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As the voyage progressed, I'd had a few opportunities to observe Dorothy Baptiste in action around the ship and had managed to meet her evidently although I have no recollection of just when or how this had occurred. As on most cruises, they had social events designed to get people acquainted and I presume it had been done in this way. However, up to the final night aboard, I had no chance to have a real talk with her and find out just what made her tick. For tick she did and I think just about half the people aboard were at least conscious of her--and probably approved of her. I'll mention a few of her activities during the first few days. She was a palm reader and a good one as far as technique goes. Moreover, she was very generous of her time in this regard and read palms, palms, palms, unselfishly, graciously, perhaps occasionally bored but never showing it. She must have read dozens of them on the trip and she did it charmingly. My most vivid recollection of her palm reading was a scene up on the sundeck as we were sailing down the Detroit River on the way home. She was sitting on the arm of a chair, dressed in a halter-topped sunsuit and shorts, barefooted, and reading the palms of a small group. Dorothy was a gymnast among other things and she had a hard, strong little body, her arms and legs firm and round, brown and freckled, her figure capable-looking in all respects. On another occasion on the sundeck and in line with her gymnastic talents, she was swinging by her hands on the pipe supports for the awning while one of the young male passengers took movies of her. I'm sorry to say I got no picture of her as it would have made a good addition to this account. There was an adorable little girl named Beverly among the passengers. She had flaxen curls and made a great team with Rog. Dorothy evidently loved to take Beverly in her arms and hug her. One day when Rog was romping around with us, Dorothy said, "It must be wonderful to have a child." They had a "track meet" in the Grand Salon--balloon blowing, pillow case contest, wheelbarrow race, shoe scramble, suck-bean-on-straw contest and so on. Dorothy was the cheerleader for the "Navy Team" which met Army. She could do about anything. And then there was the Costume Party. Dorothy appeared in a waitress uniform she'd borrowed, a picture in pale-blue and white, starched and demure, wearing a white cap, later apologizing to the guests in the Binnacle, where she was drinking whisky sours, for being there (a waitress). On another occasion, I looked down into the engine room to see Dorothy down there sitting on a bench drinking beer with some friends. When she was around, there was seldom a dull moment. She would flirt outrageously with most of the crew, making dates she never had any intention of keeping--and they probably knew it and loved it. In the Club Georgian one night, she wrapped a tablecloth around her, danced around on a tabletop and wound up by jumping off the table into the arms of one of the male passengers, adagio style!

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