The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-02-10
CONSOLATION.

Mrs. jefferson was not more than
thirty-fve years of age, and she had
spent fourteen years OF married HE
in India. She had seen three OF her
children buried in an unhealthy sta
ton, and had been to England once,
seven years before, to take two NIUE
girls home to be educated. 1t was on
her return voyage from visiting ner
children that | met her.
She was SO much less aggressive
than most of the women on board,
and demanded SO much less attention,
that it was restful to a lazy man like
myself just to sit quietly by her deck
chair, share my books and newspapers
with her. and enjoy my evening cigar
by her side. Mrs. Jefferson did not
object to smoking; she seemed SO diff
dent, so humble and uneXacting that
I found myself wondering what 'he
man must be like who was her hus-
band, and hoping that he was not
selfish brute who sat upon the little
woman. She was not communicative,
and | found out very little about her
during our long chats. Perhaps | am
egotistical and talk good deal about
myself when l get a patient listener
Be that as it may, CLEANED nothing OF
Mrs. Jeffersons own history from her,
and at last | determined to ask the
captain Of the ship if he knew any
thing about her
1T is odd that you should ask ME
that" said Captain Hargreaves, for
it was only today that | began to re-
call Mrs. Jefferson to my recollection.
She told me her maiden name this
morning and said that she had travel
ed out with me once before, and | re-
collected the circumstances immedi-
ately.
"She was going out to India to be
married to this man Jefferson, and a
very pretty girl she was in those days,
though one would hardly guess it now
to look at heroine gets accustomed 70
that sort of thing on board these P.
and O. vessels-One year pretty girl
with pink cheeks and her lovers pho
tograph on her cabin table, going out
to be married and to be happy ever
afterward, and few years later, the
same girl with all the roses washed
out of her cheeks, bringing home a
little boy or girl to say good-by to
them in England, and to go back 10
some plantation in the hills. where
perhaps her husbands is the only
white face she sees for most days in
the year"
yet they'll continue to 60 while
the world lasts" said l. Il hope JEFF
ferson was the right sort of man."
$50 far as | can hear said Captain
Hargreaves, "he is very much the re-
verse! He got into some trouble over
q business affair, and lost a good billet
down in Calcutta then he came into a
little money, and bought tea plarta-
ton somewhere in the back of be-
yond. But he was always something
of bounder, fancy. and his misfor-
tune, as men Of Jefferson's type al
ways call their misdoings, soured him.
He took to drink, l believe, and this
little woman doesn't have the best Of |
times with him. She has got children |
at home, and has lost several others |
out in India
Naturally one avoided the subject of |
MIR. Jefferson ever afterward when
talking to his wife, and l heard moth
ing about him till the very last day
of the voyage.
1t was horribly hot weather-ouite
for ladies. Mrs. jefferson
had been confined to her cabin for
some days with a bad attack Of fever
and headache. She looked pathetical-
~ small and weak when she came on
deck again, and curled herself up in
my big deck chair which | had pre-
pared with cushions for her, giving me
1t the same time a look so full Of
gratitude that it was enough to make
my decent man feel ashamed of him
;elf
The rest of the passengers began to
20 below, card tables were put away.
he principal electric lights were nj.
'ut, but still Mrs. Jefferson sat in
he big deck chair, looking small and
weak among the pillows, and I took
into my mead suddenly that she
Tanted to say something to NE, but
hat speech was difficult to her, and
n flash | knew intuitively that she
ad learned the silence which SO MANY
Jomen have to learn.
%o l.