The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-08-24
CADETS As CHARMEky.
An Ola GIrrs shrewa ObservRtssas 90 the
Way They Have In the Army.

Way They Have In the Army.
WEST PoINT Aug. 2O-It was one OF Sid
ney Smiths notions that girls ought to hive
military dolls to play with. just as they have
hobby horses to ride TO inure them to the sight
OF the live article without becoming demor-
allied. But the appetite for tho military grows
by what 1t feeds on. and n girl who has once
taken turn ut u Irritation with West Point
cadet IL like n tiger who has got tusto OF
blood. They are past help thcn. The Infection
Ia deadly and ineradicable; they seldom stop
short Of marrying Second Lieutenant and go
ing out to Puget Sound to live on love and
Second Lleutenant's pay for fifteen or twenty
years. But. meanwhile. the girls swarm around
West Point like flies around q key of molasses
the cadets couldn't fight them or with n stick
II they were so minded-they are all pretty. all
gay. and oil happy In tho possession OF just
as much cadet rs they can capture. That
isn't very much. ~ ut the last hop ut
tho post there were forty cadets and pre-.
cisoly 100 girls They observe the rule that
prevailed at oid-fashioncd Dutch tea parties
when u lump OF sugar hung from string in
the ceiling and tho quests dipped 1t into their
cups turn about. Each girl has her cadet for a
certain limited period. when she IL expected to
hand him over TO tho next one who Is always
waiting for him on time. 1t so happens that
only two OF tho four classes OF cadets are avail
nble at one time. one class being away each
year on iurlough and tho fourth class. tho
plcl,s. being forbidden on pain OF death to
show themselves on any occasion whatever.
except at parade. Thus II girl can have but
two really successful seasons here. at the end
OF that timo the two classes that she knows be-
ing superseded by newcomers. She may pick
up occasional stragglers from the main body
after hcr second year. but she has no regular
and authorized standing rs q belle. The giris
who persist In coming hore after their second
season are called turnbacks.,
ThOso who arc in good ana regular standing
rs in their first or second season called rats.
There " no open warfare between the rats and
tho h1sss RSnf IAN mos.y carried nr
remarkably atrsctionat0 In thor manners and
entwine their arms around one another ami
ing as kissing among them. An Old cynic who
hangs around here summers says that whom
The cndsts nre AZ trim rs we'll behaved. and
charms is their CLEANLINESS cadet G zoe,
several skins are pceled OF and EErow out again
during his four years course, The first thing.
they nrc plunged an na'0'el into II tub of boil
ing water: there they are parboiied. When
taken out they are sandpnpered and hung ont
their faces. which on hop nights shine ike
Muses's in the burning bush: Once every day
they are washed within an inch Of thor lives4.
t1teT WHICH tnSy uTe btrhppeu up III tHtlT UNI
forms. which bind tho upper part of their
bodies like the ancient Egyptian mummy cloths.
The young ladies can never see tho cadets
unless they 80 to SEQ them, except those who
are al tho West Point Hotel. tho only hotel al
| lowed On tho reservation. and which does not
| accommodate u large crowd. Tho omnibuses
| and carriages which run from neis boring
| points carry the young ladies from the SUR.
rounding hotels. IL IL estimated that Il III 81
| travels scvnral thousand miles going to and
| from West Point during tho seuson
Sunday afternoon parade IL always attended
| by II grcat, crowd, Promptly ut half past tho
| tl"mnn wearing II tall shake aud u duHz! inl;
| pair Of white trousers. is the cynosure Of all
cyns. Tho long limo Of cadets go through the
| drill rs one man.. The word OF command
sounds something like this:
| "c-a-r-r-y---hunks"
| "Shouidcr---hunksl"
! --sent---hunks! Nc. Garry hunks
| means carry arms: shoulder hunks II shoulder
| arms-huuks being the PRONUNCIATION OF arIn'
| commonly used by adiutants in the army a
| parade"
The hops gn on with tho same regularity the
! same waltH's are PLAYED. tho same corpora
| stands at tho door with his drum sticks ilrmI,
| graspoa ready to boat tho tattoo at 10 o'c"cI
! for tho young Indies to 20 home aud loave thu
cadets in peace. The same grim sentr!
marches up and down to keep tho girls from
| seeing tho boys home and hanging ON the gait
| utterwnrd. Tho band continues to play TAX,
| Back the Heart that Thou Gavast' rs tho in
| nocent young tadpules uf both sexes disperse
| Nothing NJ West Point changes even tho face
OF tho cadets remuin always young. Appar
danced and iirted along about 1885.