LADY FOR SHANGHAI

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 July 1939, Page 10

LADY FOR SHANGHAI

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By 1

KAYE FOX

CHAPTER I. “Aye. and she’s said a good deal more than that, I’ll be bound, for there was no love lost between Mrs Jordan and me, or between me and any of those slackers who were on the Torquay when I took over from old Mr Collier—they’d done what they liked with him, and they thought they could do the same with me. but they soon found their mistake. I got most of ’em transferred before I’d been on the ship a year, and your mother among the first. She told you that?’’ “Yes, she did tell me that she was transferred after the first trip with

you. ’ “And that she was glad to go?’’ he guessed. “Your mother was too much of a fine lady for me, Miss Jordan — never forgot that she was a captain’s widow. You and me had better understand one another from the first—and if you're too scared to sign on. after I’ve warned you what to expect, the Company can wire for another stewardess to take your place. If you put on any airs with me you’ll be up against it, as your mother was, and you'll be glad as she was to get a transfer at the end of the trip—if it's a transfer and not the sack. Do you understand?”

“I understand perfectly, Mr Perrin,” she said, meeting his eyes bravely. He glared at her, as if he suspected that there was defiance in that quiet answer, but he dismissed her with a wave of his huge hand. Only when she was half way up the companion did he call her back again.

“There’s another thing,” he said. “I’ll have no flirting on board, this ship, amongst the staff —what the passengers do is no concern ol’ mine. So you needn’t think you can wheedle your bedroom stewards into doing your work for you. in exchange for a few kisses.”

“I’ve been on the Brent Tor for two years, and Mr Robins has found no fault, either with my work or my conduct with the men,” Christine told him stiffly.

“But I see more than Mr Robins, believe me,” he warned her, and at last let her go. Christine was more angry than scared. It was simply insulting to send for her like this, before signing-on. and to start bullying her because she was her mother’s daughter, without knowing anything at all about her—it was insulting not only to her but to Mr Robins. And Perrin knew perfectly well that she could not refuse to sign on, at the last moment, without losing her job with the Company. Not even a bell-boy had overheard that conversation. If she reported to the office that Perrin was so hostilp to her that she could not sail with him, he would deny everything that he had said. It would be her word against his, and he had been a trusted servant of the Company for many years. With her head held a little higher than usual, she went back to the smoke-room. Signing-on had not yet started, but it was obvious that the papers had arrived from the office, for the men were all looking expectant, j “Mr Perrin kept you a long time, Miss Jordan," Miss Crane said, with a curious glance at Christine. “We began to wonder whether you were coming back at all." “He sailed with my mother once,” Christine explained briefly. "He wanted to know whether I was a relation."

One of the officials began reading something very hurriedly—thi? regulations to which nobody ever listened very carefully, though they were read in an abridged form. All that mattered was that once you had signed-on there was no going back, for it amounted to desertion if you failed to join the ship on sailing day if you had signed on for the voyage. Christine had a vague idea that it was punishable by quite a long term of imprisonment.

When the official stopped reading. Mrs Parr and Miss Crane, who had been sitting like statues, came to life suddenly and rose to their feet, for it was their jealously guarded privilege to sign on before any of the men. There was a little discussion between them —which was probably repeated every trip—as to which was actually the senior, and then Miss Crane triumphantly picked up the pen and signed her name.

Christine, ol course, signed immediately after the other two. As she wrote the firm signature which committed her to three and a half months cn the Hay Tor she was a little paler than usual, but theie was no panic in her heart, for she had accepted Perrin’s challenge, and was secretly defying him to do his worst. She lifted her head again, and across the table her eyes met the friendly blue eyes of the man who was just stooping down to speak to one of the officials. And because he was the first person on the Hay Tor in whose eyes she had read kindliness, she glanced quickly at his uniform, hoping against hope that he was someone with whom she might have dealings during the voyage. CHAPTER IT. "Another young man just qualified, and trying to scratch up the money al sea to buy a practice." Mrs Parr sniffed. "He’ll be under our feet all the time. I suppose, like that last young man who was on the make, and who' persuaded every silly woman on board that she’d got some disease which needed a lot of attention from him.” Mrs Parr and Miss Crane, ignoring Christine completely, began to talk about the doctor as they all went out of the smoke-room together. It had been with a feeling of relief that Christine had seen seen that the stranger with the friendly eyes was

wearing me uniform ol ships doctor. He was the only officer with whom she would be working under his orders in case of sickness among her passengers, and it was something to know that he was not likely to make her work more difficult. If she had had to cope with some elderly martinet of a doctor, as well as with Perrin, her luck would have been out.

“Perhaps he s come to sea because he’s got something against him, Miss Crane suggested. “I’ve heard tales about ship's doctors- ——” “But not in this Company. This Company gets the raw youngsters who want experience, and who are full ol silly ideas —that last young man actually started showing me how to put on a bandage.” ■

“I’ve got to take this parcel along to our cabin —you'll come with me, won’t you, Mrs Parr?" Miss Crane said, as they reached the foot of the companion.

Quite obviously, she wanted to get rid of Christine, and Christine was glad enough that she would not have to walk to the ferry with them —she would have more than enough of the two of them after the voyage began. They did not even speak to her as they turned away, though she knew that the moment they were out of hearing they would begin tearing her to shreds. And as she walked alone to the ferry, leaving the Hay Tor behind her, Christine was almost sorry for Mrs Parr and Miss Crane, though she knew that once they were at sea together she was going to dislike both of them pretty badly.

They were so old that they had a grudge against youth itself, so that they were prejudiced against everyone who was young and hopeful and full of life. There were some stewardesses like her own mother, and the two on the Brent Tor whose experience at sea made them even wiser and more tolerant, but there were others like Mrs Parr and Miss Crane, clinging desperately to petty conventions, so afraid of losing the dignity that they still formally called one another' by their surnames after months together. Fay was already at home when Christine reached the flat, eagerly talking to her mother about the shopping which she had to do before sailing day.

“Was it Mr Perrin, Christine?" Mrs Lind asked hurriedly, when Fay had gone to her own room for a moment to fetch some patterns. “It was, and he remembered you," Christine said, in a very casual tone. “As soon as he saw my name on the list, he sent for me and asked whether I was your daughter/’ “And he was—kind, about it?” "I can’t find those patterns anywhere —do come and help me look. Christine." Fay interrupted, and Christine smiled at her mother and wont away. As Christine had expected. Fay and her shipping Kept them all busy until the night before sailing day, when Christine had to join the ship. Most of the men did not join until the last possible moment, but it was the custom for the stewardesses to be in their own cabin fairly early in the evening.

Christine was a little later than usual that night, for Mrs Lind was trying valiantly to hide her grief at the thought of losing Fay, and Christine knew that it was easier for her to pretend to be cheerful when they were all three together. She lingered at the flat until nine o'clock, and by the time she walked to the wharf it was close on eleven.

The quartermaster at the head of the gangway told her the way to the stewardesses’ cabin. Her heart sank when she saw that there was no light ’n the cabin, and realised that Mrs Parr and Miss Crane must be already in bed.

With a murmured word of apology, she switched on the light. This cabin, like that on the Brent Tor, had really been planned for two stewardesses mly, and had two bunks, one above the other: when three stewardesses were quartered here, the third had to sleep on the settee. 1 Mrs Parr was asleep, or apparently asleep, in the bottom bunk, and Miss Crane in the top one, and the settee was made up as a bed. The narrow space between the bunks and the settee was nearly filled by two large trunks, and Christine’s own trunk-, brought on board earlier in the day. was out in the alleyway.

She saw at a glance that they had set themselves to make her feel like an interloper. The two small shelves over the “clock"—the tip-up washstand which they must all share—were crowded with framed photographs and other personal possessions. Every peg was occupied. .They had left her no space at all for the small treasures which every stewardess takes to sea. "So you have come on board. Miss Jordan." Mrs Parr said, waking up Wilh an affected start as Christine closed the wardrobe door. “Mr Perrin was here at nine, and he seemed a little surprised that you were not already here. He came to tell us the arrangements for the voyage—of course, as the junior, you will have the top deck." “Is it a full ship this trip?” Christine asked. “Every state-room occupied on this deck. I advise you to go to bed at once, Miss Jordan, without wasting any more time. We shall all be busy tomorrow, and we need our sleep—at least, Miss Crane and I do." She lay down again, and Christine hastened to unpack the few things she wanted for the night, and to go to bed.

(To be continued.)