As he went through the gate, a taxicab rolled up and an officer got out. Joe Garvey saluted and got in.
"Q Street, Northwest," he ordered.
"I'll show you where."
On the way, he fell asleep, and the cabdriver had to stop the cab and re in the back and shake him awake when they were on Q Street.
"Further down," Joe told him, and the cab drove slowly down the street til Joe recognized the brick wall.
"Right there," he said, and handed the cabdriver a five-dollar bill.
"Keep change."
He had almost made it to the door in the gate when a large man in a overcoat appeared out of nowhere.
"Hold it right there, sailor!"
"It's all right," Garvey said.
"I'm to report to Chief Ellis."
"You missed him, then," the man said.
"He left an hour ago." , Another, equally burly man appeared.
"What have you got, Harry?" he asked.
"I got me a drunken sailor," the first man said.
"The sonofabitch can ba stand up."
"Fuck you," Joe Garvey said. , "I got me a belligerent drunken sailor," the man said, laughing. He put hand on Garvey's arm. i "What the hell do we do with him?" ;
"I'll take him inside and ask the duty officer," the first man said.
"He he's supposed to report to Ellis." ' "Kid," the second man said.
"I think you just fucked up by the numb The first man, firmly gripping Garvey's arm, propelled him a hundred farther down the street, then through the automobile gate to the prop then up the drive, and finally into the kitchen.
Joe Garvey recognized the two men in shirtsleeves sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. As well as he could, he came to attention and salui "Sir," he said (it came out "Shir"), "Radioman Second Class Garvey, J." rep permission to speak to the captain, Sir." i "What have we here?" 1st It. Horace G. Hammersmith, Signal Corpse Army, asked, smiling.
"He just got out--fell out--of a cab," the burly man said. ' "Garvey, my boy," Capt. James M. B. Whittaker said, "if one didn't know!
tee, one would suspect that you have been communing with John Barleyce "You know him?" the burly man asked.
Whittaker nodded. ' "Sir, I wish to volunteer," Garvey said, very thickly, i "Volunteer? For what?"
"You're going into the Philippines," Garvey said.
"I want to go with y "So much for the big secret," It. Hammersmith said, chuckling.
"You're drunk, Garvey," Whittaker said.
"no, I'm not," Garvey said righteously.
"I'll take care of Garvey," Whittaker said.
"Thank you."