The White Hunter

by Gilbert, Morris

  “You could if Jesus were in your heart.”

  Jeanine looked straight at Annie and her voice was hard as granite. “He never will be,” she said. “Never!”

  ****

  It was two days after the expedition to the slums of London that Jeanine said abruptly as Annie entered her room, “We’re going home, Annie. I’ve got to get away from this.”

  Instantly Annie knew that Jeanine’s sudden change of mind had something to do with Clive Winters. “When will we leave?” she asked quietly.

  “As soon as we can get passage—next week, it looks to be.”

  “Is something wrong, Jeanine?”

  Jeanine rose and paced the floor. There was an agitation in her eyes and in her manner and a nervousness that Annie had not seen in all their time together. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I’m just unhappy, that’s all. And don’t preach to me! I won’t have it!”

  “I wasn’t going to.”

  “You weren’t going to say anything, perhaps, but you’re always thinking it, aren’t you?”

  “I suppose I am, but, Jeanine, what you are doing is running. You ran away from America, and now you’re running away from England. You’re running away from Clive Winters.”

  “Don’t say that!”

  “You can’t run away from God, Jeanine. No matter where you go, He’s still there.”

  “I told you not to preach at me! Now, we’re leaving next week.”

  “All right,” Annie said, surrendering. It was not the time to talk to Jeanine about her soul, although she could not really imagine when it would be the right time. “What ship will we be taking?”

  “The Titanic. You make the arrangements. Book us first class.”

  “That’s the big ship we saw launched.”

  “Yes. It’s in all the papers. She’s going to make her maiden voyage. We’ll be comfortable. It’s a marvelous ship, they say.” She went over to the window and stared outside for a time silently, and then she turned, adding, “And we’ll be safe. It’s the unsinkable ship. You remember what Clive told us.”

  “I wouldn’t put my faith in that. Any ship can sink.”

  “Not this one. That’s the one thing we don’t have to worry about. The Titanic is unsinkable.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  An Unexpected Passenger

  “Well, she’s certainly big enough.” Jeanine Quintana stood on the dock looking up at the massive ship that rose before her and Annie. The mere size of it stunned one’s eyes at first, and she shook her head, saying, “That’s the biggest ship I’ve ever seen in my life.” She was wearing a lightweight green linen suit with a draped-over bodice and a knee-length tunic. Her skirt was narrow from the knee to the ankle and was trimmed with dark blue lace. She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat ornamented with dark green feathers, and her black hair glistened in the fresh April sunlight.

  Annie was less expensively adorned, as usual. She wore a simple light peach dress with a high neck and a bodice draped across the body to form a V-shape. Her hobble skirt was very tight, and she had on a light blue bolero jacket with short sleeves that ended at the elbow with turn-back cuffs. As she looked up at the ship, she murmured, “I’ve been reading up on shipbuilding a little bit, Jeanine. From what I understand, the Cunard Lines have been building the fastest ships ever since about 1900. The Lusitania and the Mauretania went into service in 1907. They built the reputation for speed and punctuality.” She smiled, saying, “They called them the Lucy and the Mary. They weren’t only bigger than the White Star ships, but they also were very fast.”

  “How fast will this one go?”

  “Somewhere around twenty-two or twenty-three knots, I understand. There’ll be three of them, the Olympic, the Titanic, and the Gigantic. It’s necessary to have three ships,” she said. “They have to have regular service between a British port and New York and back again. So White Star decided to build them. The Olympic has already been launched, but it takes all three of them before the schedule will run smoothly.”

  A smile touched Jeanine’s lips. “You know more things than anybody I ever knew, Annie. Come on. Let’s get on board.”

  The two women made their way to the gangplank, where they were directed to the first-class section by the steward as soon as they reached the deck. The steward was impressed, apparently, with Jeanine’s appearance and attitude, for he stopped long enough to say, “Perhaps, Miss Quintana, you’d like to look at the first-class lounge.”

  “Yes. Let’s see it,” Jeanine agreed. She followed and Annie came quickly behind her as the steward led the way into a lounge that caused Annie to take her breath. It was built in Edwardian, Louis XV style. The ceilings were high, and upholstered chairs were placed around elegantly carved tables. Around all the walls, which were made of walnut, intricate carvings shone forth in the gleaming wood.

  “All right. I suppose this will have to do,” Jeanine said, winking at Annie.

  The steward, offended, gave her a shocked look. “Madam, you would not find a finer room than this in the finest hotels in Europe!”

  “I was just teasing. It’s very impressive. Come along, let’s see what our rooms look like.”

  But the steward was determined to impress the two women, so he gave them a quick tour. He showed them the dining salon, the reception room, the restaurant, the lounge, the reading and writing room, the smoking room, and then finally the Verandah Cafe in the Palm Court. He even insisted on showing them the accommodations for those interested in sports, which included a swimming bath, electric baths, a squash racquet court, and a gymnasium. There was also a barbershop, a darkroom for photographers, and a clothes pressing room.

  Finally Jeanine said, “Enough! Take us to our staterooms, if you please!”

  The steward finally surrendered and took them into their stateroom. It was done in the Jacobean decor with a thick Persian carpet covering the floor. The furniture was all made of the finest mahogany, and overhead beams imitated the early English period. Everything was shiny and new, and there were two bedrooms, one off of each side of the sitting room. Jeanine walked around the room and, to mollify the steward said, “This is really very nice, and your service is excellent.”

  “My pleasure, madam. I’ll bring your trunks as soon as they are put aboard.”

  “Thank you, steward.” Jeanine gave him a lavish tip, then when he left, she turned around and smiled. “What do you think of it, Annie?”

  “It’s very grand, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. I’ll have to admit they’ve spared no expense. Come on. Let’s go take another tour around the deck.”

  The two explored the ship with interest, and finally they came to stand in the bow.

  “I believe we’re starting to move,” Annie remarked.

  “Yes. I can feel the engines.”

  The two women felt a tinge of excitement as the massive Titanic began to ease away from the pier. Slowly and powerfully the massive vessel swung clear and moved through the harbor, breaking the gray water with its sharp bow.

  Suddenly, however, Annie cried, “Look at that ship! That one there!” She pointed at a steamer with the title New York on its bow. The vessel had snapped her moorings and swung toward the port side of the Titanic. Tugboats frantically attempted to get a line on the wayward American vessel. Fortunately Captain Smith of the Titanic was able to avoid disaster. He cut his engines, then used the wash from his port engine to halt the swing of the other ship. Even so, the New York was dragged relentlessly sideways through the channel, nearly colliding with yet another vessel before the tugboats could stop her rush and put her to safe mooring.

  “That could have been a disaster!” Jeanine gasped.

  Annie watched as the tugboats pushed the New York back into a safer position and moored her to the wharf. “I know,” she said quietly. “If things were just a little different, she would have crashed right into us.”

  Jeanine looked keenly at her companion. “You’re not worried about the ship
sinking, are you?”

  “Not worried, Jeanine, but it could happen. You saw how close we came to an accident, and we’re hardly out of the harbor.”

  Jeanine ran her hand through her black hair, fluffed it up, and laughed shortly. “You don’t understand the nature of this ship,” she said. “I’ve been doing a little studying myself, and it’s true what we’ve heard. There are airtight compartments. If that ship over there had crushed one of them, it would have filled with water, but the others would have kept us afloat.”

  Annie did not argue, but she was uneasy with Jeanine’s overly confident attitude. She had been reading much in the paper about the claims of the White Star Lines that the Titanic was unsinkable. She knew it was a time when in nearly every area of human endeavor, whether architecture or medicine or science, the Western world had become convinced that man had his destiny in his own hands. All he had to do was apply science, and all problems would be solved. She had no faith at all in this new thought that was sweeping Europe and America in particular. She knew enough of history to understand that man was constantly trying to go places he was never meant to go and to do things he was never meant to do. Sometimes men reached too far and got too arrogant, only to be brought low. She said none of this to Jeanine, however, and the two were leaning on the rail when a voice behind them said, “Well, what a surprise!”

  Both women turned and were equally surprised to see Clive Winters standing in front of them. His blue eyes were bright with excitement, and the wind whipped his fine blond hair as he stood observing them.

  “Clive, what in the world are you doing here?” Jeanine exclaimed.

  “Oh, I just thought it was time for me to take a trip to America. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”

  Jeanine and Annie, as well, knew that the meeting was not at all coincidental. Jeanine shook her head. “Clive, you shouldn’t have followed me.”

  Trying to assume an innocent expression, Clive shrugged his trim shoulders. He was wearing a light gray Norfolk jacket with matching pants, a straw hat with a pleated silk band, a neck band shirt made to be worn with a detachable collar, and brown leather shoes that gleamed in the sunlight. “I hate to be misjudged. I’ve just taken a sudden interest in seeing your country, Jeanine. So I thought this might be a good time.”

  Jeanine’s lips tightened. She was a woman of firm principles, at least insofar as getting her own way and making her own decisions. She liked Clive a lot and had flirted with the idea of marrying him. But her will was so strong that she believed she could never give it up to any man, no matter how attractive or powerful he was. Having made this firm commitment in her own mind and having told Clive that it was over, it displeased her to find him there. “You shouldn’t have followed me, Clive,” she repeated flatly. “Nothing can come of it.”

  Once again Clive made a gesture of innocence with his hands outspread. “Just an ocean voyage. Nothing wrong with that. The ship’s big enough that you can run away from me if you want to.”

  Annie watched the two and understood very well what was going on. Clive, against his own best interest, was following Jeanine, hoping to persuade her to marry him. Annie knew it would be a disastrous match for him and probably for Jeanine as well. Annie had long ago decided that if Jeanine ever married in her current spiritual and emotional state, she would make a man perfectly miserable. She excused herself, saying, “I’ll let you two sort this out.”

  As Annie left, she spent some time exploring the ship, and later in the day the Titanic dropped anchor off Cherbourg, France, to embark additional passengers. Annie was fascinated as the Titanic left harbor, for instead of plowing straight through, it seemed to change directions quite often. She stopped one of the officers, a short young man with cherubic cheeks and striking eyes. “Why are we changing directions so often, Lieutenant?”

  “Oh, it’s Captain Smith’s idea. I think he’s trying to get the feel of the new ship. Ordinarily a ship goes through a great many sea trials, but the White Star was anxious to get the Titanic into motion as quickly as possible. So he’s just trying her out, much like you would try out a new automobile.”

  “Will we go straight to New York?”

  “Oh no. We’ll stop at Queenstown. That’s in Ireland.”

  “Thank you.” Annie continued her walk until it was time for dinner. When Jeanine didn’t appear, she took her meal in the stateroom. After reading a while, she assumed that Jeanine and Clive were together, so she went to bed. She slept that night with the motion of the ship rocking her to sleep.

  ****

  The next day they reached Queenstown at noon. Annie, once again, was alone. Jeanine had said little at breakfast. Annie could see clearly that there was something on her mind. Annie had learned to read the flamboyant woman’s moods well, and it was obvious to her that something was troubling Jeanine. “I hope she and Clive don’t marry,” she murmured, but there was nothing she could do about that.

  As the ship was docked, Annie stood beside the gangplank, watching the passengers who were boarding for the first time. Most of them seemed to be poor immigrants carrying a dream to begin a new life in America. One young woman caught her eye. She could be no more than twenty-two, Annie guessed, but she held in each arm a struggling baby, both faces red from crying. Annie approached the young woman, noting that she had red hair almost like her own.

  “Let me help you with one of your babies,” Annie offered.

  The young woman, who had a fair complexion but wore a worried frown, said, “Oh, would you mind, ma’am? I can’t keep up with them and all of my luggage.”

  “What’s your name, dear?”

  “Kathleen O’Fallon,” the girl said shyly.

  “I’m Annie Rogers. And who are these two?”

  “This is Michael and this is Mary.”

  “Well, let me have Michael.”

  The young woman awkwardly surrendered the baby, and Annie cuddled him in her arms. She touched his cheek and cooed at him, and the yowling stopped immediately. To her amazement a broad, toothless grin suddenly broke out, and a gurgle signified the baby’s pleasure. “Why, you little darling!” she said. “If you’re not a charmer.”

  “He’s a handful, Miss Rogers.”

  “Oh, just Annie will do fine. Look, I’ll get us some help and we’ll find your stateroom.”

  “Oh, I don’t have a stateroom, miss. I’m down in steerage.”

  “Steerage, then.” Annie reached out and plucked the sleeve of one of the stewards and smiled at him brightly. “We need a little help here. Would you mind helping us get this young lady settled?”

  “Why, yes, ma’am. I’ll be glad to.” The steward, a tall, gangly man, had a good smile and at once located Kathleen O’Fallon’s luggage. “Let’s see your ticket, miss,” he said. He took one look at it and instructed, “Right this way. Follow me.”

  Carrying Michael O’Fallon in her arms and looking at his fat cheeks every once in a while, Annie followed and was in turn followed by the young woman. The steward led them on a labyrinthine path until they reached the lower part of the deck. Immediately, Annie saw that the third-class passengers were thrust into quarters that were a stark contrast to the comfort and luxury available in the first and even the second class. Even here, though, she saw that the quarters were not the traditional “cattle boat” concept of days gone by when passengers simply traveled in one large open space. They passed through a third-class dining saloon and then a lounge, and finally the steward said, “Here’s your room, miss.” He opened a door, and stepping inside, they found it would take as many as ten passengers. It was clean, of course, being new, and several women were already there.

  “Oh, I can’t thank you enough,” Kathleen said as she sat down on a bunk.

  “Well, why don’t we see about getting these two taken care of. I’ll help all I can. Is your husband coming?”

  A look of pain washed across the face of the young Irish woman. “No, ma’am, he’s not. He died a month ago.” Her lower lip qu
ivered, and the girl bit it to hide her agitation and grief. She could not, however, and tears welled up in her eyes. “It was his dream to take us to America. He was so proud of Michael and Mary, and he said his children would have a better place and a better chance there than in the old country. But then the cholera came and took him off.”

  The tragedy in the young girl’s eyes touched Annie’s heart deeply. She sat down beside her, holding Michael in her left arm, and put her other arm around the girl’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It must be very hard.”

  “It is, mum! Very hard indeed! We’d . . . we’d only been married a little over four years, and then I lost him.”

  Annie felt the shoulders shaking beneath her arm and prayed quickly for guidance. “I’m so sorry, Kathleen,” she said. “But I’m surprised that you’re leaving your home and your friends. Do you have other family?”

  “Very little, and it was Michael’s dream for us to go to America. I have to do it, Miss Annie. I have to!”

  Annie Rogers sat there almost stunned. She had enjoyed a relatively easy life, and now as she considered the courage of this young woman, leaving her native land with two children and probably little money, she prayed, Oh, God, please help me to be a friend and a helper to this young woman in her time of need.

  “You know, Kathleen, the Bible says, ‘A friend loveth at all times and a brother—or sister—is born for adversity.’ Did you know that?”

  “No, mum. I don’t know the Bible. What does it mean?”

  “Well, a sister is born for adversity. That means if I’m having difficulty and you can help me, then God will bring you into my life to be a sister and to help me in my need. So I think God is putting me into your life to be a help to you. Would you let me be that sister and friend to you, Kathleen?”

  The loving tones of Annie Rogers and the warmth of her arm around Kathleen O’Fallon’s shoulders seemed to break the dam. Her shoulders shook and tears ran down her face freely. “Oh, mum,” she said, “I need a friend—indeed I do! I don’t have anywhere to go, and it’s hard taking care of the two little ones. I do need a friend.”