The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-13
VERIFY A SMALL WORLD.
This Quiet Maehlnist Made a Convenience
ofthe United States Navy.

navy aboard the receiving ship YER
mont at the Brooklyn navy yard. he
gave San Francisco as his place Of
nativity. He was assigned to a cruiser
about to start for the China station by
the Suez canal route. He was a crack
mechanic and very soon showed the
engineers that he knew how to earn
his rate and wages. He never said
much about himself. He wasn't any
thing of what is called a ''man-o'-war
chaw," and although he had been mp
and down the world a good deal he
let others do the talking. He was
perhaps the quietest mai in the
American navy at the time he served.
His ship got to the Asiatic station
all right and cruised around there
back and forth between China and
Japan for close on to three years.
Then she was ordered back to the
United States. She had a lot of ''over-
time" men aboard of her by that time
sailors whose time had expired, but
who preferred to wait until they
reached the United States before they
took tn, ir discharges. When the ship
was ordered back home o lot OF over
time men from other ships on the
| Asiatic station were sent to her to be
brought back to this country.
This machinist-call him Beall-
had just t~wenty-one days left of his
three-year enlistment when the ship
left Yokohama for San Francisco via
the Hawaiian Islands. All of the
overtime men were talking Of their
trip around from San Francisco to
New York by passenger steamer. They
had all shipped at the Brooklyn navy
yard and the navy always sends men
to the point whence it takes them
| when they enlist unless they "walve
transportation" fer the purpose Of stop
ping off at an intermediary point.
1t took the ship fourteen days to
"fetch up" Honolulu from Yokohama,
and then Beall, the machinist, had
five days yet to serve.
care you going to waive transpor-
tation and drop off at San Francisco,
or are you going around to New York
with ns?" the men asked him when
the ship had pulled into Honolulu.
Don't know yet" the machinist
replied.
After coaling at Honolulu-which
took four days done leisurely-the
skipper of the ship decided to take q
bit of a run around the Hawaiian ISL
ands before up-anchoringfo for San Fran
cisco. Beall's time expired on the
morning that his ship was headed for
Lahaina, on the island of Maui, little
sail of about eighty-fiye miles from
Honolulu. Tie ship dropped her
anchor within about three hundred
yards of the Lahaina beach along to-
ward 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
The island Of Mani is very beautiful
to look upon-a yeritable gem of the
ocean, if such al n was eve fash
toned by the Creator. Beall, the ma
chinist, was off watch, aud standing
on the to- gallant fo'c'sle, smoking his
pipe when the ship cast her anchor off
Lahaina: There was some longing in
his quiet gray eyes. He knocked the
ashes out of his pipe, stretched his
arms, and then walked down to the
mainmast and told the officer of the
deck that he wanted to see the COM
handing officer. The commanding
officer came out of his cabin.
"What is it, my man?" he asked the
machinist.
"My time is ont, sir" said the
machinist. ST guess Til take my dis
charge here"
The commanding officer looked sur
prised.
"This is rather a queer notion" he
said. ''You shipped in New York, did
you not? I should think you would
want to get back to the United States
after your three years on the China
station. Or, at any rate, that you
would prefer to wait until We get back
20 Honolulu, if you want to waive
transportation and take your discharge
down here among the islands. Why
do you want your discharge today and
here?"
The machinist smiled as he replied:
Because the island here, Maui, is
my home. At this moment my father
and mother and seven brothers and
sisters are on this island. They are
at a place not very far from Lahaina,
called Sprecklesville. The girl that I
am going to marry is also there. I
was born in Frisco, but my father
came down to this island as engineer
Of a sugar plantation when I was two
years old. None of them know that [
am within inst a few miles from home
now I want to give them a little sur
prise. I waive transportation, and
I'll take my discharge now"
The commanding officer listened to
the recital with interest.
"Of course we'll give you your DIS
charge, son." he said, ''aIthough I'm
sorry to lose you, and I had hoped you
might ship over. Close-mouthed men
are wanted in the navy. You owe us !
some thanks, I think, for starting YOU
off at New York, taking you I'D
the world for three yeaaass and then
fetching you up within an hour OF so
Of your home on the very day your
time is out. To all intents and pur-
poses, we have been a yacht for YOU"
1t was rather a remarkable happen
ing for a fact. The maehinist packed
his things and went over the side,
amid the pleasant salutations of the
men, about two hours later, with his
bag and hammock and a couple OF
thousand dollars in gold, his savings
during the cruise. A couple>of hours
later he was with his people and his
sweetheart in Sprecklesyille. It is a