Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-17
Drawing by Thure de Thulstrup

was trSt IN the mess president chalr, graVelN
called for silence and proposed health to
The Joke. They drank it standing and for
the rest of the voyage alternately laughed
and scoded about his performance.
He was forgotten again in the rush and
excitement of getting ashore. The dis
tinguished foreign correspondents were
landed two hundred miles behind the army,
and for ten strenuous days thought of nothing
but the chance of joining head uarters be-
fore a battle was fought. Once up, they
had work in plenty and more, and then
came the great days of action, when the
hills reverberated the of guns and
bavonets cleaned in the sunlight until the
smoke of myriad shell bursts spread cloud
over the heavens.
THE fight was over, cables and letters were
all away, and they had marched many
miles over the Manchurian mountains. before
The Joke reappeared to them. They were in
camp beside stream under the shadow of
a great bare mountain. There nothing
to do but to mark time and extract what fun
from life they could. In the middle of a
blistering afternoon, when Carruthers of The
Federated Press endeavoring to arouse
enthusiasm auction sale OF old kit,
Fuiiwara strolled down the lane between the
lines of tents He looked as cool as the
proverbial New England cucumber. His
neatly fitting khaki Immediately clean,
and he wore a wide brmmed. newly pipe
claved helmet sun could ever beat through
Shouts of welcome greeted him from half
q dozen men at once, instantly followed by
hearty invitations to come and have
drink" Immediately formal reception was
organized. The Mayor of Phenixvil!e. elected
after fierce contest at mess the night
before came out of his tent splendid in
cotton Grape kimono and bath towel turban
to extend officially the freedom of the city
and the KEYS of the corporation" Interpre-
ters servants. and coolies were summoned
forthwith to improvise Town Hall out of
mats and branches of trees where, in proper
,.v1,< 10,
ed and Toasted The High Constable took COM
nd of the work The Sheriff levied assessments of
icacies on private mess stores, and the Excise
nmissioner collected bottles and cups all around.
Bathing Parade, the daily call to the SWIM
~ pool. sounded before the Town Hall was COM
ted and with strict orders to High Constable
-ruthers to see that it was finished well and
,editiouslv the Mayor filed off with his constitu-
S to the river. FuJiwara did not go.
Swimming very difficult, he explained in polite
ense of his refusal Please you all to excuse me-.
E sat down with Carruthers and began to ask
questions as to what they had done. The craving
bits of Western lore was as insatate ever, and
old dissemination to reciprocity just as strong.
rruthers soon gave up trying to draw him out on
own war experiences. The last question was
out how he had managed to beat them SO much
getting away The Joke smiled sweetly and said
at you talk SO much with the other gentlemen
out beats do not know what is beat"
-arruthers paused in his inspection of a roof mat
4 looked down at his questioner with grin.
! beat. Fuiiwara- SAM" he said I'll tell you.
speaking, it is the most delcately
icious morsel in newspaper mans diet. Liter
speaking, it is beating your rivals on any story.
d the bigger the news the bigger the beat. See!'
d his beady eyes swapping behind the quadruple
ses. TWAS evident he did not quite comprehend
" l beg YOU to excuse me, he said apologetically.
have such unntelgence.
Why. look here" explained Carruthers. Sup
Sc there should be big battle and we should all
it.
The Japanese nodded uncertain assent That
S a very dubious proposition to begin with, con-
erng the attitude of the staff
:. Then suppose YOU should send a long message
The Shot, telling all about it, Carruthers