Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-26

made it stick, too. For instance a man
supposed to be John Smith. the well-known
plckpocket, Is arrested in New York on
suspicion. He's an old-tiner, and perhaps
he has remained away from New York so
long that the police officials there have for
gotten him and cannot positively identify
him. So they refer to their files for a de-
scription of John Smiths marks They
ind that John Smith, according to the flied
description. has a blue anchor tattooed on
his right forearm. John Smith pulls up his
right sleeve and shows them that he has no
such thing tattooed on his right forearm.
The device there imprinted is a blue-and-
red fve-pointed STAR Detectives tell me
that any quantity of JQhn Smiths have got
out of quod on showngs of this sort
Il don't think / stand in any immediate
danger of being apprehsndsd pickpock-
ct or anything like that, and yet I'd prefer
not to have the tattoo marks that had
printed on me out in Japan when / was
young man in the service. One. grows
weary of his tattoo marks. The young Off
GERS of my day nearly all had themselves
marked up with the tattooing neadle-bunch,
just as the bluejacketS did but | think
were all more or less sorry for it., The
sorriest two Qeople ever knew over tattoo
marks We're a couple of young women, both
of them daughters of one of the most fam
Gus admirals Of the old navy. They acc
companied their father out to- the China
station, and while IN Japan, in a spirit, of
mischief. they both had their checks tat
tooed lovely. bushing pink. The job was
done by the finest tattOoer in the empire
of japan. and it simply made the young
women look as if they Were blessed with
IN the charming high Color of perfect health:
Their father. the old admiral, ragged and
stormed over IT, but the job was done,
never TO be undone. When the two young
women grew bit elderly still, of course
preserving the pcachy color in their cheeks
their women friends, naturally enough
accused them-supposably behind their
backs--of using rouge. and | have heard
both Of them bewail their foolshness in
having that extraordinary bit of tattooing
performed on their countenances.
There a funny tattooing incident
on board the ship to which ! was attached
on the Mediterranean station about ten
years ago. The executive officer of the
ship--of course. you know that the execu-
tive officer, or first luff the bluejack-
cts call him, IS, next to the captain, the
biggest man aboard a man-o'-war-was
perhaps the quietest and most reserved
man in the American navy. He had been
a good deal of a blade as n Young man in
the service. but he had sifted down early,
and by the time he reached the grade of
lieutenant commander the reserve with
which he treated all hands, fore and aft,
and his evident dislike for men of many
words was known throughout the navy
AN ensign was sent out to our ship to
replace a young man who had been re-
lieved. The new young officer had been the
talkiest cadet. perhaps. who ever went
through Annapolis, and his penchant for
Volrbi'ity chung to him after he got his
uniform. His garrulousness was a bit
wearisome. too particularly as the youth
possessed a whole lot of obviously youthful
ideas. which he liked to spring at the ward
room table and which often involved little
after joining the ship, the young ensign be-
gan at the mess room table to dilate on
the subject of tattooing. He abhorred tat
tooing, it seemed. He had noticed that a
large percentage of our ships company
forward were tattoeed. and it panied him.
It's d barbarous. silly, disgusting prac-
tee said the young man. and there ought
TO be regulation providing for the
verest punishment to be meted out upon
any man, fore aft, who permits himself
to be tattooed. An officer who permits
himself to he tattoed Ought TO be dismissed
the service J Il ~
Now. that was pretty WARN talk, inas-
much as most of US atithe table were more
or less marked up with the needle, pGt the
older men In the services mike allowances
for the rawness of the young chaps, and
SO nothing was said The executive officer
regarded the laxative boyl with a vague
smile in his eyes, and then transferred his
attention to his plate. 81
1--WE had salt water shower bath fixed
aft on the main deck wherewith to cool
ourselves when we turned out in the morn
ing. We'd stand under stnesahing in short
trunks and then go oyer ourselves with
fresh water. On the following morning
after the young ensign had basted tattoo
ing so soundly the executfveioffieer walked
out under the shower. -bathnin his trunks
Ire young ensign happened 10 pc the OFF,
Ger of the deck and 1T was a study to OBJ
serve how his eyes stuck out when he had
one good look at the person of the first
1uff,' his very much superior officer. The
executive officer was giant of six feet
two On his chest he had tattooed an ener-
nous full-rigsed- ship in blue and red. On
his back he had n really fine piece about
a foot and. a half long and wide that had
been done by Japanese. It represented a
Japanese dragon battling with an eagle. in
four colors-blue red. golden brown and
green. On his brawny arms from the
shoulders almost to his wrists were nicely
punctured anchors. boa constructors, weep-
ecntive officer stood under the shower.
looking straight ahead and smiling drea M
lily. He knew that the ensign was taking
him in from behind the engine room hatch
''The quiet humility which haracterized
that young ensgn's demeanor at moss dur
ing the remainder of the cruise was some
thing Femarkahla" = tsde-. -