The Washington times., 1894-05-13
TIE GRHSS WIDOW.

Tom Enifer had had very bad time and
he was feeling very depressed and generally,
to use his own expression. down in the
mouth as he wondered aimlessly along Ok
ford street toward Hyde Park. What on
earth was he to do? He had wife at home
in the furnished rooms he occupied-a de-
cent. brave little woman. to whom he was
very much attached. and though he could
starve bit and rough it himself, if the worst
came to the worst. the idea of her being
homeless and hungry or dependent upon the
little he could raise by borrowing from his
few friends and acquaintances. was horrible
to him. He would gladly have taken a berth
and done anything. but there was nothing to
do and no berths to be had and he had been
SO long out OF work that he didn't even know
81 his old employers would give him char
acter even ii he could find vacancy any
where.
For three years Tom Enifer had been fol-
lowing the turf-that is to say. he had been
attending race meetings and backing horses.
When he was clerk in a city office he had a
piece OF good luck, which he was inclined to
look upon now as one of the worst pieces OF
luck that had ever befallen him. lie had been
induced by racing man, whose acquaintance
he had made, to have f10. the whole of his
Savings, on & horse for the Cesarewitch as
soon as the weights appeared, and he had
backed it at the remunerative odds Of 100 to
]. The horse just managed to squeeze home
by short head. and Tom Enifer suddenly
found himself possessed OF Il 1000.
A thousand pounds. and Toms salary was
only 600 year. 1t was to him wealth be-
yond the dreams of evarice. He thought
himself small Rothschild, and eated by his
good fortune he felt confident that he had
only TO 20 on backing horses with the capi-
ttal at his command to make big annual
income.
SO he gave up his berth in the CITY, and
went racing with varying fortune. For a
time he was fairly successful; then he had a
series OF bad meetings. and plunged to recover
his losses. and came near the end of his capi-
tai: things mended just as they were at their
worst. and a bet of f50O to GO put him on
his legs again for n while.
Bua the end came at last, and now with
only I, few shillings in his pocket, Tom Eni-
fer had TO recognize the fact that he could not
hope to retrieve his position on the turf, and
that the time had come when he must settle
down again to work. if he could get it. He
was not only reduced to his last handful OF
silver. but he was in debt and there was a
fortnights rent overdue. Looking back at
the three years during which large sums OF
money had passed through his hands, he
couldn't help asking himself what benefit the
money had ever been to him: He had bought
nothing that was property" he had not even
Bet mp housekeeping. but had remained on in
the two rooms that he had furnished when he
first married on his modest salary. The
money had had no real value except for
gambling purposes.
And new that everything was gone, and he
was almost penniless, he had nothing to show
for his three years devoted to the turf. and he
had: he feared, dropped SO much out of the
haot oi steady work, that it would be q ter
rihle hardship for him to take to it again.
But something must be done for the wife's
cake. and ne was wondering to himself what
that something could be, as with his pipe in
his mouth. he sauntered up Oxford street.
There were too many people in Oxford
street. They jostled him and the noise of the
traffic disturbed him. He wanted TO be alone
tha. he might think. He turned up a side
street and presently found himself In quiet
square. 1t was just dusk, and, one by one,
tee houses were being lighted up and the
blinds drawn down. Tom Enifer put his back
against the railings Of the square, thrust his
hands in bis pockets, pulled away at his pipe