The daily Alaskan., 1914-11-30
David Smith,
 Able Seaman
By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

NUDlulI " tllNAlAlo VI NAO States navy having had quite a long term of sea service was ordered to the command of one of the finest naval stations on the New England coast
 Miss Nellie Williams was in the hey day of youth. and visions of all sorts of pleasures danced in her head, the principal of which was flirting with the young officers with whom she would bc thrown into contact Her mother rejoiced that she would be able to introduce her daughter into society, which she could not have otherwise done because neither her husband nor herself had any fortune, and she was obliged to live retired life.
 But no sooner had the captain as- sumed command and his family been installed In the best quarters at the staton than Miss Nellie must needs spoH 1t all by casting to the winds the most sacred traditions of the service. Of all the officers at the station, in- cluding several midShipmen Of suit able age to interest girl of seven- teen not one succeeded in sufficiently engaging her attention to save her from bestowing not only 1t, but her whole heart. on an enlisted man.
 No one can tell what a girl between fifteen and twenty Is going to do, and when she does it no one can stop her. The difference in the navy between an enlisted man and un Slticer can best be illustrated by comparing a bramble bush with u pine tree There are in these times many 6ne young men among the Cnited States tars, but the grandson of a millionaire can no more overstep this sharply defined line be- tweed officer and enlisted man than can the cook in the galley.
 A girl of seventeen is as easily caught as the stupidpst fish that swims, and no one can tell who will catch her. Miss Williams one day went-aboard a ship dOckcd at the yard. And there she snw the young man who caught her. What it was in him that caught her no one could tell. True, he was pretty boy, but there were other pretty boys who wore officers uniforms, while the young man in question wore the sailors cap, the blue flannel shirt with broad collar and the trousers tight about tue hips and loose below the knee of common sailor.
 Now, Captain Williams, who found no difficulty in commanding his sta ton, consisting of many strong men, found himself unable to discipline his daughter He threatened, if ever she was caught speaking to the youngster again, to send her away. She made promises, but they were not kept He would have ordered the sailOr-DaVid Smith was the name on his ships roster-away from the station, but Miss Nellie's infatuatlOn had become known and SnCh action would be con sidered using official power to serve private interests. and the captain was very sensitive on such a point. More over, he feared that if he put on the screws" his daughter might run away with the tar. This would not only . tie her up to a common sailor, but a deserter
 How, when and where the tar and the captaiu's daughter cOntrIved to hold their meetings no one knew. At least no one would tell They had many adhcrents among the sailors, but none among the officers or their fam ilies. Finally It became apparent to Captain and Mrs. Williams that some. thing must be done, and one morning Miss Nellie was informed that she was to be taken back to the quiet home.
 There was nothing to do but submit, and what had promised to be such fine thing for them ended in dlsap- pointment. And all this on account of Miss Nellies having fallen in love with a common sailor instead of an officer.
 One day Captain Williams received from Washington the discharge papers of Il sailor named Howard Singleton. The discharge had been grahted by the secretary of the navy at the re- quest of the British minister. The case was brought to the commanders attention hy the officer having the care of discharges because there was no such person as Howard Singleton at the station
 Make Inquiries for him." said the Captain; he may have enlisted under an assumed name"
 The officer retired and soon after re-