The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-12-14
THE srEwARDEss' STORY.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

It was Christmas eve. was spend
ing it not in the sweet circle round the
home fireside, but in the saloon of a
Southward bound steamer, where there
was nothing to remind one of the bless
ed season of peace and good will save
solitary cross of evergreen which one
passenger had fastened over her state
room door. It was wild night. We
were just off Cape Hatteras, and the
vessel was rolling like plaything in
the hands of the stormy sea. A violent
snowstorm was raging, and on deck the
scene was dreary and arctic. Snow and
ice covered everything, and the mufled
forms of the sailors passing to and fro
under the glare of the lanterns appeared
like the weird ghosts of dead arctic voy-
ayers. l was glad to seek the warm
saloon and gather myself into a corner
Of lounge. To watch the movements
OF the passengers was amusement
enough, and served to prevent me from
thinking too tenderly of the home circle
where was missed from the festivities
of Christmas eve.
The usual crowd was collected which
one always sees on steamer Southwark
bound in the winter time. Here around
table were gathered group Of men,
probably sugar merchants, striving, in
spite of the motion of the ship, to play
quiet game of euchre. Stretched on
the sofas were ladies in all the stages OF
seasickness. A few children not yet
put to bed were crouching on the floor
with their nurses, and in warm corner
Fear the heater lay poor consumptive
girl, carefully watched over by her
mother and brother. She was going to
die under the orange trees. Only the
old story repeated over and over again
every winter.
Moving round among all those who
were sick was the trim, plump figure of
the old stewariess. She was carrying
bowls OF broth, tumbiers of chopped
ice, and all those little delicacies so
welcome to a sufferer from seasickness.
The quiet, placid face OF the old lady
interested me, and in those few day al-
ready passed since leaving port We had
become firm friends. With the quick
instinct of a woman who had had to do
with all kinds of people, she felt that
liked her company. and she had already
formed the nabit of coming for O quet
chat with me the last thing at night
after all her seasiok charges were safely
tucked in their berthS and her duties for
the day over.
l was inpatient tonight for her
leisure hour to arrive, for saw q strange
tenderness in the old lady's face, aud
felt sure that the season was arousin6
old memories in her heart, which per
haps could induce her to tell me. So
when at last she camo and sat down on
one end of the lounge where [ was ly
ing, said, trying to lead the CONVERSE
tion to what l felt was uppermost in her
mind: cts rough night for Christ
mas eve."
"Yes, ma'am," sho replied, smooth
ing the folds OF the kerchief across her
breast; "but I've seen many rougher
night at soa in my day, and Thought
fully" 50 der Christmas ewes, too"
"Have you spent many years on the
\pcean?" I asked.
"Yes, ma'am, but not in this way. l
sed to have my own little cabin in my
Husbands slip--a cozy little place,
where I used to be always at his side,
and never felt afraid of storm nor
wind"
"Tell me about it," said. "SureIy
q life like yours has much of interes ST in
it."
swell, nla'am, I've been thinking it
al over tonight, and if you don't mind,
III tell you some OF the things sailors
wife has to pass through, and how her
heart gets wrung very hard sometimes.
hadn't much knowledge of those
things when l married Charlie, for 1
was slip OF girl then and knew no
more of the sea than one learns in
watching the vessels sail out of and into
a quiet land bound harbor. So when
Charlie asked me to be his wife and 90
to sea with him-for although he was
young, he had ship of his own-I said
yes with all my heart, for l loved the
honest hearted sailor, ma am, ever since
we were little children together. Ionly
thought then Of al the strange sunny
lands Charlie had told NE about, and to
go to see them with him was to take O
trip to paradise. Well, We were mar
ried just before he was to start on a
voyage to Brazil. I mind ME SO we'll
OF that voyage, ma'am, just as if it all
happened yesterday. 1t was late in No
vember when We started, and right here
of Hatteras we had terrible gale. /
was so frightened when the wind howled
and whistled through the rigging, and
almost wished myself back in the old
cottage with mother-for had a dear
mother then, God bless her memory"
The old lady's voice broke, and she
stopped to wipe away the tears which
ran down her cheeks.
"But when the wind blew the wild
est, Charlie only laughed, and at last I
cried myself to sleep in his arms like
frightened child.
"And when we came down into the
warm tropic seas 1 was so happy watch
ing the schools of flying fish and the
great floating fields of gulf weed; and
at night, when the sea was shining and
the ship seemed passing through lake
of silver. all my dreams of paradise were
realized.
"Then came the foreign land, with
strange, swarthy faces, and words l
didn't know, and odd fruits, and all
manner of queer things. Charlie was
never tired of bringing me new and Gu
rious trinkets, and l made my little
cabin as fancy as Chinese toyshop.
"When We came home from that voy-
age, my little Minnie was born. She
was q darling blue eyed baby, and
Charlie was so anxious for her comfort
that he persuaded me to stay at home
with mother, and he went on the next
voyage alone.
"But couldn't bear it: so when he
came home again, begged him to let
me go back to my home in the little
cabin. He had found il desolate enough
without me, SO he said, and we went