"If you would give my little girl
something to eat! She has had nothing since yesterday, and I have been
so ill; and no-nobody has c-ome near us!"
"Oh!" cried Katy, with horror, "nothing to eat since yesterday! How did
it happen?"
"Everybody has been sick on our side the ship," explained the poor lady,
"and I suppose the stewardess thought, as I had a maid with me, that I
needed her less than the others. But my maid has been sick, too; and oh,
so selfish! She wouldn't even take the baby into the berth with her; and
I have had all I could do to manage with him, when I couldn't lift up my
head. Little Gretchen has had to go without anything; and she has been
so good and patient!"
Katy lost no time, but ran for Mrs. Barrett, whose indignation knew no
bounds when she heard how the helpless party had been neglected.
"It's a new person that stewardess h'is, ma'am," she explained, "and
most h'inefficient! I told the Captain when she come aboard that I
didn't 'ave much opinion of her, and now he'll see how it h'is. I'm
h'ashamed that such a thing should 'appen on the 'Spartacus,' ma'am,--I
h'am, h'indeed. H'it never would 'ave ben so h'under h'Eliza,
ma'am,--she's the one that went h'off and got herself married the trip
before last, when this person came to take her place."
All the time that she talked Mrs. Barrett was busy in making Mrs.
Ware--for that, it seemed, was the sick lady's name--more comfortable;
and Katy was feeding Gretchen out of a big bowl full of bread and milk
which one of the stewards had brought.
Pages:
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70