WHISPS OF SPRAY

Southland Times, Issue 19546, 9 May 1925, Page 13

WHISPS OF SPRAY

MARIE LEVINSKY

(By

R.W.)

Marie Levinski (formerly known as Mrs Curtis) trilled out a Russian folk song as she cleaned and polished the glasses and counter in the lonely little cabaret, situated on the approach to the Dimitri Kolchak wharf in the Black Sea port of Noypross.sk. Mr William Grimstone, third officer of the Raffles and Co. steamer Livorno, lounged lazily at the counter sipping slowly his glass of lager-ol while his. shipmate, the third engineer, one Ezra Hail, thumped away at the old piano as he joined his vocal forces to those of the Russian lady who presided over that little beer shop which bore this legend over its portals m English —“The Turk’s Head—comfort and vittles for seamen; officers specially catered for.' -

Marie Levinski was well-known to the crews of most of the steamers which made their per.odical calls at Novoross.sk tor cargoes of Russian grain _in the pre-war days. She was an "institution” of the waterfront and knew well how to treat “her .boys,” as she called the British seamen who frequented the small iron shack —which owing to the influence used by several of the Raffle’s and Co. captains with the port authorities —she had now occupied for some eighu years. Born in London oi Russian parents, she had married early in life the bos un of one of Raffles and Co’s, steamers,’Jim Curtis, who shortly after he and Marie had married was appointed shore stevedore for that firm in Novoihssisk. Marie had joined her uusband in RjLsia, where they ffad lived happily for thre\ years, when he was accident ally killed by Nhe breaking of a chrnn sling whilst discharging a portable engine from the steamer’s hold.

After he/ husband’s burial she had sought the aid some of his old shipmates, then with a few pounds left to her and their assistance, she had bravely started out to earn her living in Russia, for she was by the law of that country a Russian subject and could not leave it easily. Catering for seamen with food and liquor, she had worked up a nice little business, much of the proceeds of which were from time to time taken home by certain Raffles and Co, captains, and placed to the credit of her younger sister, Clara, in London—who was studying music and singing in the hope of becoming a professional singer some day. Madame Clara Levinski knew not how hardly earned were the funds that made her success possible, nor did she realise that away in the Russian port whence they came so regularly, many a Cossack officer had ruthlessly and enviously appraised the supposed wealth of Marie Levinski, the cabaret keeper. Marie, though working hard, still retained her good looks which, combined with a cheery and sunny disposition, had prompted many a junior ship’s officer to lay his heart and fortune —often consisting of one uniform, one shore suit and a half-empty sea chest—at her feet. Marie had come safely through the ordeal of these many proposals of marriage, and had sent most of her suitors away, vowing to think better of Marie in future and be her champion for ever. These two solitary customers of The Turk’s Head, Hall and Grimstone, were one-time suitors for the hand of Marie, but on this night they were her self-constituted bodyguard, as they had been also on each of the preceding four nights at her request while she had counted over the day’s takings; they had not left her until the door was safely barred and tl.e shop locked, for Marie lived alone in her shack and of late had been troubled by the unwelcome attentions of a Cossack officer who generally visited The Turk’s Head near closing time and in a maudlin state. As the’‘song proceeded on this particular evening the door opened and a young Cossack officer, knout in hand, strode jauntily into the room and demanded to be served with vodka. Marie stopped her singing to supply his wants while Grimstone still lounged carelessly over the bar and Hall thumped and sang withi renewed vigour, glancing over his shoulder so that he might have a view of any attempt at unpleasantness on the part of the Cossack. With an insolent leer, that officer drank off his small glass of potent spirit and without payment demanded more. Marie knew she could expect no payment from this man, for a Cossack officer was a power in that land then—by a word from him her means of livelihood could be taken away and moreso in this instance must she use care, this man was the son of that ruthless autocrat, General Koibars, Military Governor of Odessa and district. Having received his second glass, he held it poised half-way to his lips then demanded in Russian that Hall’s braying—as he termed it—should cease. At a word from Marie, Hall became silent and sat listlessly at the piano apparently looking over some music sheets, whilst Grimstone moved nearer co the side of the youthful Cossack who drank his liquor. Then with a vile Russian oath, the Russian made a vicious slash with the knout he carried at Grimstone, drawing blood where the hard-knotted thongs met the flesh, as he strode towards the door of the room to the street beyond. Grimstone, smarting with pain, made one step forward to retaliate, but at a quiet command from Hall, he held himself in check. Neither Britisher moved to retaliate, but calmly proceeded to the doorway and stood there intent on preventing the Russian’s return. It was hard for Grimstone to keep his hands off the intruder, but bis knowledge of what would the result helped him to refrain. Marie had not been harmed and that was what they were there to prevent, not to stir up the wrath of the powers that be in the shape of a Cossask detachment which was halted in the street close by and would have instantly come to the aid of their lieutenant. The place would then hayc been wrecked, Marie taken off, none would know where, and these two men, her protectors, left half-dead to be found by their shipmates the next day. That night The Turk’s Head was closed earlier than usual, Grimstone and Hall waiting outside for a full hour to make sure that young .not return.

In the early hours of the next morning the quartermaster on-duty at the gangway of the Livorno reported to the< mate, Mr McGee, that there was a disturbance taking place at the approach to the wharf and that he had heard a woman calling in English for help. Hastily calling Grimstone and Hall, Mr McGee donned some clothes and the three proceeded in quick time in the direction of the sound, where they encountered four Coseack privates coming out of the broken doorway of The Turk’s Head. Without a word they set about the intruders, whom they beat unmercifully, only allowing them to escape to their horses after they had disgorged what money they had taken from the ehack. Then, proceeding inside, they found the body of Marie lying still and terribly mutilated. Captain Petherbridge, of the Livorno, tried hard to move the heavy paw of the Russian Bear and get justice done, in an endeavour to have the perpetrators of such a dastardly crime punished, but the Bear ✓

was slow to move, and then questioned his right to interfere. One concession the authorities did make to the captain, however, was that the body of Marie, which had been taken on board his ship and was under the protection of the British flag, could remain there, so that two days aiterwards it was committed to the waters -of the Black Sea by Marie’s friends--with that respect and reverence due to a good woman and a true friend. Fourteen years afterwards Madam Clara Levinski, professional singer and wife of Captain William Grimstone, R.N.R., D. 5.0., was spending a few quiet hours with her sailor husband in their comfortable flat in London when the maid entered with a letter which stated that a certain Captain Kolbara, of the late Imperial Russian forces, who bad known her sister in Russia prior to the war, would call on her that afternoon.

She acquainted her husband witlf the content* of the letter, and he, after he had

read' it, remarked that he would like to meet this Captain Koibars first, and alone, as he had some important business to transact with him, telling her also that she could see him herself afterwards if she wished. That afternoon the two men met, recognition was instantaneous and mutual, and, as a result, Mrs Grimstone certainly did see the Russian stranger, who had known her sister, Marie, but it was not a pretty sight she saw, for it was while that important business 'was being transacted. Captain Koibars was no fair sight for her, for what she saw was her husband kicking ignominiously, a very much battered Rua* sian Cossack officer, down the main stairs of their flat. That evening, when returning home from a concert where his wife had been singing with great success, Captain William Grim- * stone told her for the first time the detail* of her sister’s death.