bit
OF leg-stretching time down in San Fran
cisco.
Maybe there We're dozen or so of sober
men In the party by the time the gang got
ON board the ferry at Oakland to cross over
10 oan FRANCISCO, and maybe there were
not AT any rate, old man Currie was
dva,, hold -,
fiotous or his companions down as best he
couio' Dun when they got over to the
frisco side he broke loose from them, for
ne wanted to nose around in the ways of
peace-ahd there isn't much peace to be
mad with hrst-liberty bluejackets who have
or longer. -f-N'
On the morning following. old man Cur
le-Mno TWO nad on the previous night seen his
.umultuouS shfpmates raising old Nick all
over san Francisco-went down. as soon as
ne nad his breakfast. to the first precinct
s.auon mouse to see what he could do to-
"aIa getting out the bunch of his Ship
mi mates ne knew he would find in cells there,
rms nad been practice of Currie's ever
since ne Joined the navy-to get his shin
mates out OF civil trouble when he had
Iiahce: even TO the extent of digging into
ms clothes and producing every dollar he
nad Tor the purpose-for he was a big
Souled man.
Inc desk sergeant at the station house.
ana his solicitude for the welfare of his
sh1pmates, treated him kindly and showed
MIN pack to the cell rooms, so that Currie
would nave chance to identify the eight
or ten OF his mates who were locked up
Currie walked down the line and called
their names off. Most of them, having been
gathered IN but few hours, were slumber-
ing peacefully on the cell benches. The
Statlon mouse sergeant told Currie that only
two or three had had any money on them
when searched, which was natural enough
considering the number of thugs in San
FRANCISCO whose good things are sailors
alone.
I'VE were bit crowded this morning"
the sergeant went on, land so I had to
chuck one of your men in with a civilian
duck who was picked up on kearney
street with bad jag, and who has appar-
emily been robbed" ~
Ihe sergeant took Currie to this cell
where the old machinist quickly identified
ms shipmate, sound asleep in corner of
the cell: Lying on the cell bench. with his
lace catching tiny gleam of light through
the bars of the cell door, was the civilian.
He was finely built man, and wore long
brown Newmarket coat of rich material.
but despatched with mud. The rest of his
clothing was equally fine, but soiled and
dlsordered. His white satin puff tie was
torn at the apex, where a pin had been
wrenched from it, His hair, wavy and
sightiy gray, was taasled, and a ruffied
SILK nat lay under the bench.
Currie looked al the civilian for a min
ute and started. tn nj
Just let me in there, for a minute, SER
geant' VIII your? he asked the station
house official
The latter unlocked the cell, and Currie
stepped in. He didn't pay any attention to
his shipmate, but he shook the civilian by
the shoulder
"Joe-oh Joe, turn out" said he.
The sleeping man awoke and turned his
puffed-out but handsome countenauce to-
ward Currie without any sign of reeogni-
ton
Get up, Joe, and well have a walk"
said Currie to the man, and the civilian sat
up and stared at Currie
.Whatll it take to get him out?' Currie
asked the desk sergeant.
plain drunk-three dollars" was the re-
ply.
Currie dug into his bandanna full of gold
coin, paid the way out of all his shipmates
and that of the civilian, and all of the blue
jackets were aroused and lined UP before
the desk. They all thanked Currie. and told
him what he already knew-that he'd get
back every penny of the money he had paid
for their release Then the bluejackets
went their way. Currie waited for the
civilian, who walked forward to the desk
room like a man in daZe. The sergeant
told him that the old machinist had paid
for his release, and the prisoner nodded
his thanks. He was too broken apparently
to speak
Then Currie and he walked out and to a
Turkish bath. The civilian recognized Cur
IL.
Currie went to the civilians hotel and
brought a lot of clothes to the Turkish
bath. When the civilian emerged from the
bath. Strengthened out and cleaned I'D, he
was a very fine looking man. He smiled
over some of Currie's talk and showed
perhaps the most famous set of teeth in
the world.
Well, Currie took Fritz" otherwise joe.
Emmet up to his ship at Mare Island that
afternoon and showed him the old fiddle
Remember that, Joe?" Currie asked the
delightful, but unfortunate. actor-singer.
Emmet did remember the old fiddle 1t
had been Emmet's when the latter was
young fellow of eighteen back in ST. Louis
Emmett had bought the fiddle for a couple
of dollars and tried to master it. He found
it hard job, so he traded 1t off for a
cheap guitar that Currie, his chum had
That was the first guitar Joe Emmett ever
possessed. He and Currie had been boys
wharf rats" they called each other-in
st. Louis, and this was the way they met
after many years.
Emmet Cancelled his two weeks engage
rnent in San Francisco that time, and old
man Currie sobered him UP.
The EnElishmaD's Experience.
He was an American citizen, and a bit