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Show OPPORTUNITIES FOR MONEY MAKING IN THE NAVY "So, after five years of service in the marine corps, at $16 a month, you have saved up enough money to go into business-? How have you dono it?". "I'll tell you tho stor-. It was very easy." said tho marine. "Not a great deal of it was saved from 1113- wages, although I had ."?S9 duo me for clothes tho government allowed, but which I did not use. "You see, it's this way: tho allowance allow-ance of clothing made by tho government govern-ment must, of necessity, bo required by tho men who aro, as the saying goes, 'hard on their clothes.' These people aro not wantonly destructive: thej aro just that hind to which dirt sticks; that kind upon whom everything seems to drop to pieces. "A man in tho marino corps must not look dirty or shabby; but if he can pass the inspector's eye, ho is not obliged to draw his shoes and clothes; and. when his time of cnlistmont has expired ex-pired the government gives tho frugal marine the cash valuo of the clothes ue has not worn. "For instance, wo wore allowed three pairs of shoos a year; a pair would last me uine months. Of the seven suits of bluo clothes to which T was entitled, I called for but four; and there was a like saving .in white suits, caps and underclothing. "So when I got my discharge I had mado $30 and somo odd cents ov being careful with mi- clothes. It was not, however, all duo to being neat and careful. care-ful. I am .iuf-t naturally easy on all my clothes. I had also saved about .300 011 1113 wages. "But my capital was principally accumulated ac-cumulated by one or (wo littlo businesses busi-nesses I conducted on board ship. "Oh, yes, tho government poriinls tho 'marines' to do these things, and the ofiicers encourage it. A steady sourco of revenue to me whilo I was a v marine' was a little near-tailoring business I conducted. T call my work near tailoring, tailor-ing, because F am not a graduate from I ho school which makes well dressed men. " could not take a man's mcasuro-incuts, mcasuro-incuts, then cut out and mako him u suit of clothes. But I can make alterations alter-ations and repairs: I can sponge and press. By that work I earned about $1)0 a mouth. "Whilo I am on the subject of the trade that needs a goose, let mo tell you of a goose who was in that trade on our j ship. IIo was one of tho ''bluejackets,' but beforo ho went to sea he had thor- 1 oughly learned tho tailor's trade. I "On board ship 'Jackie' put iu his I spare time making tho sailors uniforms. I If he furnished tho cloth he charged I .$10 a suit; if tho cloth was supplied, I then tho price was $0. "Two of tho buglers on board wore also tailors, and 'Jackie' hired these men at a dollar and a quarter n day. In ouo day his employes could each mako a sailor's suit, sow on tho buttons, work tho buttonholes, finish it all up, Not profit for 'Jackie,' three seventy fivo on each man's work. "Well, in that way this follow rounded round-ed up about $300 a month, and I'm sure you'll bo interested in tho story of how this money was expended; for even' ponnj- of it went. "You know tho government requires a sailor to woar his uniform on ship and on land. Well, this particular gon-crous gon-crous 'jackic' would invite a fellow sailor to whom ho had chanced to tako a liking out for a good timo, whon tho two of them should havo shore leave "First, they would go lo somo good place, nomo rcnlly first class establishment, establish-ment, and for himself and friend 'jack-io' 'jack-io' would bin' a gentlemanb' looking street costume", and, if tho fancy struck him, evening clothes as well. It goes without saying that thcro wero trimmings, trim-mings, fixings and a couple of dandy suit ca,ses required. "Into somo quiot, cheap room, for which a dollar or two a woek would be paid, our roguish chaps would hie themselves them-selves that they there might mako the transformation from 0110 of Undo Sam's blueiackcts to a gentleman of means. "Then an electric carriage, and off to I somo such p'neo as our Hotel Astor, where they would register by somo name which they at least deemed ronresentcd a distinguished family connection. Nothing in t lint house was too good for jackie' and his friend. Theaters, operas, op-eras, automobiles wero cn.-jo3'ed to tho full whenever the two could get ashore, until 'jackic's' last dollar waK gone. "Then back to his ship and down beside his goose would the highflyer go. And. don't you know, I do not blame tho fellow, and you wouldn't if you could havo soeu it i 1x1 when he was masquerading mas-querading as a man of means. Of his willful waste may somo da3r como woeful woe-ful want; but tho Great' Jehovah Himself Him-self can never rob 'jackio' of tho sweet memories of thoso times when ho rubbed against 'tho real tiling.' "But lo go back to 1113" modcfcl abili ties as a money-maker. One day a 'marine' of another ship showed mo some photographs and calendars upon which were pictures of his own ship, with the foreign scenery of Beimt, Syria, Sy-ria, as a background. " I took mental note of tho dealer's namo and address, and as soon as I could get ashoro I hunted the man op and bought a photo of our ship, a fancy calendar and 0110 or two largo pictures. "Then I went back to my post, whero, as soon as opportune' offered, I circulated around among the 'marines' and 'bluejackets,' from whom I look orders for three hundred of our ship, two hundred of tho caleudars, and something over ono hundred of the big pictures. "Now, to pa3 for these pictures I needed nearly two hundred dollars cash, which I did not have in m3f iusido pocket. pock-et. Right here I want to sa3' this much for naval officers and I have served on tho staff of fivo different admirals I was never with 0110 naval officer in 1113' life who was not perfectly willing to do all in his power to help ono of us, or a 'bluejacket' either, for that matter, mat-ter, make an honost dollar. "Well, from tho proper person I got a letter stating that Uncle Sam owed mo a few hundred dollars. Then I hied mo to the dealer, whom I told that I would lpolhccato my Uncle's I O U if ho would trust mo with his goods until I could deliver 1113 pictures and collect for them from tho 'nacktcs' and 'marines.' 'ma-rines.' After looking mo up tho man agreed to m3r terms, and wo also settled upon tho commission I was to havo, for I would not consent to add to tho price of the pictures. "Now I want io loll you that for certain cer-tain reasons uono of our sailors wero allowed to go ashore at this place. Oh, 3'cs, a few of them 'jumped ship,' and came safely back without detection. But tho3' did not daro, on such French leave as that, buy an' goods to sell. "Although tho dealer had investigated investi-gated 1113 credentials and was willing to trust me, of tho calendars ho had onl3' a few, and they wero mado in Germany. Could I wait fifteen days, which it would lake to got thorn? Forlunatclj I could. "Well, tho day finally came whon I got tho pictures and went on board to deliver and collect. Sa3 I'll never forget for-get that experience in my life. Tho jackies' and 'marines' all crowded around me. Rows and rows of hands, all holding 11101103-, wero thrust out at me. Worso 3'ct, almost ever3- man had a gold pieco to change. Naturally enough, I soon ran out oi small change and I had to go and get some. "Tho confusion was enough to give ono nervous prostration. Ono man, I nm sure, got his chango twice; and thero wero no doubt other mistakes, for when I counted up I was over thrco dollars short. Nevertheless, I was sixty dollars to tho good, after I had filled all tho ordors for which I could got pictures. "When wo loft that placo my arrangements ar-rangements with the dealer wero to mail or oxpress tho balanco to our nest stopping place. That came ver3 near cutting down my profits to a considerable consider-able extent, for in tho uoxt placo we visited the 'jackieB' wero allowed to go ashoro, nnd 3'ou cannot sell a mortal thing to a snilor who can go ashore. "At such times 'jackio' blows in his money according to his own tasto and fanc3 By letter t explained tho situation situ-ation to tho dealor, to whom I proposed to return the pictures. But he said, 'No, keep them; vou mny, Inter on, havo a clmnco to sell them, nnd if you do 3ou can then remit.' "I was forced to keep thnt last lot until wo reached home, but hero even-thoughtless even-thoughtless 'jackio' wauled lo give somo souvenir of his trip to mother, sweetheart or friend, so I not onh' got rid of the von- last 0110 that 1 was willing to sell, "bur. I had tho hardest kind of work to keep ain'thing for 1113-own 1113-own folks, f sent tho dealer his share and thus ended thnt venture. "There are many other wa3'S in which the men connected with tho naval servico can mako money. Somo of these wa3'S aro tho recognized perquisites o( certain mon, but others, such, for instance, in-stance, as executing any commission for a 'marine' or a 'jackio,' belong to an3'-bod3r an3'-bod3r who will do tho work. I was a'l-wa-s on tho watch out for such opportunities. oppor-tunities. "Now, 3'ou see. I drew tho mono3' tho govornmeut owed me, got my 'honorable,' 'honor-able,' and here I am onco more in 1113' own native laud seeking an inveHtnion't for 1113' savings, for I shall go to sea no more." |
