The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-23
LANDLUDBERS FOR THE NAVY
EXPERIENCES OF A RECRUITING
OUTFIT IN THE WEST.
Micah Saved by His Nav From life on
the Ocean Wave-OppOrtuine Passing
by OF Cynthlana- Diplomacy of Boat
swain's Mate with Hesitating Recruits.

into 30 many schools Of natural born hesi-
tators as / NIT with during this last
inland lubber-gathering CIuise that I've
Just finished said q petty officer OF the
navy who has been attached for some
months to naval recruiting outfit operating
in the Middle Western and a few Of the more
northerly Southern States. Most Of them
nudged so close to the life on the ocean
wave that they could feel the spray and
smell the scouse, and then, becoming
stampeded all of sudden, ducked for the
tall and uncut like bunch of seminary
girls with red sunshades crossing grazing
field and hiking for the fence upon seeing
COW gazing at them three furlongs away.
"And the bigger and huskier the lubbers
were the more scared they seemed to be at
the last minute. One Of them, an Illinois
zap as high asa Manchu mandarin on street.
food st tits and strong enough to play jacks
with ten-pound dumbbells wired together,
made backdown and a getaway that gave
the officer in charge of our shipping outfit
the fantods for three days.
He passed the surgeon as easy as a racing
turbiner slips by dump scow. He was
so good when he shed his haydn buds and
went before the physical examiner that the
surgeon only smiled and said, What's the
use? You'll do after taking little more
than peek or two at the big lummox
But some Of us that were looking on
could see that his gizzard was about the
size of sand gnat's. There was hunted
look in his eye after the surgeon told him
that he was all right, and you could almost
hear the cogit atoms in his maintop while
he was putting on his clothes preparatory
to going in before the shipping officer and
putting his name to the enlistment papers.
Take brace, maty,' we said to him,
encouragingly, seeing that the big zeke
was edging close to collapse, What 8
three years? mere bag o shellsl And
think Of the haydn you'll dodge while you'll
gonel Look at the fun you're going to have!
Think of Paris and Port Said Just one
grand, Jolly dreamy smoke for three years!
unship that think-it-over look and take
a reef in your forked guessing stick The
deep waters the thing for you, jack
AZ dunno so much bout that, b'gosh
now tht I've got this far the big Cy said.
scratching his head. Mebbe it wouldn't
suit me and | wouldn't suit it--and then
what? Say, I'd sure like t. talk It over with
nav agin before put my hand { them
binding papers
"We had hard time cugger- muggering
him out Of that notion and we finally, one
Of us at each side of him, nursed him along
through the door OF the office where the
shipping officer had the enlistment papers
spread out He had the linked pen in his
shaking hand and was Just leaning over
the desk with his tongue lolling out and
his eyes rolling to scratch his signature
at the bottom Of the made-out form that
would hold him tight for three years when
there was Gathering and n creaking on
the road down below. The zap seemed to
recognize the sound.
with the pen still in his hand he clomped
to the window and looked down. A little
old woman in Paisley shawl and poppy
Uttered bonnet was just climbing out of
the farm wagon, which she had been driving
herself.
It's maw' gasped the Rube with an
expression Of intense relief on his face
L guess nav wants me-
The office door flew open
Nav
Micah
"And he WAS in her arms and she was in
hls'n.
TIL idee o. my Micah wantin' q 10
f'r rowdy, drunken scan'alous sailor
tn very idee. said the old lady, addressing
the tired-looking recruiting officer. AM
him tn Youngest o. eight boys, all o. EN-
as happy an content as can be on their
paws farm-an Micah never hevin been
no further way from hum than Pee-or-ial
Don't you dare t tell me that my Micah's
already been an gone an jined them scam
alous sailors, or that it's too late! I'm
a-goin' t take my Micah hum with me
right now"
Madam said the shipping officer.
getting up at his desk and making Micah's
mother a low bow he's all yours. You
can have him
She took Micah by his han-like hand
and led him down the stairs to the wagon,
and never saw n more deli GIFTED looking
Micah ashore or afioat than that one was
when he climbed into the wagon alon eside
his NAV. Fact is, as the wagon sheered
off Micah twisted around in his seat grinned
and stuck his fingers to his nose Mt ns who
were watching his getaway from the
window.
we had another close thing of II in a
little Iowa town, He was a township
tease who wore store clothes banged bis
straw-colored hair SOS it would pTotrude
in real cute way in front of his chin vt raw.
hat, and sported hand-knit green, blue and
red four-in- hand necktie. All in ali he
was about Dis pregaciolls n snecimen Of a
meadow madcap and a county cut-up ma
T got a binocuar on during the overland
cruise.
-He gave us to understand that the rem =
son he contemplated shipping was that
there was n deep, dark cark cankerjng
AWAY his life and when he GOT this Of