Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

36 oars an’ I could have ferried myself right home to Hoboken, only this boat come along and a guy gives me a hand an’ I come aboard.” ‘“‘We must be in a harbor,” remarked one of the sailors. ‘Look how easy she rides.” The destroyer was indeed on a very even keel and her motion was scarcely percep. tible. “Tf wonder where it is,” said another sailor. “Brest, perhaps, or La Pallice. This here is a frog destroyer. Notice them funny hats? Well, as I was sayin’, I seen it com- in’, zowie! Just like a white snake. There’s a torpedo, I says to myself. Bong! She hit us. I’m tellin’ yuh the truth, the spray from that explosion near swamped me out of that crow’s nest. Kid, she went over to port like she was goin’ to turn turtle.” The gob had another mouthful of slum and the table became silent in order to hear the rest of the recital. “‘Well,”’ went on the sailor, “I come down outta that, down a backstay. Thinks I, we won’t need no lookouts any more tonight. The army officer with me, he was full of duty an’ patriotism. He won’t come down. Well, J went down. An’ pretty quick I heard a bulkhead go, and she come back to a even keel, and then over to starboard, an’ I went for No. 4 boat. They busted her gettin’ her over side, so I did the Steve Brodie. Pass us that bottle.” “What company are you from?” asked Eadie’s neighbor. “T’m a casual,” answered the sergeant. “Oh, huh.”’ The man ate some slum and meditated. “I was wonderin’ if a guy I know got saved. He’s outa the same outfit as me. He’s a prize-fighter. Man, I hope he ain’t drowned. I’d sure hate to hear he was drownded.”’ “Honey Boy, you mean?” asked the ser- nt. “Yeh, that’s the feller. thing of him?”’ “T saw him splashing around in the water.” “Well,” went on the coast artilleryman, ‘“T would about break my heart if he was drownded.” “How come that bird is so popular with you fellows?” asked Eadie. ‘‘Here’s a riot You see any- started on the ship on his account and you’ Adventure look as if you’d cry for a nickle at the thought that he might be lost.” ‘“He’s a popular guy,” said the other. ‘“‘That Honey Boy is a great guy. When we was at Fort Totten he used to fight twice a week an’ it cost two bits a head to see him. All the money went into the mess fund. Kid, we ate better’n the Waldorf-Astoria, I ain’t kiddin’ yuh. The night we come away we had a chicken dinner, with a keg o’ beer, oysters on the half an’ ice cream enough to swim in. Then all the lads in the outfit would make bets an’ clean up quite a piece o’ change themselves. Gee, that was soft. Ice cream twice a week. Sometimes that guy would put on eight fights in a month. An’ we always cleaned up. An’ then some red head on the boat threw a hammer at him or a bolt or something and busted his nose. Kid,” said the coast artil- leryman sadly, “‘that took a thousand dol- lars right out of our pockets.” “What’s this about throwin’ hammers?” asked Jake leaning around Eadie. _ “T said some one threw a hammer at Honey Boy and busted his nose.” “A red headed guy with a bald dome, huh? A kinda big guy, huh?. There’s the hammer I threw at him!”’ Jake smote the table with his fist and the red tasseled sailors appeared with bulging eyes. “Ts that so?” asked the coast artillery- man with surprize. “TI didn’t see the fight. I was on guard. I heard some one hit him with a hunk o’ iron or something. So you knocked him cold! Hot. dog! Well, Tl be fae tees ND, OES : The men finished their supper and went back to the warmth of the engine room again. As Jake slid out from the table, the coast artilleryman, who had been silent ever since his last speech, touched Jake upon the arm. “Say, big boy,” said he, “you wouldn’t like to transfer to a poor artti-aircraft out- fit, would yuh?” “Suppose Honey Boy ain’t drowned?” grinned Jake. “Well, I guess we could use you just the same.”’ : ‘“‘Nix,’”’ said Jake, “I come in the army to fight them Bushes, an’ not go pattin’ no one around no ring.” ~ “Don’t never pat me,”’ said the sailors, as Jake slid through the: narrow door and Eadie, grinning to himself, followed. CoMmicboook Wh) © 5}