The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-04-29

| "aS u"
heavy enough to make the vessel SO
lively that the majority of the passen-
gers were below in their berths.
Three men had placed their deck
chairs together in a snug niche be-
tween two of the deck houses, and had
dashed them SO that they could not
slide down to ieeward when the ship
rolled. They were all smoking pipes.
and their sun-burnt, bearded faces. and
a certain carelessness in their attitudes.
stamped them as colonists on their way
home. They were talking of a tragedy
that had happened but IN hour before.
One of the secord-class passengers,
a woman, finding the air in the cabin,
where most of her fellow passengers
were confined by sickness, almost un-
bearable, had come up on deck with
her child, who was about a year old.
She had been married in England
two years before, and had come out
with her husband, a young farmer, to
settle in Natal. The husband was in
telligent and energetic, and intended
to grow semi-tropical produce. He was
already making progress when he was
carried off by fever. The young widow
had disposed of the farm on favorable
terms, and was returning with her
child to her people in England.
She had but just reached the top Of
the companion, and had stepped out on
the deck, when the ship gave a heavy
roll and she slipped down to the lee
bulwark.
How it happened was not known,
but probably she loosened her hold of
the baby, in the instructive effort to
grasp the bulwark rail. At any rate,
it slipped from her arms and fell over
board. With a wild scream she sprang
on the bulwarks and plunged in after
it. The attention of the officer on the
bridge was called by the scream, and
as he turned round he saw her leap;
at the same moment the quartermaster
at the wheel shouted: "A woman
overboard!" The engines were instant
~ stopped and a boat lowered. 1t had
rowed about for half an hour in the
heavy sea without catching a glimpse
of the woman or the child, and then
was hoisted up again by the steamer,
that had rounded to and followed it.
The search had been hopeless from
the first, for even a good swimmer
could hardly have supported himself
for ten minutes in the broken sea. The
only possible hope was hat the woman
might have grasped the life buoy that
had at once been dropped from the
ships stern.
The boat was lucky enough to find
this, but when it was seen to be uu-
tenanted the last glimmer of hope was
extinguished, and the officer in COM
mand of the boat headed her for the
steamer.
sit was a mad action, poor thing!'
n of the smokers said. "Of course
it was the wild impulse Of the momeut.
An instant's reflection would have
shown her that she was only throwing
away her own life without the slight
est chance of saving that of her child. J"
II expect she would have done the
same even if she had known it." an
other said. ''She had lost her hus-
band, and without her child life would
be nothing to her. especially as she
would nave always blamed herself for
its loss. Perhaps it was the best thing,
after all, for her"
There is hardly any limit to what
women will do for their children" the
third man put in. I'm not a married
man, and so cannot speak from expert
ence; but as far as / can see the affec-
ton of mothers for their young chill.
dren is a thing beyond most mems un
Outstanding. Men may be fond of lit
tie children in a way-till they begin
to be old enough to return the feeling