The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-01-18
LADY SANTA CLAUS.
NAVY YARD BENEFAcToR WHO
KEEPS BUSY.
She Does Shopping All the Year
Round for the Officers
Unique Service of the
Young Woman.

cording to the New York Sun, that
the officers OF the navy have Santa
Claus of their own.
Their Santa Claus isn't the ortho-
dox, rolypoly, white whiskered old
chap, with cheeks like roses and nose
like cherry. Neither does this Santa
Claus drive out to the ships In his
reindeer rig and sneak down the
smokestack when all hands are
sound asleep.
"The navy's Santa Claus Is q lady
Santa Claus. Maybe lady Santa
Claus will appear to some as odd rs
the Episcopal cathedral's lady angels
but just the same the Santa Claus I'm
telling you of wears skirts.
she's been doing the Santa Claus
stunt for the naval officers for. some
time and this year she's buster than
ever before. You see, it's this way
with the officers of the navy:
Lots of them are scattered all over
the world at Christmas time. Like
other folks, they want to make pres
ents to their relatives and friends
But, for one thing, they aren't within
reach of the shopping district and for
another thing, they're not expert shop.
pers.
"Of course, many of the officers have
women folks of their own ashore who
can do their shopping for them. But
at Christmas time they want to
surprise these women folks. Here's
where the lady Santa Claus comes in
handy.
"They write to her. telling her to
whom they want presents sent and
how much they care to spend on this
one and that one. and they leave the
rest TO her. Maybe you'd call this lazy
Santa Claus just a plain professional
shopper. But that's too commonplace
description for one who does the
Santa Claus act so well as this young
woman does 1t.
"She buys things for wives and
sweethearts, mothers and sisters, cous
ins and aunts. She picks out lots oi
presents, too, that are to go to brother
officers.
'All these she selects in good sea
son, and she forwards them with the
donors greetings to their various des.
tinations. It's surprising how far she
can make a ten dollar bill go. But. oil
course, that's what may be expected
OF a woman.
Does she make the scheme pay
Well, you bet she does. The officers
pay her for her trouble, and. like every
other such shopper, she gets a commits
sion from the stores where she buys.
Besides, Christmas time isn't the
only period when she's busy. The fact
is she's buying all the year around
for naval officers. She's a regular 1T
tie mother to many OF them.
Whenever they need anything Of
the kind that women ordinarily buy
for men they send word to her. and
she executes the orders. To be sure
a lot of the officers who are married
have their wives do such buying fol
them. But not a few are bachelors
without women relations so located as
to do this kind of job thoroughly
These are the fellows who are her reg
ular patrons all the year round.
Shopping for the officers is only 9
small part Of this young woman's busi'
ness. She controls practically all the
printing done fE officers OF the navy
That alone is a big item.
Every officer must have visiting
cards. These she has engraved in tn,
latest approved style. The card bears
the officers name and his rank. When
ever he is promoted he must have 9
new set of cards.
Another commission OF hers in the
printing line is TO supply the menus
for banQuets given by naval officers
When Prince Louis of Battenberg wal
dined at the navy yard. during his re
cent visit to New York. she furnished
the menus and the invitations
Through her, too, the officers get al
their stationery.
"When the picture postal card craze
first broke out this young woman hac
cards printed with pictures Of the va
rious ships Of the navy on them. Will
these she went aboard every war yes
sci that came into port and did a lane
Office bu.,pess selling postals to tn,
officers and men. Thousands OF these
picture postals were disposed of lik,
hot cross buns on Good Friday.
Another profitable side line of this
enterprising young woman is the salt
of candy to the navy. She acts as tn,
agent of one of the largest candy man
ufacturers in the city. AS told in the
Sun few Sundays ago, the bluejacketi
consume candy by the ton every month
A considerable proportion of what IL
sold to the navy is ordered through
this young woman.
"In the interest of her various line,
of business she visits the differen
navy yards along the Atlantic coast
Wherever Uncle Sans ships fint
berths she is on hand at some periot
of the year Her business is growing
steadily, and many professional mai