Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-03-31
!zE nAs9 COUNTY IRE! PRESS.
CRANCEvILLE IDAHO.
FRIDAY, 4: MARCH 81. 1899.
ALETTER FROM MANILA.
Our Boys in the Philippines Do
not Like the "ChaperOne'
Custom.

The United States authorities in
the Philippines will in the course
of human events be compelled to
discountenance, and if need be, by
force of arms abolish, certain Gus
toms, however firmly rooted they
may be, that are very detri-
mental to the social and civilizing
influence of our soldiers, the worst
of which is the 'chaperone" Gus
tom. Just imagine: If a fellow
wants to take a young lady out for
~ ride, either her father or mother,
or both, must bear them company.
The other night at an unannounc-
ed meeting of the Grangeville boys
this matter was fully discuss, d,
and it received the just condemna-
ton that it richly deserved. Cook,
Woods, Maxey and Green are very
indignant that their civilizing en-
deavors should be 50 rndcly set
aside by a semibarbarous custom
At first it was hard to get at the
trouble, but after much gu, stion-
ing we found that all four had
passed through the same harassing
ordeal. They all hired rigs-thc
day after -day--to take ''tte
best girl in the world out for II
ride. You see there isn't much
show for fellow to make much of
a splurge with a girl at her home
in this God-forsaken country, as tle
old lady sits opposite the pair until
it is time to go home; then the
fellow has TO "vamose, SO the idea
struck the boys very naturally to
take the girl out for ride, when
they could have quiet talk and
maybe get in few licks that would
count. With this object in view
they hired the best rigs they could
find in the city, and went to the
houses as per previous arrange
ment. With palpitating hearts
they pulled up in front of the diff
ferent doors. The young lady
came Auttering out and down the
steps, her light breezy attire and
long black hair flowing gaily in the
wind; she stepped into the carriage
with bewitching smile that cx-
posed her pearly teeth; our brave
warrior sprang in after her and sat
down beside her. Now for that
d. custom. just about the
time he began to think what a hot
number he was with the ladies, ont
came the old lady and crawling in
to the carriage motioned the son of
Mars to get over on the front seat
With this arrangement the journey
commenced and-ended. Four
Rocky Mountain braves are sadder
but wiser men, and four once
staunch expausionists are now on
the fence.
A few days after the above hap
pened l was walking down the
Gale San Miguel when l saw Ned
Green coming down the street sit
ting beside the diminutive driver of
very nice looking carriage. On
investigation of the Green case,
after he got back to barracks, we
found that nothing daunted by the
previous experience, he made up
his mind to try it again. This
time the thought struck him to
hire rig specially ''buill for two"
When he got to the house the same
old play was enacted again. The
young one, all smiles; the old one,
with an eye like a hawk, Green
let the young one in, then tried to
explain to the old lady that there
was only room for two; but it
didn't 60. The old lady and the
girl took the two inside seats and
poor Ned had to sit up in the foot
mans box beside a foot 6 bare
footed Philippine driver, or walk
back three miles to the barracks.
He says now it's no use for the U.
S. to try to hold these islands; that
We never can civilize them.
Yum Yum.
Manila, Feb. 8. 1899.