Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1917 — KIDNAP PRETTY GIRL FOR SHIP’S MASCOT [ARTICLE]

KIDNAP PRETTY GIRL FOR SHIP’S MASCOT

But It Wasn’t the Maid’B Own Sweet Self—Just Her Portrait—- ) Sailors' Custom. Seattle. Wash..—Kidnaped in ipirit and present only in the form of a newspaper print of her photograph, Miss Frances Mae Braid, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Fred Braid of Seattle, braved the dangers of the northern seas last summer, comforted fishermen In their dreary daily drudge and like the good fairy, drew'hundreds of floundering king-salmon into the nets of the watting boatmen; So was the startled miss informed this week in a letter from Tyee, Alaska. Written in a neat, .legible hand in poor English and signed “Big Swede” the epistle unfolded to the Seattle girl her wonderful feats of the summer. Each year, the unindentified acquaintance told Miss Braid, fishermen of Alaska cut the picture of some pretty girl from the latest edition of the Seattle papers before sailing time. They post it in a conspicuous place in tbe cabin. This girl becomes tne mascot, the guardian angel, as it were, of 3Ea vessel. When a big catch is landed, the pretty mascot is fairly worshiped by the gruff, hardened mariners of the frigid North. When the catch is small they know they have displeased her and take many steps to makeamends. But night and day dming the trip she is the inspiration, the spiritual guide of their actions.

This year the honor fell to Miss Braid. A picture of this pretty. Seattle girl was. inserted in the paper in honor of her 16th birthday. A copy of the paper reached the hands ofThe Alaska fishermen and immediately Miss Braid was “kidnaped”—by printed proxy—and ceremoniously installed as queen of'the catch. With the young woman’s permission the letter from “Big Swede” is printed. “I am very sorry today because you must leave my boat and me. The weather here is getting too cold foi you here and you are bettei’ off in Seattle. We-Alaska-boys every summer cut a picture of some pretty Seattle girl from the paper and take it aboard for luck. And this year you have certainly showered good luck upon me. The best catch I got was eighty-three salmon on a spoon hook and sdnfe of them weighed from sixty-five Ao seventy pounds and you kept me real busy that day. "You were a little seasick at the time,, tho, and so you were not able to help me pull the fish aboard. But later on you were all right again and I guess you would be a good sailor after a while. —"This is a little Joke, Of course, and you will please take it as such. If you> would like to have some nice big seabird eggs 1 found this summer I will send them to you. Best regards from Alaska and me. BIG SWEDE (H. Lem).”