Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-29
How Fake Reports Of Coming Move.
ments Are Spread.
MAIL ORDERLY A PROMOTER
Bucko Marine After Shore Trip Us
ually Gives Hands Forward an
06-Color Steer.

ually Gives Hands Forward an
| oh-Color Steer.
For some few months past-ever since the
likelihood doomed up that the United States
might get into . snari with Japan-there
has been some tall lying as to the prob
able movements OF American ships OF war.
Plenty OF this tall lying has taken place
right on board the ships themselves+gen-
efally up for'ard at tho break of the
| fo'esle. For rumor has as many tongues
on man-o'-war al a galley cat has fleas.
The man-o'-war liars. as q matter OF
| course. are busiest when there IL some
thing Of scrapful nature ADDING In the
world. So that OF late. when 1t has been
seeming as II the Nipponese pot might
boil over, wherever there is an American
| man-o'-war that is able to get anywhere
under her own steam-from sitka to VAL
| le1o on the west, from Boston to Pensacola
| on the east-the ships companies have
been divided into watches of rumor in
ventors and rumor swallowers.
| the bucko marine orderly, after a shore
| trip in the steam cutter for the shippers
| letters and dispatches, energies from the
| captains cabin unships his mall bag and
losses 1t into his locker in the marines
| loung1ng compartment OF the berth deck
I alley. The other marine. pipe-claying their
belts or polishing their metal gear, note q
certain air of mystery in the manner OF
| the mail orderly.
well" says the mail orderly, with a GER
| tain restrained dryness after he has rolled
up his belt and put 1t away. 'it's up with
| the old hooker's mudhook." and then he
gazes reflectively at the caps Of his Shoes
| as II wondering II the shoes are going to
[ see him through the long cruise about to
| be undertaken.
"Hey-how's THAR" inquire the other
marines looking the M Ordor1v
with obviously feigned Indifference
| oh, nothing. except that it will be all
hands up anchor about day after tomor-
row." says the mall orderly, blowing on
| his sleeve.
''Um-ye-eh-like the Monocacy gettin'
| sneer but their sneers are uttered for the
patent purpose of drawing the mail or
derby out.
"oh:: WELL" says the mail orderly, bit
sea prophets know more about it than the
skipper, then, s'pose?"
Rookey "Buts In"
There is no reply to this rebuke But
| after slight pause one Of the younger
men. on his first cruise as q marine, in
qures:
where we bound for?'
philippines. of course, to protect 'em
from the Japs." replies the mail orderly; In
the offhand way Of mail orderlies. Rotten
work. that stuff in the Philippines. too
Punk. Beer two bits a. bottle. and gener-
ally hot beer, at that Ice machines down
knows how to repair 'em. All kinds Of
Creepy Johnny down there. too-had the
real old 1sthmus charges the last time
was there and came mighty close to cash
ing in. But there's no use talking about
the beer down there when we'll get no
chance to get hold OF any There'n be no
erty except for the hands aft'-the officers,
that is to say-"that is a cinch. Only kind of
liberty the hands or'ard or the sea soldiers
will get in the Philippines II be when we
go ashore in heavy marching order to
chuck scare into the little brown dubs of
Japs that'll be fooling around there"
This gloomy. out-loud reverie of the mail
orderly is followed by quite silent period
Of pipe-claying and buckle-polishtng. Then:
Say, how dye know we're for the Phil
ippines?" brashly inquiries one Of the young
er fellows.
The mail orderly seated on his ditty box.
pivots around and glares Indignantly at his
How do I know. " captain O. tn head
swab?" he gets back in a well-assumed
tone Of grouchiness. Didn't just hear the
old man tell the first iun while I was in
the cabin? We coal tomorrow"
And then the mail orderly ostsntatiously
brings out his heavy marching gear and be-
gins to overhaul it for immediate use.
That settles 1t.
Inc other marines Slip on their blouseS
and furtively stink for'ard. each wanting to
be the first to set the news a-going With
in an incredibly short time the word ID all
over the ship that 1.-The packets for some
whore in the Philippines day after tomor-
row."
Even the Junior officers partake Of the
fake and chirk up over the prospect Of
the ships going somewhere-anywhers The
the after-guarS apprentices talking about
the move to the Philippines In the prelimi-
naries to the fight with Japan, as II 1t were
deadsure thing ,nI In tone Of E.. ASSUMED
other officer If the thing is true.
'First Luff" Says "Tush."
The other officer hasn't heard anything
about it. but he jocularly puts the matter to
the executive oficer-"the first luff'-for
confirmation or denial. The first luff''
tush-tushes, but only then do the officers
among whom the mail orderly's rumor has
spread feel themselves safe in continuing
to make short appointments.
That phrase, like the Monocacy." used
above in the mouths of the old-timers.
the Monocacy" used to be the great catch
phrase Of the doubling Thomases through
out the entire American navy.
When word, genuine or faxed, that q
ship was about to move spread around.
"So's the Monocacy." said the skeptics,
who. actually believing pretended to re-
QulTe
The Monocacy, out on the China station.
was sold to Jap a few years ago for
few thousand dollars, to be broken up for
junk She was an old tub of a. side-wheeler
converted into what they used to think was
q man-o'-war in civil war times, and she
was attached to the China station for more
than thirty-five years.
During most of that time she was tied
up on a mud-f1at Of a Chinese river. She
was housed over like a guardo during the
winter months. and she became a. sure
enough comfortable receiving ship for the
d-tmers who were a-weary of cruising
up and down the world.
For the peace and comfort Of 1t, 1t surely
was a great snap to be assigned to the
ancient Monocacy. Deeper and deeper she
settled into the ooze of the Chinese river. |
and more and more priced were the Mono
cacy billets. Thus, after the Monocacy had
been squatting for years and years in the
mire Of the Chinese river. like a magnihed