The daily critic., 1890-08-18
A SUMMER YARN
HUGGlNG THE WRONG GIRL ON A
SEASIDE PIAZZA.
a story which Commodore sohlev. the
Commander Of the New Cruiser
Baltimore, Tells on HIM
seIf-An Appendix.

baltimore, Tells on HIM
seif-An Appendix.
F1am 7rg1asrs piVo7dptiq S,md7y rinss
Commodore Winfield Scott schlev.
L. s. Navy, commander Of the new
cruiser Baltimore, Is one Of the iolliest.
good fellows In the branch of the serv.
ice to which he belongs, and next to
hearing a good story loves to tell one
himself, and tells it well. Tie is one
Of those rare men you meet that can On
Joy a good joke upon himself, AMI has
no hesitation in telling IT, The reader
will remember that after he made his
daring and energetic cruise 10 the Arc
tic in 1884, when he rescued General
Greely and his starving comrades,
President Arthur rewarded his bravery
and success by appointing him Chief Of
The Bureau Of Equipment and Recruit
ing In the Navy, which gave him the
rank Of Commodore while he held the
Office The duties Of the position re.
guired frequent visits to the various
navy yards and other points where ma.
terial wss produced, and last year he
made an extended visit to the Boston
Navy. Yard, where all the Cordage for
the Navy is manufactured This was in
the summer time and when his official
inspection was completed, be took oc-
Casion TO 20 TO jamestown, little place
on Narragansett Bay, opposite Newport,
where his family was staying for the
season. He enjoyed himself immensely,
but an episode occurred there that he
told on himself when he returned to
Washington.
II had a Jolly time, said he TO
party Of Navy men, land would have
fixed TO stay longer There were not
many there but all hands were nice
people and knew each other well, so
that there was lots Of fun and no slow
days at all.
"One evening after dinner we were
all sitting out in front, the men on the
piazza, but most Of the ladies, my wife
among them, were grouped on the
broad steps chatting to themselves.
II hsd been out sailing and fishing all
day with a party, and was feeling
rather tired, so ] concluded that as soon
as the ladies broke mp their chin. chin. I
would get Mrs. Schley and 60 to our
quarters.
after awhile they got afraid OF the
dew and came up TO the chairs, and one
Of them picked her way along and sat
down close to nv chair
II thought Il was my wife and so
leaning over to her. / slipped my arm
around her waist aud whispered.
'Swteiy, I'm tined let's 90 up TO bed.
Il was Just as sure that IL was my
better half as that | was sitting there
myself but ! had no more than got
my arm closed around her than | knew
I had made a big mistake, with a
big b.
1T was too late, though. for the
movement and the remark had been
made simultaneously and / was stuck.
The lady was a mighty pretty New
York girl, who was the beauty and al.
miraiion Of the place, and she had as
much nerve as Fduagut ever had.
She took the situation In az once,
like the brainy girl she was, and just
leaned over 10 me, laughing quietly,
and said In a low tone
Not to night, Commodore-at least
you had better find Mrs. Schley and
talk 10 her about g. Then she rDt up
quietly and Joined little group sitting
some distance away.
IL was never taken so flat aback be.
fore IN my life. couldn't say any
thing because ! didn't have a blamed
word TO say; In fact, there wasn't any
thing one could say. ! sat still for a
moment or two until / got over being
stunned, aud then / pTowled around
until found my wife aud left, "
Schley explained that he didn't tell
his wife a word about the occurrence
until after both came back TO Wash
ington. II was a pretty good joke on
the Commodore, and the fellows chaffed
him a bit, but, Of course, every mothers
son Of them that had a wife repeated II
10 her. one Of these ladies, on hear
ing the story, sat thoughtfully and ST.
lent for a moment, and then address
ing her husband, said Jack, did
Scott Sehley tell you what occurred to
himl That IL was all mistake That
he actually and truly thought II was
bis wife he was hugging In the dark 2
"He did %
well, Jack, you can tell Commodore
Schley that / said be can Just 90 and
tell that TO the Marine Corps.
The little woman had often heard the
old saw Of telling the marines, and
though she didn't get the quotation
quite right that was emphatically what
she meant
of course Jack" took the first op-
pOTtunity when Schley was In a party
Of officers 10 tell what his wife had said,
and no one enjoyed the appendix to the
joke more than did the gallant COmmO-
doTe himself.