Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 11, 1925 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

THE BIG GUN. gave it to Cyrus, the marine whispered: ‘I’m makin’ a try to get you outa here before night, yeoman.” Marine Reverdy, serving as the captain’s orderly, had the last half of the morning watch and the last half of the afternoon watch. At eight bells he joined his buddy, Marine Serpel, at mess. “ Sick, Joe?” he asked. “ Y’ look green round th’ gills!” “Yes, Ben,” Serpel rejoined, “I am sick. Remember the yeoman I told ye ‘bout—saved my numbers th’ night I smoked a cigarette near th’ seven-inch magazine?”’ ““Y’ tole me.”’ “They stuck him in the brig.” “ ‘Th’ hell you say! Who stuck him?” “Qld Stotten Bottle an’ young Ten- flair.” “"y’ mean th’ first luff o’ th’ starboard Big Bertha?” “Yeah! Say, what you know about him?” ‘“ Nothin’ much—only ’at he’s a lick- spittle, an’ mushy round th’ captain’s daughter, an amachoor bully, an’ too danged smart.” “Yeah,” slowly muttered Serpel, “ at’s him, only y’d better lay off crackin’ him up to me. I don’t like him.” “* Crackin’ him up ’? Ain’t no friend 0’ mine.” “ He’s a low-down, swank-bellied, hind heel of a swamp snake, if y’ ask me.’ “ Leave him lay at that, What you goin’ to do about it?” “You're goin’ to fix it,” Serpel asserted, with a new decision as if he had solved the problem. ““ Me?” Reverdy was astounded. ‘ Ain’t you the captain’s orderly? When you go back on duty you're goin’ to speak to th’ captain—tell him what this ornery swine of a Tenflair done to a square young guy that’s straight as a string.” “Yeah, bo!” snorted Reverdy. ‘‘ Watch me! I’m that thick with the skipper, I am! Blow up to the cabin yerself an’ tell him!” Serpel was so upset he did not eat his ac- customed hearty dinner. Half through he excused himself and sought his ditty box, 185 whence he extracted the tablet of paper he used on Sundays for writing to his mother. With this he labored half the afternoon, making draft after draft of an epistle. Finally satisfied, he sought his buddy just as that worthy was to go again on duty, and handed him a folded paper. “Take that, you button-headed simp,” he asserted, ‘‘ an’ deliver it.” Marine Reverdy read the inscription. “ Why, this is for Captain Vosmer,” he ob- jected. ‘“ Yeah,” Serpel admitted. “‘ Right smart, ben’t ye? C’n read, an’ everythin’.” “You want me to hand this to the skip- per?” ‘“"Y’ got me, buddy, th’ first time. An’ if y’r sense 0’ reg’lations ’s so strict y’ can’t do it, then look around fer another buddy— that’s all.” “Hold on, Joe—y’re takin’ this thing serious.” “Y’d be, too, Ben, if y’ saw the look in that kid’s eyes when I stuck him in the brig.” ee CHAPTER X. PRIVATE SERPEL—FRIEND, ROMPTLY after the changing of the watch at eight bells that afternoon Captain Vosmer, in his office, was handed a note by his orderly. Opening it, he read: Deer sir, Captain Vosmer, U. S. S. Kan- sas, lat. 36 s., long. 17’ 37’’ west, about, I respectfully beg leave to report that the Yeo- man Bullitt, a straight young fellow, believe me, sir, is in the brig, and he is innocent be- fore Almighty God I swear it, captain. He is the yeoman you loaned the French book to that day when I was orderly on duty at your cabin, sir. If this report goes beyond my duty, sir, and takes something on me that * belongs to another I stand ready and willing to take the consequences, even to the loss of my stripes. | Yours respectfully and obediently, JosErH NaperR TaNnDy SERPEL, Private, U. S. M. C., C. M. O. 3 service chevrons. Restraining an instinctive smile, the cap- tain called to Marine Reverdy, standing, as was customary, just outside his door. comicboo i€O