Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-06-12
From the Milwaukee Wisconsin.
THE MARBLE STATUE,
BY CECILIA K. GIBSON.


bound from Southampton to the West
Indies, bore upon her deck curiously
heterogeneous mass of living freight.
If her passenger list had been studied,
it would have disclosed representatives
of nearly all nations, people and Ian
guages under heaven, from continental
tourists and English officers and sol
diers, with their wives, sweethearts,
babies and lady's maids, to Italian
opera singers, German students, French
civilians, suspicious-looking Russians,
native Haytians, Cubans and Barba-
dams, and American magnates return
ing to the states" via the West Indies.
Into this human amalgam, no matter
how or wherefore, found myself sud-
denly and Unexpectedly plunged; but |
soon entered upon the sitting process
with exemplary patience and degree
of enjoyment that quite repaid me for
my trouble, in bringing to my acQuaint-
ance many pleasant people from out
that motley throng. One especially
congenial, and with whom I afterwards
spent MANY pleasurable hours, was an
English officer in Her Majesty's SER
vice, in Jamaica, who was making the
return trip to rejoin his regiment, after
prolonged leave of absence through
the tropical summer months, in the
south of England Maj. Strickland was
handsome, companionable, courteous
gentleman, with keen, dark eyes, iron
gray hair and moustache, and military
tread and bearing: man of scholarly
and social attainments, who had trav-
eled extensively, always carrying the
best OF his experiences with him,
which, like choicest vintage, he only
uncorked occasionally for the delecta-
ton of his friends. He was instructive,
amusing, and appreciative-a good
talker. and a good listener.
During our first days out we had SUI
fered all the discomtorts usually allotted
to PROSTATE humanity under the COM
bined stress of boisterous weather,
nausea, iassitude, and general loathing,
but now that the skies were clearing
and the steamer settling to steady busl-
ness, we began to cast about for ways
and means of beguiling the tedium of
the long hours, for fifteen days run is
apt to become monotonous without
agreeable company.
And here Mai. Strickland came to the
front in a true soldierly and charming
manner, and we soon struck bond of
sympathy In reciprocal accounts of
Stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
And dreadful marches to delightful measures -
One night, ter an evening Of music
and games in the salon, We were smok-
ing our final pipes on deck, enjoying
the freshness and breeZlness of an eX-
hilirating run, and watching the vast
masses of broken clouds scurrying
across the face of the full moon, like
battalions of troopers hurrying to an
engagement, while below the shadows
chased each other over the white
capped sea until at last they mingled
with the clouds and were lost in
the distance, marine reinforce
ments Joining the celestial infant
ry.' as the Major POLITICALLY ex-
the same seaport, Kingston, Jamaica,
our conversation drifted to the West
Indies, upon which subject I found my
companion full of novel and interesting
information from having made the tour
of the islands many times. From Cuban
political disaffections we diverged by
natural process to San Domingo, touch
ing upon the native atrocities, the hack
neyed but pathetic story OF l. Tous-
saint, and the French occupation. And
here the conversation took more per-
sonal turn. Gen. lie Clerc, and his
beautiful Corsican bride, whose childish
whims and inordinate vanity and ex
travagance caused the ruin of her lord,
and the downfall of his ambitious usur-
patton, were the promptings to the fol-
lowing story which the Major presently
related:
The most beautiful woman I ever
saw" he said, "Was a lady who made
the trip to Jamaica by the same steam
er with me, several years ago, the
first time | went out. [ said
she was the most beautiful wo-
man | ever saw; but these
words fall very far short of ex-
pressing the absolute loveliness of her
face and form. She was al English wo-
man of Irish descent, and commingled
with the pure Celtic blood was the
warm, dark blood of Spain, which
coast from remnant of the Armada.
She was somewhat above medium
height, delicately slender, and incom-
parably air, with cheeks flushed with
health. like the warm, sensuous bloom
of sleeping child. Her hair was b.ue-
black. lstrous, and abundant; and Der
dark eyes seemed to battle all curious
chances. AS readily could you hope to
decipher transcription by looking into
wells of ink, as attempt to fathom her
thoughts through the medium of those
deep, mysterious eyes. she enchanted
me with her beauty, which repealed
while it fascinated: she seemed a living
embodiment Of all tair and dangerous
women who had ever lived, and I al
ways felt peculiar exorcism in her
presence.
Were you married at that time.
Major ?" l asked.
Married? A dozen years or MORE"
he replied, with an amused smile at the
question; ''but my capacity for admira-
ton is unbounded, and | never could
look at a lovely woman unmoved; be-
sides, this one interested me particu-
larly. She possessed versatility of
talent that was something remarkable
We had had very cold and stormy
voyage, SO much SO that we had
been obliged TO remain in the salon and
find such pleasure as we could in
mutual ompanionship. Tableau vi
wants and amateur theatricals were re-
sorted to in consequence, and il each
and every role assigned her the woman
WAS surprisingly clever, showing her
self an actress of no ordinary ability.
Cleopatra, Zenobia and Lucretia Bor-
gia were alike impersonated with fdel-