THE STUPID STEWARD.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VII, Issue 10, 7 March 1891, Page 14

THE STUPID STEWARD.

A CLEVER MAN’S HARD LUCK—HIS FRENCH BRINGS HIM INTO DISREPUTE. It was on board the Normandie, of the French line. There were only four passengers at the purser’s table. The others had business elsewhere, owing to the motion of the ship. One of the four was a startling pretty blonde, as well bred as she was lovely. Opposite her sat a young man who was telling his companion how well be spoke French. From time to time he gazed admiringly at the young woman, wondering how he could get introduced and trying to remark the effect of his linguistic attainments upon her. Two hours later as the aforesaid young man was turning into the passage that led to his cabin he saw his vis-a-vis at the dinner table in the doorway of the cabin opposite his own engaged in trying to make the cabin steward understand that she wanted something. . A FORTUNATE CHANCE. As the girl’s eyes fell on the young man she looked at him appealingly and said :— * I beg your pardon, but won’t you please make this man understand that I want him to send me my stewardess at once ?’ The young man naturally replied that nothing coula possibly give him more pleasure, and turning to the steward he proudly rolled out a few sentences of the best French to be had. Then bowing to the young woman he disappeared behind the curtain that served instead of the door of his stateroom. In a few moments a few sentences uttered excitedly in English drew him again into the passage, where he found the steward with a small bottle of campagne, a bowl of ice, and a single glass, which he was trying to set down in the fair passenger’s cabin regardless of her expostulations. AN AWKWARD POSITION. * May I ask what this means?’ asked the young lady, icily, of her countryman. ‘lt is some stupid mistake of the steward,’ said the young man, confusedly. * Let me remedy it,* he added, turning to the steward again and repeating his demand for mademoiselle’s stewardess. In two minutes the man was back with another glass, which he quietly set down on the waiter. For a moment the girl stood dumbfounded, then bursting into tears she sobbed out: —* This is too much—too insulting.’ Then, with her hands over her face, she rushed from the passage to the other side of the vessel, where her aunt’s cabin was located. Left in this way the young man bit his lip with mortification, and then made up his mind to explain next day at dinner that really he understood the whole affair as little as she did. STILL MORE AWKWARD. But the next day he found that the young woman and her aunt had had their seats changed to the other side of the dining-room, and, whenever he tried to approach either of them on deck he was so carefully avoided as to make it impossible. On the fourth day out, however, a Frenchman, a friend of his, said to him : —* I have the cabin next to yours, ' and this morning I asked our steward what time it was. In a few moments he came back and said, “ 106, Monsieur.” That’s the number of my seat at the table.’ * I inquired about it, and find the fellow is stone deaf, though he always pretends to hear well enough.’ ‘Ha! ha ! ha ! Yes, I see ; very funny,’ said the young man. * Deaf is he ? Hang him ? ’