Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-25
Il Short Story Complete in This Issue

can't go to sea happy if he's in - and
that's why | always say the Admirals
who run this outfit should pass law against
sea gulls following the fleet. mean blondes,
redheads - and brunettes Like the one who's
trying to hook Stats" Willis for fur coat,
the rusty-knobbed blister!
Stats, l say at the time. why let a
dame like that take you over?"
Who's takin' me over we're in love-"
Okey doke. He's over twenty-one, and is
crack gun-pointer besides. But Holy Joe!
what happens? Here's summons from
civilian court in Norfolk ordering Stats to
appear at three O'Clock this afternoon, to
show cause why he shouldn't pay for the coat!
Three clock - and at one o'clock the U.SS.
Glendale leaves the Naval Base for very
special gunnery off the Virginia Capes.
I'm worried and so is the Admiral.
It's already ten O'Clock -- three hours is
not very long to fix summons SOS Stats can
sail with the ship and be in his turret when
we get on the range. Everybody seems to be
worried about it but Ensign Caldwell
He's new, pink faced officer with curly
brown hair and blue eyes, and he's been
turned out of the incubator at Annapolis four
months ahead of schedule by the defense
speedup. But he's got more class than the
Admiral, his uniforms better fit and the
salute he snaps back at me is so smart it
cracks at the elbow. He's not impressed when
tell him it S his job to get Stats out of trou-
BILE. IN finish this maneuver," he says
calmly, and turns toward his bunk, where
he's got toy ships of different colors laid out
in rows on the bedspread.
What is it "a game?"
Fleet problem" he says importantly.
It's one of our battlewagons at sea, outnum-
bered four one by the enemy. If I'm
bright she'll sink EN-. he says, and thumbs
through notebook which can see is full of
diagrams showing the fleet doing column
right on dotted lines.
IF you're really bright you'll shake leg"
tell him. I'VE haven't got all day"
He stiffens. You're talking to an officer"
he snaps, and know right off what fancy
ideas he's got about discipline. He's lucky
Lucky it's only me, the Admiral's orderly,
that's telling him, instead of some hardboiled
Chief Petty Officer who'd make him feel like
boot do my best Willis is not just any gun
pointer. tell him, but the champion of the
Scouting Force, North Atlantic. Even the
Admiral would hate to start shooting without
Willis The U.SS. Glendale's plastered all
over with efficiency Els, and Willis is the
reason.
i HIS buzzard who sold him the fur
coat -" wind up. Why can't we get him
slapped in jail?"
Jail? What for?"
''Subversive activities Anybody who'd do
to Navy man what he's trying to do -"
Ridiculous!' says Ensign Caldwell "All
he's trying to do is get his money. Navy men
must pay their debts, you know"
He gives last anxious look at the top of
his bunk, as if the war game he's playing is
really the Nays last stand and it has to be
won or the country's lost. In gold letters on
the cover of his notebook it says Grand
Strategy USN." and he looks into it once
more before slowing it away carefully inside
his coat. Then he picks up model destroyer
from the sidelines and slices it across the
battleships bow, after which he unrolls
strip of black cloth and stands it up like
fence
Smoke SCREEN" he says. She can hide
behind that till get back.
Action - that's my motto. 1t gets things
done So while I'm leading this gold-braided
boot by the hand to Number turret, ask