Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-03-04
THE MAN In UNlEOkM
NOES or A laval OFFICER ON The
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PLATFORM.
Nfistaken For station Master and Reviled
Accordingly Appealed tn and Abused
by Helpers and Indignant citisens
AZ Last From = baby.


amazed as he entered and sank down on
the leather couch.
Whats the matter old manf" asked
one of the officers. why, where are your
friendsy thought you got permission TO
leave the ship 10 go To the Brooklyn bridge
To meet some friends who were coming
aboard
II did. came Il response in muffied
voice n han ; where We been.
But where are your friends" persisted
No. 4.
Il don't know, for l didn't wait for
them.
didn't wait for themy" exclaimed a
chap whom they all call Lord Chesterfield
"Why, that was beastly thing to dc. +"
"Blankety, blank, blank" exclaimed
the exhausted one, jumping To his feet
"Wait till you hear my side Of the story
before you condemn my manners. 1 look
as If | might have been bunkCed sandbag
ged or set upon by a gang of street thugs,
don't II Yes Well, | haven't been.
merely made the mistake of going ashore
In uniform.
"You see, I'd been very busy working all
morning, and when looked ut the clock
L found that l barely had time TO get TO
the bridge 10 meet these friends, much less
TO stop TO put on civilians attire / got
permission to leave the ship and started on
q run, without once thinking of my uni
form, but when got in the car had time
TO realize what | was wearing. oh,
thought To myself, Il have on my service
dress uniform-plain blue trousers,a rather
neat but not gaudy blouse, with consider
able black braid on il, and an anchor on
the collar. Good. This won't attract much
attention Then 1 looked at my cap, with
its sloping visor and its broad gold band
around the front ornamentcd with the
crossed anchors. eagle and shield wrought
together. 'fine, said 10 myself No
body will guy me I'm sure, though, / did
wish had thought in time To put on my
cts.
when | landed at the bridge, l got
permission, "a IA special favor To go up on
the second story landing TO meet my
friends as they got out of the train. Sew
eral people pipCd me off as | went up the
steps and thar was the beginning of my
finish. l stood there gazing at two trains
as they disgorged themselves without be-
ing interfered with When the third one
came up, "A man got out, came up TO me
and said:
Z" Which is the way TO the Kings Coun-
~ "Lg"'
4" Il don't know | answered.
=" Why don't you know he asked
- l don't know that, either, was my
reply, and he passed on, glaring back at
me as If he would enjoy nothing more than
taking my scalp BY this time the next
train was in, and "a woman got out and
made for me.
til, -.
Yard she asked.
:" Go down stairs and take the car un-
der the bridge To your right, madam,
answered
I" Can't you go down and show me the
way she querled next.
I'm sorry | can't, answered. and
III be blamed if she didn't let in and say
that was IA disgusting thing and asked
me what was paid for
Il Strengthened up us high as could,
thinking that If l assumed a military air
IL would lie protection, bur IL didn't
work. Although standing with heels and
knees together, toes out at an angle of 10
degrees, chest out and shoulders thrown
back and chin held high in the air. my
posture didn't produce the desired effect
Soon became aware from series Of short
whistles, such as are commonly used To
summon bootblack or cabby, that some
one in the crowd from the next car was
making persistent efforts To attract my at
tenton. II was u nan. / turned To cast
whitening glance. He grabbed me by the
elbow with his umbrella handle, harnessed
me w To him and said: Although there
are ii - In the cars prohibiting people
from ilNulging in "a certain pastime, either
in the ears or on the platform, the man
who SAT next 10 me coming on the bridge
spit Oh my foot. and | want To make II
complaint against him There the son of
gun goes now. | thought of what Bill
Nye said when he was writing about one
of his personal difficulties with an enc
my: clinched my teeth and struck him
with "a bed Stat. If you don't believe IL,
can show YOU the clinched teeth and the
bed slat
The fellow had his foot there all right
and he thought he had his man, but he
could prove nothing ! told him that
could say nothing except that | regretted
the occurrence, and l promised him that
10 should never happen again and remind
cd him that, although the offense was a
heinous one, there was no specific penalty
for It, l was unable to arrest the offender
and would have To let him go He thank
ed me again and again and said he was
glad to know that along with other i'm
provements, the bridge officials had secured
such intelligent employees.
II was about used up by this time and
kept wondering If my friends would ever
come. Surely they'll be on the train just
coming in, thought 1t came to stop,
and young, fairly well dressed woman
motioned to me from the platform Not
noticing anything unusual, | FASTENED
up to the car and found to my distress
that she had "A baby about months old in
her arms. She said she had very heavy
basket I'm the car and rather suggested by
a motion toward the baby. IA she drew up
TO me, that take that while she went in
after the basket But l didn't catch on
and rushed In and grabbed the basket by
preference.
"Wher 1 came out with 1t, she said she
thought she'd better take the basket down
the steps as it had sope things in 10 that
she wouldn't have broken for the world.
and finally insisted on my swapping IL
for that Airned brat. What did dog I
dropped the basket at the top of the steps,
shook the woman, baby and all, and made
tracks for the navy yard.
So here am, or at least all that's left
Of me. AZ to my friends, ! don't know
where they are. I've been pulled and
tugged this way and that and yelled at in