Evening star., 1925-08-16
WAS SHE?
1t Was Her Habit Meet Any Emergency Without Fear

is being swindled till its pocketbook
is gone. He looked on Amber as
benefactor. He was worth. taking his
energy. sobriety and general reliabil
ity into consideration. hundred a
year more to Amber than Amber was
paying him. Yet he looked on Amber
as a benefactor.
He was astonished to find that he
was worth more than he fancied him
self to be worth; that England was
worked out; that the colonies were the
only places where a man of energy and
small means might find a certain live
lihood and maybe fortune.
She showed him all this.
He drew back at first, timid at the
prospect of such a plunge, but she had
no fear. Then he consented and she
arranged about their marriage. They
would get married without the least
show or expense, and the African ex
pedition would serve for a honeymoon
Her .c~sIsseau would be Of the SIM
plest. She gave details. She had
studied the climate of South Africa
and taken the conditions of life there
on farm or the veldt into her con.
sideration when thinking out the
trousseau. Though money was des-
perately essential and none too plenti-
full, she determined not to be married
at a registrars office. but respect
ably" in a church. John. who cared
nothing for convention. was in favor
of the registrars, but she had an eye
TO the future and the foundation of a
family. and she was determined that to
begin we'll was everything. She in
tended to build high, to be wealthy
some day, and TO reach great levels of
respectability, and a hofe-and-corner
marriage was no foundation for that
design.
She made John buy a frock coat and
pair of lavender trousers for the oc-
casion-price in those days four
pounds ten-and after the marriage
she arranged a small reception at her
mothers house, Z Miranda terrace.
where a number Of highly respecta BILE
people gathered and gave them a send
off. The result, foreseen by this Bis
marck in petticoats. was the feeling
common to them both-that they had
begun well and had already risen in
the scale of life
She had arranged the marriage to
coincide with the sailing of the Triton,
on which she had booked their pas
sage, second class, and they left Brain
tree the same day for Southampton,
where they spent the night at the best
hotel, embarking next morning and
world
She was very seasick, for, though
seasickness is mostly a malady of the
mind, even common sense cannot pre-
vent it. She was Ill for a week. and
during that week John, who was
born sailor. was left to drift alone
among the passengers. When she
came on deck she found John in
corner with several evil-looking yegg-
men, secretly playing cards.
She pounced.
How much have you lost?" said
she.
Il haven't lost" replied John. I've
won two pounds ten"
Then put 1t in your pocket and
come along with me-" she replied.
The yeggmen showed fight She
faced them fearlessly. just as she had
faced the bull, threatened them with
the captain" and took John off just
rs she might have taken a purse
Then she extracted the two pounds
ten from him and put it in her pocket
He played cards no more on that
ship, for the very good reason that
would play with man with such a
wife. Other wives with husbands on
board respected her. and she made sew
eral friends of returning South Afri-
cans, who turned up useful enough
when they got to Durham and were on
the lookout for cheap rooms.
X
A T Durham she accompanied John
to the Office of Mr.. Goldberg, to
whom she had been recommended by
her cousin.
Goldberg was land agent. and
knew all about South African farming
that was to be known.S He sat in an
Office with maps behind him on the
wall. His hair was as black as ebony
shavings and as oily as Satan's palm.
He wore gold pincenez and had a thick
voice, also big diamond ring.
Mrs. Smith sat and looked at Gold
berg and listened while John told of
his requirements, and she picked up
quite a lot of information while Gold
berg talked; also she came to the con-
clusion that she did not trust him and
that his fine Office and diamond ring
were indicative of a wealth to which
she did not care to add her contribu-
ton.
She was absolutely ignorant of the
South African world, of any world,
indeed, beyond the world contained in
five miles radius of Braintree, but her
common sense warned her and she
loOh oOllii Oii' PlOihloiil6 " Iiliiih
things over and call another day.
Next morning they left for Johan-
nesburg, following the lead given to
her by one of the friends she had
picked up on the Triton, and here.
with the help of a hotelkeeper and
without paying agents fees, they
picked up some land away north, near
a place called Rupertsburg, If l re-
member the name properly.
These were the DAYS before the Roer