The evening times., 1898-12-31
BRIDES AS wARsH1P VISITORS.
Why Newly Married Couples Like to
Wander About on War Vessels.

" tlit we" 1ufh sun
There was leaden sky overhead and a
gray mist all about the big battleship In
diana, on whose yellow upper works an
occasional raindrOp spattered. Wrapped
in his overcoat, the officer OF the deck
tramped up and down, stopping every few
minutes TO look over the dreary stretch OF
soggy soil and the yellow navy yard build
ings beyond. IL was Tuesday of last week.
The officer of the deck was young lieu
tenant He was in grumpy mood. Tor
deck duty on day like Tuesday is far
from pleasant. A sailorman approached him
with a request for shore leave.
Are you on the liberty list - he asked
and when the bluejacket answered affirm
atively he looked disappointed. Go
ahead, he said sourly, and the sailor hur-
ried down the gangway and made tracks
in the mud up the yard. All of which i'm
pressed an onlooker with the idea that the
young lieutenant was a sour-spirited and
unpleasant person But he wasn't. He
was simply wet and cold. His real nature
rose to the surface few minutes later
when a party of three emerged from the
superstructure. They were a young man.
a young woman and prentice boy A
smile wrinkled the lieutenant's mouth and
sparkled in his eyes as he saw them The
young man was very ordinary young man
in very extraordinary frame of mind His
glance never strayed from his feminine
companion. She was comely and ROSY
checked and clad in gray something that
harmonized with the mist, and one of her
little hands rested eonfdingly in the right
hand of her companion. In his remarka BILE
state of mind the ordinary young man
walked plumb into the officer of the deck.
"Oh, l beg your pardon he said, Il
thought you were the gate
''John." said the little woman as the
color spread from her cheeks to her fore
chi
became triie embarrassed himself and
stammered:
Il mean 1 thought thought we were
going-going, you know, to the gate of the
Ship
There it is, over there" said the lieu
tenant. pointing TO the gangway. The
young man and young woman walked of.
hand in hand.
IF had told them ii was astern they'd
have walked overheard" said the lieuter-
ant.
The prentice boy stood on the deck ard
grinned.
What are you laughing at?" asked the
officer, turning on him sharply.
That's pair" answered the boy
How do you know, you young rascal -
kin tell be the cut o. their jib, sir"
Get in off the deck,' commanded the
lieutenant and the grinning boy vanished.
Funny" said the lieutenaGt, as he
| turned to the reporter. Think OF any
| body coming down here on a day like
| this II We didn't have to be here. you
| and 1, we would be in a NICE warm room,
| with pipe and a mug of hot punch,
imagine. But that was honeymoon pair
| Great Scott! Here's another of them.
Truly enough, another couple was ap-
| preaching the ship. and 'be the cut o.
| their jib'' as the prentice boy said, they
! were new wed. They walked up the
| gangway and were turned over to a boy
| who was ordered to show the ship to
| them.
1.-The number of brides that come to visit
| the ship is amazing; that's what it is J.
| amazing," said the officer of the deck
"You can see a dozen honeymoon couples
| in the yard any fine day. And on days
| like this, well. as you see. we've hal two
| couples on the ship today.
How can we tell them? Why. that Is
! very easy. In the first place. they We
| new clothes. The man always has n "
gloves, and they never look at anything
| but each other. l remember in September
there was O swarm. of them. We poor
devils of sailors could not help envyine