" He leaned back.
"That was the beginning of my good fortune," he said, slowly,
and then stopped. Most of the party knew Lesponts's charming wife,
so no further explanation was needed. One of them said presently, however,
"Lesponts, why didn't you fellows get him some better place?"
"He was offered a place," said Lesponts. "The fellow who had made the row
about the lower berth turned out to be a great friend of the head
of the Pullman Company, and he got him the offer of a place
at three times the salary he got, but after consideration, he declined it.
He would have had to come North, and he said that he could not do that:
his wife's health was not very robust and he did not know how she could stand
the cold climate; then, she had made her friends, and she was too old
to try to make a new set; and finally, their little girl was buried there,
and they did not want to leave her; so he declined. When she died, he said,
or whichever one of them died first, the other would come back home
to the old place in Virginia, and bring the other two with him,
so they could all be at home together again. Meantime,
they were very comfortable and well satisfied."
There was a pause after Lesponts ended, and then one of the fellows
rang the bell and said, "Let's drink the old Captain's health,"
which was unanimously agreed to.
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