A Fourth of July Celebration Which Ended in Disaster.
    “That billygoat the boys had for a mascot on the New York,” remarked the  paymaster’s clerk, “suggests a monkey’ that my father used to tell me about that they had on a frigate in the times before the war. This momkey the sailors had picked up somewhere in the Indin ocean countries.
   The ship was stationed in the China ports for an year, and during that time the monkey was the light and joy of the whole crew. When the Fourth of of July came around, permission was asked from the harbor authorities of the port where they were to fire a salute, and preparations were made for doing it in style. The regular salute was fired, and then it was proposed that the crew sing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ and fire a gun for chorus. The gun was loaded and everything was left ready while the crew went to the main deck, where something to drink to the health of the nation was to be served before the song was sung, and the gunner was to be sent back to shoot off the chorus.
    “The programme was carried out to the letter. Then the men scattered, and somebody thought of the monkey. But he was not to be found. The cook hadn’t seen him, nor had the cook’s boy, nor would he respond to any of the calls that usually brought him flying. What had become of him no one knew until 6 o’clock, when a boat’s crew went ashore to a big spring for water. The ship lay off from this spring about a quarter of a mile, and over it was a big shade tree. When the men came to the spring, they noticed in the branches of the tree something that had a familiar look to it, and knocking it out with sticks and stones they found the pink nose of their poor little pet attached to a few shreds and patches of monkey skin.
 “That told the story of the disappearance of Mug, the monkey. He had in a spirit of sport chased himself into the mouth of that saluting cannon and when they fired it Mug went ashore.”-Washington Star.
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