The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-02

"Dld aear you say you were going
10 ln.11a. my dear? TO the frontier.
envy tSou-@talr! how i envy you"
= T. looked in management at the speak
err She was an old lady whose white
hair and lined face gave her the ap-
pearanee lof being even Older than she
really wan. Her faded eyes had lighted
up at my words, there was an almost
youthful excitement in her face and
manner AS she leaned forward and
touched my hand.
She was stranger to me. We were
merely fellow guests at The house of
mutual acquaintance, but she had over
heard remark had made to friend,
and her trembling voice had asked that
eager question.
ibid you say you were going to In
dfa?".
EYES," answered, IT am starting al
most at once. am a. medical woman,
you know. and have had an excellent
post offered me on the frontier" My
listener gave little gasp, and I saw
that her dim eyes filled with tears. my
work will especially lie among some Of
the friendly tribes who come under our
sphere Of influence"
II envy you," she repeated her first
words. Il envy you. would give all the
tool"
IT am afraid it is a rough journey,
ama rqugner LITE MSn one s gets
tunately exceptionally strong. and
And You are young" she exclaimed
Nehemently, youth Is everything. You
are young-and SO pretty" she added
gently, looking at me kindly, while the
blood mounted to my forehead at her
c compliment: ~a1Ino e too pretty for
Zone does not think Of looks" said
with q little laugh, "'when there is so
much work to be done. I was chosen
chiefly because ana strong and
healthy--and have always longed to
go to India"
80 have t. the old lady chimed in
eagerly. II have never ceased to long
for it. MY boy-my only boy-lies on
Of the frontier men Of the Empire"
Her voice shook, but there was a
ring of pride in it nevertheless, and she
| looked at me with eyes that had sud-
| denly grown brighter.
II do not grudge tim-for England
! but I would give the world to see the
place where he feN.''
WAS he," I began, and she said
| quickly:
| Yes, they left him there-it was one
Of the frontier raids-one of our little
| wars-and-and," her brave old voice
quivered afresh, "they were not able
to find Observation-Disclosures But they
| put up memorial to him where he
fell, and if I could see that-if I could
only see that But" she; broke off
abruptly, and with sigh, IAN old wo-
/ the question"
| I sat for quite long time after that
talking to the gentle old lady. whose
name learned was Mrs. Dymond. and
during the days that followed before
started for India, I went to see her as
often as could. She was SO lonely.
! My heart went out to her-a widow,
and childless. 1 longed to be able to do
| something to comfort her. and we had
become great friends before really left
England.
She was one Of the last people to
| whom went to say good-by, and It
was when ! was sitting with her in
her :cozys old fashioned drawing-room
l{nhat she said sud
r. ~ 5.4 81 course, n answered Il
|=fs, anything I can do SE-::**' .-:
Promise you will send me a photo
! graph OF the memorial they put up to
my boy-even If 1t is only a heap OF
stones. Promise me that. Let me
have It to remind me Of Felix. We
called him Felix because we were 50
happy when he was born-so happy
my husband and I! And Felix was al
ways q happy soul. This" she added
| after 4 pause, this Is his portrait, 3"
and she opened folding case.
| The eyes Of the man" in the picture
| looked straight into mine. They were
! eyes blue as the summer skies. very
keen, and bright and steadfast, and
the face with its mingling Of strength
and gentleness made my heart throh
with pride to think that /, too, belong
| ed to the nation that could produce
such man as this!
| Dead? This man with the strong
face and keen eyes-dead? Oh! the
pity Of it. AS I laid the portrait down
my own eyes were dim with tears, and
I could not speak.
1T was hard to lose him. Mrs. Dy-
| mond said very gently, "but-it was
the death he would have chosen! He
is guarding the frontier still"
Overhead a sky whose blueness can
not be described IN any, adequate
| words! Across the marvellous blue
ness line Of mountains whose gran
deur and unspeakable height made me
feel breathless with awe every time
my, eyes fell upon them; before me a
wide plain that stretched up to the foot
Of those mighty hills which rose from
it with an almost startling abruptness
| IndI was lily 4IISl We" VI LA1C wall "a
the Wort d, and shall never forget it to
my dying day.
But t., describe journey to the far
frontier of India is, nowadays. a work
Of supe, erogation. Suffice it,, then, to
say that after many days and nights
Of travelling I finally reached the little
place, by courtesy called a town, where
a handful Of Englishmen and another
handful of native troops watched ovel
that troublous borderland which is sc
seldom really quiet.
The few English I found pleasant
and friendly, with no especially no.
ticeable characteristics good or bad
but the native women and children, who
were my particular care, were an un-
failing source of pleasure and interest
to me.
They called me the Doctor Lady, and
dear friendly souls, they made me wei
come and did their, utmost to show
me how grateful they were to me fol
what little could do to help them.
Every day saw my little surgery more
and more packed with strange, mis-.
cel1ansous crowd Of women. some Of
whom had travelled miles to come and