Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-28
TRIP OF THE BELLIES
How the Kentucky Girls En-
joyed Their Jaunt Abroad.
DECLARE PARIS is UNsPEAKABLE

If any one really pines to make those
thirty Kentucky bellies mad, bowling
mad he or she has only to say Paris
to them and see what happens, says
the New York Tribune. The young
women who sailed in charge of George
Ii. Johnson on July l. as the result of
popular voting contest conducted by
Colonel WattersonS paper. the Courier
Journal, returned to New York recently
by the Finland. rosy of cheek, an al
legged prince in their train, their trunks
bulging with gewgaws and souvenirs,
especially souvenir spoons, perfectly
unanimous that Europe was grand and
that they had had a perfect time-but
no Paris for them, no sir.
Paris is mspeakable," declared a
round dot of a brunette done up in
several chiffon wells.
The newspapahs and people treated
us, oh, just horribly" The girl spoke
angrily through her muffiings. They
wrote saucy paragraphs about us.
caricatuhed us in the papahs, snapshot
ted us, followed us in the streets and
laughed and jeered at us. a mob of
5000 horrid, vulgah people would stan
outside the hotel of a mawnin' to see
us come oeut (ouD. They thought we
were poSin' as beauties. and when they
saw us (she made a depreca tory moue)
they said we might be known as
peaches in Amehica. but in Paris they
would call us apples
1T was all the fault of the New
Yawk papahs." put in another I'VE
went round the city and to COney Is
land befo' we left. and Ali reckon the
papahs thought they'd be funny, so
they dubbed us Kentucky bellies The
Paris papahs caught it up, and when
they saw we were just a lot of ordinary
looking guirls they-well. don't you be-
lieve what you hear about the French
having such mighty fine mammals,
that's all
There was not days sickness from
shore 10 shore. and the only accident
happened TO Miss Mary Lear of Paint
Lick, Ky. piquaut brunette. who
slipped and fell-"the deck was slick
spraining her ankle, the first day out.
To Miss Lear is credited the chief
romance of the trip in the person of
prince-PrinCe Fernand van den DruS-
sche du Trieult of Belgium. It was
said that the prince" had followed
Miss Lear TO this country: that the
young and handsome Belgian and the
dashing Kentucky belle We're insep-
arabic on the voyage over.
Miss Lear said. however. that no one
had right to mention her name with
that of any man.
''Just think. girls" she cried as they
filed out from luncheon at the Hotel
Belmont, All never paid a duty on
bloomin' thing. All said TO the Gus
toms officer who was eXaminin' NAH
trunk. If you make me pay a cent of
duty Anil wiring yOah neck SO he
didn't
''Oh. but the men-the men, eXclaim-
ed Miss AIilda Mcmillan in Disguised
tones They simply aren't in it with
ouah men. Ali may never marry
she threw up her pretty eyes to the
gilded ceiling-"but befo' And take one
of those Frenchmen''- Words failed
her.
We've seen princes, and we've seen
added a young person with
eyeglasses and Ieathern wallet slung
round her neck. but the best of 'em
can't equal ouah Kentucky men
In Antwerp the girls cleaned out a
pharmacy of chewing gum. hut Miss
Esther Wilson of Mount Sterling fail
ed to get the candy she sought in Lon
don.
'Ah asked the waiter to send out for
some candy for me.
Candy. mis-, says he, lookin
mighty queer.
YES All said; "a pound
what is candy. miss?' he said. rs
it something to wear or something to
eat:'
Ito eat. 1t comes in boxes All
said. And then All remembered Mr..
had told us to say sweets
when we meant candy. SO All said.
Sweets, you know and he frightened
up and said: Very good, miss. All I'M
perfectly. miss But he new
er brought the candy"
The girls spent five days in London.
and at Stratford-on-A Von-at Anne |
cottage they got the best |
drink of water they had in Europe
two each in Holland and Belgium. four |
in Germany and five in Switzerland. |
They also visited Scotland and Ireland. |
They were unanimous in preferring |
Scotland and Switzerland TO every |
thing they saw. and London. Edin- |
burgh and Lucerne seemed TO be their |
favorite cities. At Bebrich they were |
met by Governor Francis of Kentucky |
and Breckenridge Jones. who accompa-
MED them as far as Cologne, after
ward taking them for ride around |
the city. At Heidelberg the castle was
Illuminated for their benefit. Every
where they were the recipients of spe-
cial attentions In Paris invitations
were received for the different func-
tons, plays, etc. among them one
from a count inviting them all out to
his chateau for a week. The Kentucky
bellies invariably laughed when asked