The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1917-12-29

out the meal with downcast eyes, mute
save when courtesy dictated speech.
Later She found herself seated BY her
Dragons side on the lee q the prone
made deck, In darkness save for the
beams from lighted ports For a little
the girl relished al this with gladness.
But presently her spirits sagged again
and she grew drowsy. and fingered
from her bed only to please the
warm-hearted old woman who had
adopted her pro tempOre-"on suspi-
cion," as Mrs. BeggarstaT put II, not
without a little harmless malice.
Now and again friends paused to
pay their addresses 70 the Dowager
Dragon: amiable. light-hearted people,
personabe and attractive; yet Of them
oil the facile waxen tablets Of Miss
Carteret's memory retained impress
sions of but three personalities.
One was the famous Peter Trait.
claiming her interest more because OF
Mrs. Beggarstaff's outspoken delight
In him than through any qualities he
pnraded during the few minutes he
spent with the two-a youngish. we'll
poised body. with drawl and sort
OF insouciant humor that seemed TO
afford the Dragon intense diversion.
But much Of this mans discourse was
couched In modified phase of AmeH-
can slang or else harked back to local
American topics; both largely unlntel-
ligfble to sense Of humor nourished
on strictly British slang and localislns.
Then there was Mrs. Merrtlees-
according to Mrs. Beggarstaff not a
wear out Of mourning for a worthless
husband-an adorably pretty creature,
and so bewitchingly gracious that
Miss Carteret, at sight. first caught
her breath with envy, then fell hope
lessly In love with her.
A third she remembered for no rea-
son she could assign. His name was
Ouoin-a tall. taciturn man with
quiet voice, semi-ironfc attitude
toward the Dowager Dragons gush OF
spirited inconsequence. and q sugges-
ton of reserve. For some reason she
remembered him more definitely even
than she remembered Mrs. Merrilees.
AS for the others, they might as we'll
have been shadows on Il cinemato-
graph screen.
By ten o'clock. leaving Mrs. Begsnr-
staff firmly fixed ia the fourth seat
at a card table. engrossed by her one
confessed infatuation, auction bridge,
Miss Carteret was abed and asleep.
A bed Of almost sybaritic luxury II
seemed as it rocked her gently to for
getfulness; but a bed of misery when
she awoke in the chill Of dawn, with
the Alsatia. for all her immense bulk.
dancing drunkenly to the tune piped
by d mad northeaster. And for more
than sixty hours she was held the
victim Of mortal weakness and the ele-
ments' immortal rage.
Intervals there were. OF course,
when. her sufferings temporarily abat-
ed. she was able TO talk little with
one or the other Of her would-be COM
forters-Mrs. BeggarStaf and the
stcwardess. But on Tuesday mem
orable conversation took place, neg
licible though it seemed at the time.
Ii was ct about six bells In the fore
noon watch when the DoWager Dragon
came below, o>tenSibly to find book,
in reality 10 convey fair tidings.
You're feeling better she assert
ed, after a shrewd look At the girl.
Propped up in bed, Miss Carteret
moved a lunguidly negative head.
Don't tell me. l haven't crossed
this mill-pond thirty times not TO
know when a seasick wonan's on the
mend. Besides. haven't you noticed
how much steadier the boat has been
| this last hour or two?
II thought l must be imagining It,
the invalid murmured incredulously.
Nonsense The barometer's been
rising since midnight The wind shift
cd at dawn, and now we've clearing
sky and a falling sea. OF course
you're feeling better. Your be on
deck before night"