The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-06

woman as the divine Sarah, and their
expectation was always realized. AT
one war room dinner aboard an Amer
lean man-of war, Nine. Bernhard an
nounced at the outset that she would
speak nothing but English. Her efforts
to convey her meaning in English
speech put most of the officers on the
verge of spasms before quarter of an
hour of the time dinner had elapsed.
When the actress saw that they all had
their handkerchief politely stuffed into
their mouths che relented and resumed
her own language, where she sparkled.
Most American naval officers knew
French, and speak it no more afro.
ciously than their countrymen ashore.
Nine. Bernhard had her revenge in
trying to make out the French Of the
Ulcers, and every minute or so she
would inquire of the baby kangaroo in
her lap if the alleged French of the
officers was not the funniest thing
Imaginable on this earth.
Neither Ulcers nor men Of man Of
war expect to have much left in the
way of small gear after visit from
feminine friends. The girls never ask
for these things, of course, but they
never fail to go ashore with enough to
stock a bumboat. Anything that an
American girl sees aboard an American
man-of-war and likes she gets. If she
could pack six-inch rifles the officers aft
would probably give her few. The
blue. jackets are just as generous.
Every American warship in commission
carries about fifty times the number of
cap ribbons ever likely to be required
for the use of changing crews. These
extra cap ribbons are for the girls.
They are not Officially made for the
glls, but il is an unders God thing that
the girls are to get them. They cost
the officer or blue jacket who draws
them from the paymaster's stores fs-
teen cents each, but if they cost the
fflcer or blue jacket SIS each, the girls
would get them all the same.
Petty officers in our navy are always
shy on rating badges for their watch
arms after their ship has been invaded
marks that the anchor, or pair of guns,
or exploding shell, or silver wheel, on
the petty officer's arm, is pretty. She
doesn't have to say nything else. The
lefty officer makes for his ditty box for
his scissors and cuts the rating badge
off his uniform before the girls eyes
for her. Then he has to draw on the
psymaster for another rating badge.
The chief petty officers, who wear
brass-buttoned uniforms, often go but
tonless for dsy or so after ship-vis-
ting day. They lop the buttons off
their blouses for the girls, and then
have to stand ty for more buttons at
the psymaster's office. The blue jackets
will give the girls anything they happen
to possess, or don't happen to possess,
for that matter. There was an equip
ment yeoman on board ship that WIS.,
tied the San Diego flower fiesta few
years ago who fitted out the girls he es-
corted around his chip with peculiar
souvenirs. In his storeroom he had a
couple of hundred old-fashioned wrist
irons that had done lot of duty in
squelching the factiousness of brigged
sailors. A board of survey had been
held on these irons, which were out of
date, and they had been condemned.
1t was the yeoman's business to turn
them in at navy yard storeroom at
the first opportunity. He made better
use of them by giving them to highly
appreciative young women who honor
ed him with their company on visits
about the ship. The girls tied little
ribbons to the wrist irons, and valued
them highly as implements that had
! been used for the torture of poor sail.
: ormen. The skipper had the yeomar
at the mast about his nervy disposition
of government property, but the man
was not punished for his offence, re-
lieved as it Yves by such amiable gal
, lantry. Officers aft hang on to the an
chors and other ornaments attached tC
! the collars of their fatigue blouses al
long as possible, but most of then
7 sooner or later rip them off and han(
them over to girls who like the work
manship of the ornaments.
7 The cleverness of American girls il
: hypnotizing sailors of any nation il
singular. When the Russian squadron
, that visited New York at the time o
; the Constitutional celebration in 1873!
spread gangways for visitors, the New
York girls went aboard the Russian
I men of-war in droves. Part of thu
' uniform equipment of every Russian
naval officer is dagger. The dagger
are beautifully devised affairs, th'
hilts of them heavily wrought in gold
There wasn't dagger in the Russian
g feet two days after the New Yorl
g girls began to visit the Cars men-of
8 war, but there were several scores O.
( Russian naval daggers hanging BY
e chains in the boudoirs of New Yorl
9 girls.
y On ship-visiting day in an Ameri
# can port barrel Of bareback, standing
n | oman in man-of. war allevWav ia s
sight the young women can't very wei