The new enterprise., 1905-07-27

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.AoIS rs. JEFFERSON was not
I w more than ;airy-ayc years
@ o ol age. and She had spent
4 AVA \ fourteen years Of married
IoE HE in India. She had seen
twoof her chiidreTbm!el IN
an unhealthy station, and had been To
England once, seven years before. 10
take two little girls home TO be cdrca-
Ted. il was on her return voyage from
visiting her children that | met her.
She was SO Must less aggrcs siyc ihan
most Of the women on board. and dc.
mandcl 50 much less attention, that
1t was restiul 10 lazy man ike my.
self just 10 sit quietly by her deck
chair. share my books and newspa.
pers with her and enjoy my evening
cigar 10y Ler side. Mrs. jefferson did
not object 10 smoking, she seemed iD-
deed so difidcnt. 50 humble and un.
eXacting that / found myself wonder.
ing what the man must be ike who
was her husband, and hoping that he
was not a selfish brute who sat upon
the little woman. SIZE was not COM
municatiyc. and | found out very little
aboG, her during our ioug chats. Per
haps am egoustical and talk good
deal about myself when | get a pa
ticnt listener Be that as il may,
CLEANED nothing of Mrs. JCilerson's
own history from her and at last ]
determined 10 ask the captain Of the
ship if be knew anything about her.
1T is odd that you should ask ne,
said Captain Hargrcaves, for it was
only to-day that began 10 recall Mrs
jefferson 20 my recollection. She told
me her maiden name this morning
and s0ll she had Travelled out with
ne once before, and | rcc0.lectcl he
circumstances Immediately,
she was going ont 10 India to be
married 10 this man Jefferson, and a
very pretty grl She was in those days,
though one would hardly guess it now
10 look AT hcr-one gets accustomed 10
that SOFT OF thing Oh hoard these i.
and o, vcsscls--oLe year a pretty glrl
with pink cheeks and her lovers pho
tograph,on her cabin table, going out
10 be married and TO be happy ever
afterwarl, and a few years later, the
same girl with all the roses washed
ont Of her cheeks, bringing home
little boy or girl 10 say goodby 10 them
in England, and to 90 back to some
plantation in the hills where perhaps
her husbands is the only white face
she sees for most days in the year"
Yet thcy'n continue to go While the
world lasts said I. Il hope Jelfer-
SOL was the right sort OF a man:'
80 far as l can hear" said Captain
Barpreaves. "he is very much the re-
yerse' He got into some trouble over
a business affair, and lost a gooS bill
let down in Calcutta; then be came
into a little money, and bought a tea
plantation somewhere in the back of
beyond. But be was always some
thing Of a bounder, l fancy, and his
misfortune, as men Of Jeffersons type
always call their mlsdolngs, soured
him. lie took to drink. / believe and
this little woman doesn't have the best
Of times with him. She has got chill
lren at home and has lost several 9TH
ers out in India"
Naturally one avoided the subject Of
Mr., Jefferson ever after when talking
to his wife, and l heard nothing about
him till the very last day of the voyage
1t was horribly hot weather-quite
eGhausting for ladies'. Mrs. jefferson
had been confined TO her cabin for
some days with a bad attack Of fever
and headache. She looked pathetlcally
small and weak when she came on
deck again and curled herself up in
my big deck chair which l had pre-
pared with cushions for her, giving
me at the same time a look so full Of
gratitude that it was enough to make
any decent man feel ashamed Of him
self.
The rest of the passengers began to
80 below, card tables were put away.
the principal electric lights were put
out, but still Mrs. Jefferson sat in the
deck chair, looking small and weak
among the pillows, and took it into
my head suddenly that she wanted to
say something to me, but that speech
was difficult TO her, and in a fash /
knew intuitively that she had learned
tee silence which'so many women have
20 laavp