The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1889-03-13
A LITTLE BUTTERcUP.
She is Queen Among the Jack.iTars
az the Navy Yard.s

the most taking characters that aided
toward the success of the distinctively
English production was that of Little
Buttercup.
Little Buttercup was represented to be
what, among the hardened tars of the
queens navy, is commonly known as
bumboat woman, whose mode Of obtain
ing a livelihood is by going aboard the
different war vessels and supplying the
crews with tobacco or knicknacks Of
general use from stock carried in
basket or receptacle upon each arm.
The idea of lone woman venturing
among an army of sailors and blasphe-
nous followers of these to sell her little
wares and run the risk of meeting with
no polite treatment, as the bumboat
woman was pictured, seemed quite a
novelty for Americans who saw the opera
of ''Pinafore." Thus, it may come as
somewhat of surprise and an interest
ing point of information to be made
known that of late the navy Of progress
sive Uncle Sam has not only become
identified with a veritable bumboat
woman, but with a Little Buttercup
whose avocation is that of the identical
Rt'ttercup of Messrs. Gilbert and Sulli-
vars Characterization.
HER PATRONS RESPECT HER.
The modern bumboat woman who is
now gaining local fame and any number
of ready patronizers to her stock in trade,
can be seen at present almost any day
upon her rounds among the ships of the
United States navy anchored in the navy
yard in Brooklyn. She usually appears
about midday with basket on each arm
filed with palatable pies and cakes and
a good supply of bottled beer and tenn
perance drinks, which she readily dis
poses of among the crew of the war
ships, and to all is simply known as
Little Buttercup."
1t is said ''Little Buttercup's" profit
easily amounts to five and six dollars
day alone from the sales Of her good
t..ings among the jolly tars of the war
ship Boston, who number over $50, ire
spectiye of the officers.
From Commander Francis M. Ramsey
down to the most ordinary seaman,
Little Buttercup," instead of being the
butt of the ships crew and target of
their unfeeling jokes, as might be sup
posed, is recognized and looked upon as
one of the most worthy Of her sex.
The income derived from her occupa-
ton goes to support her aged mother and
father, who reside in small house IN
what is called 1rishtown, a quarter
mainly inhabited by natives of the EN-
erald Isle and lying just on the outside
of the navy yard.
Little Buttercup's" real name is Della
Robinson, and her father, who lost one
of his legs in the late war, had small
pension granted to him that will barely
go to secure him a comfortable subsist.
ence. When Della first went to the navy
yard to sell her wares some of the more
hardened members of one of the crews
attempted to take liberties with her.
They bantered her upon her good looks.
attempted to purloin pie or bottle of
beer when her back was turned, and one
Jack Tar in particular even ventured to
approach Little Buttercup for the pur-
pose OF chucking her under the chin and
planting kiss upon her pretty cheek.
This latter effrontery was more than
Della cared to put up with, and dropping
her stock in trade she planted singing
blow between the. eyes of the foolhardy
sailor that sent him Keeling over the deck
as if struck by marlinspike in the
hands Of one of his own shipmates.