The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-08-15


g &s=MN@-@ssazAAy Miss Kitty Cowles
would have declared
it purely subjective affair, thereby oppos
ing TIE popular idea that a celebration is
IN objective bore of the first water.
The chronicles of the time show that
there were some fourteen or fifteen days of
so-cailed plgeants, various affairs of pomp
and splendor of sorts, and no end of Incl
dental ceremonies and amenities. Kitty
would have told you at once, quite naively,
that the business began with her, as the
prcttiest girl aboard certain steam yacht
in the vast armada of some ffty-seven
varieties of steam and sailing craft that
made up what was termed naval parade.
AS the yacht Cruised busily about the
city's waterways, maneuvering with the
other craft there was unfolded to its pas
sengers wonderful panorama of the gaily
bedecked naval vessels of all nations and
city in the throes of unaccustomed carnival
hysteria; but for Kitty Cowles the scene
was the immaculate deck of yacht with
herself in the center of the picture and in
the immediate foreground two men-Bllly
Wyeth, charming young man whose father
owned the yacht, and Major Edward E.
Dillon, a pompous near-soldier, with money
and embonpoint, and just between the
youth and grabbed age periods.
Both men had spent some months in
patient suffering under the tyranny of the
silver-voiced, gentle-eyed young nymph,
but the affair had reached critical point.
Wyeth told Kitty that morning that he was
about tired of so much battledore and shut
tlecock, and the Major had adopted the
desperate course of brazenly flirting with
the frumpy Widow Tindale, who was a
member Of the party. r"
So Kitty was automatically gracious to
both, and tried to keep them in sight and
under control as much as possible.
'TThere, " said the Major, pointing astern
sis the Half Moon
Kitty refused to make the effort of turn
ing around to enjoy the sight. Its silly
little affair, isn't it2" she said.
Il think it's very interesting" said
Wyeth reprovingly.
"Oh, really" said Kitty. cit looks for
all the world like some little gingerbread
thing out of Nuremberg toy factory"
''Ha, hal" chuckled the Major; "you're
quite right; it's an absurd little thing.
Now the CIermom over there is different;
it-er-"
ut looks as though it had to be wound
up with key and would buzz around in
circles for two minutes" scoffed Kitty.
Wyeth shrugged his shoulders. "Too
bad he said. "There's scarcely anything
that isn't somehow stupid, is there2 We
all have to be wound up with keys, and a
lot of us have lost our keys, guess"
why, you're positively il-natured this
morning, Billy" said Kitty in astonish-
ment.
"All right, I'll remove myself then"
grumbled the young man, and began to
move away.
"You may bring me another cushion
from the cabin when you come back" said
the girl with calm authority, thus insuring
his return.
The Major hdgeted in his deck-chair and
looked bit uncomfortable. After months
of humble devotion at the shrine of this slip
of girl, he had suddenly discovered that
he could be vastly more comfortable and
enjoy greater degree of self-respect in the
society of the plump and amiable Mrs. Tin
dale. But it's not always a simple matter
to change ones religion, and the Major
stood in deadly fear of Kitty.
"I don't care lot about these water
affairs myself be said agreeably. Tim
an out-and-out landsman, you know"
"I adore the water" said Kitty.
ooh, yes, of course, we all do! You mis-
understand me-" foundered the Major.
"I agree with you that there's nothing like
yachting and boating and that sort of thing;
but we dislike these tawdry circus affairs,
don't WEI Now I think this land pageant
historical or whatever they call twill be
somehow more fntine, you know. I'm
positively looking forward to it, aren't
you9"
mot at all! know it will be deadly"
said Kitty.
Maybe it WILL" admitted the Major
weakly. "I've never seen many affairs of
the sort"
81 have" said Kitty. "All kinds of
, s@ a@s5 > 5