The Portland daily press., 1895-01-19

that the Names commander would be-
come an Admiral before the cruiser re-
ceived hsr christening gift. Some of the
more patriotic of the Maine people be-
gan to complain of the lack of public
spirit in the State, and the subject be-
came tea-tab BILE gossip. The Maine women
began to say things, according to the
story, and to tell what they would do if
they we're men.
Finally one afternoon very patriotic
Augusta girl gave an afternoon tea.
While the matrons and maids were Cos
siping over the teacups the young hostess
spoke of the present the cruiser hadn't
received Right then and there both
horns of the dilemma were grasped. The
girls and the young married women en-
tered into a deep and dire conspiracy
against their fathers and husbands the
outcome of which was to be very sub
stantial addition to the gift fund. The
details of the plot suggested by the
hostess were these: That very night
each and every daughter of Them was to
tell her papa or her husband, as the
source of her revenue happened to be,
that really she must have more pin
money, that it was bsolutely impossi BILE
for her to get along on her present allow
ance, and that, therefore, the husband
or father would have to get deeper into
his pockets and hand out more. The
additional pocket money was to be laid
&c of oil 1nfn the
treasury of the fund.
The scheme found enthusiastic favor
with everyone of the tea drinkers, and
it was the unanimous opinion that the
hostess had a longer head that Tom
Reed was ever accredited with.
"Oh Bessie,n said one of the guests to
her entertainer, you're positively bril-
lianti You ought to write book. We'd
all read it, and you'd become famous in
no time. Girls, isn't she clever?" There
was not the slightest doubt in the minds
of any of the guests that Bessie was the
cleverest girl in the State. Then they
proceeded to organize the Names Cup
Committee-that's what they decided to
call themselves One of the older of the
married women suggested that great care
should be exercised in perfecting an Or
ganization.
"We must be very orderly about all
this" she said.
ITO be sure" rejoined the girl who said
that Bessie was brilliant. "We must be
very shipshape. Now let me see; whom
shall we have for patronesses?"
"Why, Gracei" interrupted Mrs. Aroos-
took, "we don't want any patronesses for
this sort of thing, we aren't going to
give dance"
"Of course we don't want any patrones-
ses.n chimed in another of the girls. I'VE
want President and several Vice-Pres-
idents, General and a Recording Secre-
tarv, and a Corresponding Secretary, and
a Treasurer, and Sergeantess-of-arms.
That's what they have in the Society of
the Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton. and that is the most shipshape
organization there is"
Then everybody began talking at once,
and they got SO tangled up that order
would never have been restored had not
Bessie's father come home to dinner
when the organization discussion was at
it's height. By unanimous consent he
was called into the parlor and told all
about the scheme and asked for sugges-
tions an to organization. He fell right in
with the plan, told how most commit
tees were organized, and in short time
| a chairman, a secretary and treasurer
had been chosen. Then the meeting adj
iourned, su bject to the call of the chair
| man, who, by the way, was no one else
| than the hostess of the afternoon, and
the one who suggested the whole scheme
| In some unaccountable wayne one
| knows how, for all the girls pledged
| themselves to inv1olable secrecy-the
scheme of the Augusta tea drinkers got
out, and soon it was known all through
the State. Everybody was talking about
it. Iu was not long before similar Or
| ganization was perfected by the women
| of Portland, and there seemed to be a
| likelihood that there would be Names
| Cup Committee in all the principal cities
of the State. The crusade against the
| nocketbooks Of the heads of Maine fami-
| lies was so active that an embarrassing
| stringency in the money market was
| threatened. Finally to avoid this and to
| give themselves better reputation for
public spirit, some of the leading citizens