The Washington times., 1933-03-31

ABOARD THE S. S. RESO-
Lutte, INDIA-B OUND: A
strange thing happened aboard
this boat three years ago.
Maybe you read about it in
the papers at the time. I think
it worth while repeating.
Ethel Smith-wrong name
used Observation-Disclosures 27
years Of age. She was quiet,
unassuming, blonde and de.
cidedly pretty. Just before the
boat sailed, a few Of the pas
sengers noticed a strange scene
that took place upon the dock
in New York.
Refuses to Change
mo use making a scene,"
they heard the woman say.
I'm not going to change my
mind. Please stop making a
fool of yourself"
She was talking to a man
who was quite a bit older than
she. He was tall and thin;
almost gaunt. His eyes were
red and heavy, and he kept
clasping and unclasping his
hands.
please, please" he kept re-
peating. 1--WE can patch it all
up. If you go it will be the
end. The baby is so young.
You don't have to do it for me.
Just do it for him. Please don't
60. Please"
The woman was biting her
lip.
"I told you once before" she
asserted harshly, that you are
) creating a scene and that I do
not like it. I am sailing on
this boat for four months, and
all the pleas and cryings on
your part are not going to
change my mind in the slightest.
you should have thought of
this long before now. I do not
love you any more, and you are
wasting your time. I must go
abroad. Please say goodbye in
sensible fashion and permit me
to enjoy the sailing"
The man stiffened. He seemed
to be trying desperately to re-
gain control of himself. He
spoke slowly.
IF you go, I think I will kill
myself"
Il doubt it," she replied.
Goodbye"
She turned rapidly and walked
up the gangplank. The man
shuffled from the pier, his head
down.
For almost a month, while
the cruise progressed, Ethel
Smith remained a woman Of
mystery. BY this time, Of course,
that strange scene at the gang
plank had been repeated many
times by practically every pas
senger on the voyage. There
were many guesses as to the
real meaning of the episode, but
nobody knew definitely.
Releases Secret
But at the end Of the month
Ethel Smith made her first mis-
take. Possibly she was lonely
and possibly any Of us might
have done the same thing. Re-
gardlesS, however, it was a mis-
take. She sat on deck with an
other woman one night and told
her the whole story. And with
in 2 days, 6 hours, and %
minutes everybody on the boat,
including the deck scrubbers
and diShwashers, knew the COM
plete story of Ethel Smith.
It was a simple tale, and one
that happens every day in the
week. The tall man on the dock
had been her husband. They
had lived together for almost
eight years. Four years ago Il
baby boy had been born. Ethel
Smith had wanted a girl.
Things had never seemed to
go quite right after that. Ethel
Smith had decided upon a nurse
for the child; her husband
thought that she should have
cared for the child herself. They
began to quarrel and to bicker
and to argue. Each day found
them drifting further apart.
The husband tried to patch up
the situation on numerous oc-
casions. Ethel Smith refused.
There was a separation agree
ment, in which the husband was
given the custody of the child.
But the woman had tired of
that and she had sued for a
complete divorce. An interlocu-
tory decree had been granted
shortly before the boat sailed,
but Ethel Smith would have to