The San Francisco call., 1898-08-21

. the soldiers spoke to me and asked me if I knew that all the otfer ladies were off the ship. They were all so sort of incFedulOuS.
 It was awfully funny. There was a fnatr: cut on one of the tugs taking bic tures of the ship and I was leaning Qvef the rail looking back as we put out toward the heads. Tle bay was so beautiful and so, gay with all the flags and the cheering and the bands play ing and the handkerchtefs waving, and with all I have read about how the tTausports have left San Francisco, I never imagined it quite as 1 saw it that day, and to be part of it made it so:eNciting. The tug was alongside the snlp4 and this man who had been talk ing pictures suddenly discerned me. .t1lSt expression was the funniest thing l ever saw. It daTned on him that woman was going out on the transport ana that he hadn't known 1t, and that ne ought to get picture of her and. oh! a lot of things occurred to him all at. once. He made a scramble for the hurricane deck and by this time we were going pretty fast and the tug was pltchlng along catching the swell and he was drenched. Of course, l stepped out of range and he waved madly at me to come back. We could see he was shouting, but we couldn't hear In that
 
 and dripping. and the major sald, You'd better let him get a picture oe- fore he's drowned, so l went back 10 the rail. He looked so relieved. That was: the last face we saw until we reached Honolulu. We did not pass d sail. It was a perfectly eventless trip except for the novelty of my position. Y ou know it was a strange feeling to be out on the ocean, far from even the sight of land, one woman among all those men. 1 couldn't help feeling queer and conscious. And you Ve no idea-or at least l had not until saw them all together-how many men SOO men are"
 Mrs. Nickerson laughed. T mean they took such a lot. l used to long for a woman's face among them. Ihey seemed to be perishing of curiosity . concerning me, too l kept in my cabin when I wasn't on the hurricane deck and the men used to dawdle by with one eye turned in. and whenever l passed along the deck they'd stop talk ing and stare and then whisper ana look embarrassed and worried if l nap pened to glance their way. l suppose I seemed as queer to them as I felt. If there had been three or four others 1t would have been different. I felt hor- : Tibly in the way, too. l kept hearing things they said among themselves You know you hear everything on board ship that was never intended for my ears, and l often happened Inno- gently around when I wasn't expected, and one day created frightful com motion by coming out of my cabin just as the men were being marched along to their bath. The major warned me back in time, but the men heard the . door open or saw a flutter of skirts and they broke ranks and rushed for cover, and there was a great furry on I.6 fn cot ont of my R1 and the men had to get their baths, so they all hid behind some canvas while l ran for the hurricane deck. It was the most absurd performance. After that, their bath hour was changed to five o'clock in the morning, and as they washed decks at three you can imag- fnei'
 Then it wasn't all romance and ex- Citement and gay devotion as the girls In Washington thought it would be?" . "Em an old married woman," said Mrs. NiCkerson.
 What did you do for distraction?" :': fOh, the usual thing one does on teamers-lOunged. read. talked, looked al flying fish, played with a fox ter .I'ieT-oh. yes! and we had an educated goat who could tell an officer from private and got up on his hind legs to salute Colonel Barber-at least that's the soldiers story. Then the men had
 
 sang for us on deck nearly every night. Tie officers were all perfectly charn ing. They did everything to make the trip agreeable. But you know men in their hearts think a--woman Is a sort of nuiSance-eIfdt ,sSs- one woman in q crowd of memo matter how gallant they are. They feel the restraint, I know! I've had brothers and I've heard their views. I put my steamer chair off at a discreet distance, and had the major arrange for a little separate table, and altogether I spared their feelings as much as I could.'' H I'm sure with that amount of tact woman on a troop ship ought to be g. blessing"
 "'She wouldn't want to be-" said Mrs. Nickerson, decidedly. There are other places infinitely more comfortable that she can bless It was fun in a way, you know, to be the first woman to nave the experience and all that, but: :'-she hesitated, expressively.
 "But?"
 Well" she said. laughing, i've had it-and I'm satisfied"