Atlanta Georgian., 1913-03-08

fact remains that I'm the only
- girl who ever dressed as a
Jackie, boarded a battleship and
stayed with the feet till the next
port was reached. was discovered,
of course, but not till I'd won my
bet of a box of chocolates. Ii was
the craziest bet ever made, and
you may believe that I'll never make
another one like it.
- It was last December, when the
second division of the Atlantic feet
touched at New Orleans and Gal
weston, en- route to Panama. 1t
was the 6agship--U. s. S. Kansas
which enjoyed the advantage Of my
unexpected presence aboard. Just
ask any OF the officers. If they tell
the truth--but, Of course, they
went tell anything, because they
we're fooled. However, they're q
fine lot of officers, Just the same.
II was all the fault Of these New
Orleans girls, who are perfect loves,
but so conventional and chaperon-
ridden that it's a wonder how they
can be sure they're alive. Just be-
cause I'm Northern gIrl-my peo-
pie only recently moved to New Or
leans from up In Illinois, was ex-
pected to bear out the Southern
reputation we have for doing I'M
conventional things in a spectacular
way. This theory prevails in the
South because the Northern girl
generally knows how to paddle a
canoe, row a boat, ride horseback
and find herself at home in the kitch-
en-. in case of an emergency.
The average Southern girl, on the
0ther hand-though a perfect love
is a prodigy II she knows how TO
boil water. Why, when the st. Ber-
nard parish schools of New Or
leans inaugurated domestic science
department. you ought to have heard
the howls that went up from the
sweet lips of the pretty dears.
Well, so much for them, and for
my giddy reputation as q North
erner. l hadn't denied anything
what's the use of wasting your
breath? So my Northern halo still
invested my brows when the Allan
tic fleet, headed by the Kansas, came
into port and all the young matrons
and debutantes put their best foot
forward to make things pleasant for
the handsome officers.
Bless you! they had no grounds
for complaint. They were dined
and feted and received and danced
until they must have longed for the
resumption of the cruise, and
chance to catch up with their sleep.
We visited the ships, and 1t was
during our call on board the Kansas
that | got into the trouble I'm tell
ing you about
! happened to remark that Ger
tain jackie's uniform was not quite
ideal in At. Little Leonora, pride
of an old New Orleans family, took
me up In a minute.
Perhaps you think you'd show OF
. sailors trousers and hat better?"
she said DO the girls wear them
UP No'th?'
That made me mad. NO. the girls
don't wear them up Moth" / said.
initiating the Southern girls antip-
athy for the letter R but IL they
did theyd look lot better in them
than you Southern girls would-you
peaches and cream fluffy rufhes."
Prove IT, prove IT." half a dozen
OF them dared me.
Il Will said |, quite reckless by
this time. "Ill bet you box of
chocolates that I'll dress as a Jackie
and get aboard the Kansas without
discovery"
They took me up before | had
time for calm reflection, and I was
in for one of the most idiotic enter
prises girl ever tackled. You
will understand the difficulties Of
what ! had undertaken when YOU
remember that by this time the face
Of every enlisted man on the Kansas