Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-30
& WESTON, 10, xv A
her ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS way of putting the

0O00II- q
her mother-in-law's way of putting the
| matter.
| In general. it may be said that the
wives Of officers in the United States
service. land and sea, have a trying
time of it. This is especially true Of
the wives of naval officers The army
women are subjected to any amount of
the discomfort and WEAKNESS of NOV
| ing about, and to the dismal lonesome
ness Of life in remote garrisons. but
they at least have their husbands with
them. The wives of naval officers do
not, for long periods, as is, of course,
Well understood,
| II sent my husband off to the Euro
pean station two weeks after | married
| him. Is years ago" said the wife of a
commander. the other day. and ii
seems as if | had been bidding him
| good-by ever since. have hardly
seen him At all and the only compen-
sation for it is that we do have such
fun in getting acquainted all over
| again when he returns after long
| cruise"
| 1t is said that young naval officers
are not 50 much 'on the marry nova
| days as they used to be. and if this is
the case the wonder is surely not great.
1t seems pretty raw for young man
with but single stripe 10 his sleeve To
| marry today and to be- ordered tomCr-
row to n ship 10000 miles away on q
| three-year cruise. And Yet this is
something that has often happened.
| 1t is observed however that the
| young naval officers who marry nova
| days engage in matrimony. most ~
| them, Immediately upon being detach-
| ed from ships on foreign stations and
! returning to the United States for
| their period of shore duty. They marrs
| the girls they have been waiting for
ana settle down to enjoy their first
| shore cruise in double harness. But
| then. again. there are many young Off
GERS of the navy who just about finish
counting the girls they want by the
1 time they are due to be ordered of to
| the other end Of the world on 4 long
cruise.
| These young fellows marry their
| girls and go and wait two or three
| years. as the case may be- for their
| honeymoon. Four or five years ago il
! well-known lieutenant married
| young society woman of San Francis
| 60, while his ship was. to all intents
| and purposes. being held in the harbor
| for the conclusion Of the ceremony
| Within an hour after the marriage the
young wife stood on the Veranda Of the
| Cliff House and watched the ship upon
| which her husband was serving steam
| past the heads of the Golden Gate
| bound for Yokohama. she could not
| 60 to her husband on account
| Of an invalid mother in San Francisco
and ii was two years and nine months
before the couple were reunited by the
husbands return from the China
| station.
'I'll have to make my devoirs to my
| wife all over again." is the way many
| of the young officers put it who get
married under circumstances similar
! to this upon being finally detached
| from their ships. 1t has quite often
| happened that children have been born
| to young officers within a very few
| days after their departure for foreign
stations. and there was a pretty in
Cident due to case Of this kind at one
Of the railroad stations here not long
ago.
An ensign. who was ordered Il bit
more than three years ago. to the
Mediterranean station. and then trans
ferred to the Asiatic station. 4 month
after he had married one Of the pretty
girls of Baltimore. was met at the sta
ton when he returned here by his
wife. prettier than ever. and a littl.
chap-by his movements a very heavy
weather and deep-water man, indeed
logged out in a ue-jacket rig, with a
cap ribbon bearing the name of his
fathers last ship. The little shaver
manifested a decidedly belligerent atti-
tude when his father, whom he had Of
course. never before seen, embraced
his mother at the station; but the
was able to conclude terms of peace
with the young one before long.
There are many United States naval
officers-and their number is constantly
grOWing-Who make it a point to have
their families within reaching distance
no matter in what part of the world |
they may be serving. This, of course,
is not possible in the case of large |
families. but the number of young |
wives of naval officers who live at the |
headquarters of the foreign stations is |
considerable. The naval officers have |
discovered that they can quite as well |
to have them remain in the United |
States during their absence for several |
years on foreign stations, and there is /
growing disposition among them to
take advantage of the discovery.