The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-11-04

/ "LClS ~ $500
moan.
The stewardess went to her i'm
mediately.
Are you sick, MISS" she said.
Eyes, stewardess," Gertrude an
! swered; "but it is sick at heart / am"
The stewardess looked at her as If
she were searching inwardly for some
remedy for this complaint, but she
was called to one Of the other ladies
before anything occurred to her; and
then Gertrude noticed that the two
gentle Sisters of Charity, whose sofa
was close to her berth, we're looking
pale and distressed. She raised her
self on her elbow. pardon, mes
daEaes," she said. But they did not
perceive that she was addressing
them. "Excusezmoi, mes soeurs,"
she began again. Then they looked
up and smiled at her. II would sug-
gest," she said in French, that it Is
better to lie down"
Madame est bien bonnie" was the
soft response; "but that would be too
much of self-indulgence; and, at any
rate, it is not for long"
Then, if you breathe with the mo-
ton of the vessel" Gertrude an
swered, "you will not be sick"
"Oh, show me how you do it," one
in extremity demanded.
Some of the other ladies at once
reused themselves to try the extreme
Iy novel experiment, and, while max
ing an effort to help themselves,
forgot how dreadfully i'll they were.
| The stewardess disappeared at inter-
walls, but always returned with COM
forting assurances. We're at the
| Needles now" We've passed the
Needles" IF the wind doesn't drop
We'll do it in eleven hours instead OF
twelve" Many a time I've been
| sixteen hours crossing, and sometimes
| twenty-four. And often and often
we've had to put back three times
! before we could get past the Needles.
| All! we do have some seas occasional
ly. I'm sick myself sometimes, and
then you might complain. But this
is only a fine passage. We haven't
made such a run for months"
Just then there came one of the
periodic outbursts of hoarse shouting,
| followed by the clatter of hurrying
| footsteps overheard. What are they
| doing, stewardess?" Gertrude asked.
Getting up sail or changing her
| course" the stewardess. answered,
with the indifference familiar with
either incident.
II should have thought they would
have got the sails up at starting with
| such a breeze" Gertrude observed,
not without malice.
The noise above increased to a
racket. The stewardess disappeared.
wrong!" one of the ladies exclaimed
nervously.
1.-THE night is clear" Gertrude an
| swered sententiously, no thought OF a
catastrophe entering her head.
"Prions, ma soeur," one of the
French sisters whispered.
Pour eux," the other softly sug-
| gested. "Car pour nous lie danger
| serait peut-etre lie martyre, ct alops
nous irions droites al ciel. Dieu soft
loue!"
The face of the other beamed at the
hope of martyrdom, and both re-
lapsed into prayer for their sinful
fellow-passengers.
After an unusually long absence
the s~tewardess returned. In a casual
way Gertrude looked at her, but
something in the woman's face riv-
eted her attention. 1t was neither
fear nor furry, but the look Of one
with a hard task before her, anxious
to act, but hardly knowing how to
begin. The noise on deck r%edoubled.
She glanced around desperately at the
different ladies, then meeting Ger
trude's inquiring glance, she recog-
nized what she required-coolness
and courage to match her own. With
one step she was beside the berth.
I'VE must get them up an deck at
once" she whispered, and the next
moment Gertrude was standing be-
side her. She made no noise, she
asked no question, and only the
French sisters noticed the sudden
movement, and rising also, stood un-
steadily, as if awaiting orders. Once
on her feet Gertrude felt giddy her.
self with the motion Of the vessel,
but the physical discomfort in no way
hindered her. Repeating what the
stewardess had said in French, she
went herself to the nearest berth, and
taking its occupant by the hand, she
said authoritatively: You must &c
up at once. We have all to go on
deck. Let me help YOU" 1t was g
girl of sixteen or seventeen to whom
she spoke, and the young creature
although dreedfully sick, bravely re-
sponded. Like Gertrude, she had moi
hardly stand when she got out Of hel
undressed, and although she could
bunk, she asked at once, Can I dc
anything?" Help me to lift this
lady," Gertrude rejoined.
That sort Of nonsense is all vel
enough" the stewardess said rough
ly, when there's nothing else in the
wind, but when you stand a good
chance to get your request, or at al
events to be roasted like a rat in
trap
With a piercing shrek another
lady sprung from her berth. VIVA
do they say" she cried frantically
"Stewardess. s~tewardess! come to me
directlyi Are we in danger? Yor