THE ‘OLD WOMAN.’
Sailors commonly speak of the captain of the ship as * the old man.' It was left for a stout Norwegian quartermaster t<> invent an equally appropriate designation for the captain’s wife.
I'he young wife of a certain commander in the navy was expected to visit her husband's ship. The gig had been sent ashore for her, and the captain stood on deck watching for her return.
The quartermaster also was on the look out, and with the aid of his telescope caught sight of the returning boat first. He walked up to the commanding officer, touched his hat respectfully and said : ‘ The gig's coming, captain, and I think the old woman is in her, sir.’
The captain looked at the Norwegian’s innocent face, and saw that no disrespect was intended. If the captain was ‘ the old man,’ naturally enough his wife must be ‘ the old woman.’ The intelligence was accepted, therefore, in the spirit in which it had been offered.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 7, 13 February 1892, Page 167
Word Count
163THE ‘OLD WOMAN.’ New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 7, 13 February 1892, Page 167
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