Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-08-11
Ned Price,
American
By AUSTIN FLINT

''Betcha can't guess who saw hang
ing about the yard yestidday."
Petty Officer Brannigan looked up at
his companion.
"WhoG" he asked.
"Ned Prieep'
BTannigan spat, and swore.
THAT he mouthed. you're dream
Ing. JIM"
Guess know the cut Of the skunk.
Dressed in a natty blue suit. too.
Thought no one'd know him. Him that
deserted the old Sekotah In London be-
fore we sailed for that scrap In the
channel I'd have put the police on
him, but he got away in the crowd"
Il guess" said Brannigan. ''his con-
science win be all the police Pricell
need for the rest of his life"
The whistle called them. They
clambered down the ladder from the
Sekotah's deck into the tug. In few
minutes the Sekotah was abandoned
by the men who had been working on
her.
"AIl aboardp yelled the tug-captain.
did you Mr.. Brannigan2"
IF did" said Brannigan, 9TH be
because he wants to commit the
starkest kind Of suicide that any one
ever planned"
When the tug was at a gufficienl dis
tance scream sounded from thin
wisp on the horizon, and fifteen-inch
shell came HURTING high overhead.
Another and another followed. until
the crescendo filled the air.
The old Sekotah, which had per-
formed her work nobly in the war, was
going to her honored end. 1t had been
decided to take the old ship out under
her own steam and practice on her,
in order to ascertain the effect OF GER
tain improvements in the new ord
nance.
When the investigations had been
made. the sea-cocks were to be opened,
| and the Sekotah would sink to her
grave upon the ocean bed, the flag fly
| ing at her masthead.
Far away Captain Branscombe of
the Medina watched through his
glasses.
Sunny thing can't make out her
fiagr' he said
II saw it Ave minutes ago." said the
lieutenant who stood on the bridge be-
side him.
"Take look, Bill Maybe your eyes
are better than mine" said the Cap
tain, handing him his glasses.
Nope, you're right. She amt there,"
said the lieutenant. after a careful
! survey.
The flag was no longer flying. A
! shell must have carried it away.
Rotten shooting l call it," Brans-
combe fumed. Il guess the old girls
had enough by now"
"Cease firingl" was signalled. Boats
were manned and put out from the
warships
AS they neared the Sekotah 1t could
be seen that the shells had made fear
full havoc of her. But for the timber
with which her hold had been filled,
she would have gone down long be-
fore. Her sides were ripped open with
| great holes through which a horse and
/ cart could have been driven, her decks
were churned and twisted, and her
/ skeleton masts were tumbling down.
! The old ship was keeling over, and.
/ even with her wooden paunch, IL
looked as IL she might not last much
longer. The destructive effects Of the
new ordnance had been underesti-
| mated.
The parties from the boats swarmed
| upon the deck and began coming the
| results of the firing. Engrossed with
the evidences of destruction, they did
not heed the thing on the bridge until
shout from one OF the men directed
| Petty Oflcer Brannigan's attention
| toward 1t.
"What In thunder is It'll" demanded
one of the officers. "Why, It's the
Sekotah's flagw
1t was the flag, huddled in heap
upon the bridge. Their first thought,
| as they moved toward it, was that,
carried away by the shell which had
| torn 1t from the truck, 1t had fluttered
down on deck.
Then il was seen that something
| lay beneath it. 1t was the body of a
man, killed by shell splinter which
had struck him full in the chest. He
was holding the folds of the flag so
tightly that 1t was almost impossible
to take it from the lifeless fingers.
whats the matter, Brannigan?
D'you know himf' the officer In charge
| demanded.
| Brannigan gulped.
sits Ned Price, sir" he answered.
Him that deserted the old Sekotah
on leave in London before they ordered
us to the Channel. Some one saw him
hanging round the Navy Yard yester-
day. re must have managed to hide
himself aboard for--for that -
There was a moments silence, for
the tragedy oppressed them, the tardy
reparation, the foolish and yet splendid
vindication OF the past