A MOTHER IN EVERY PORT

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13818, 7 October 1918, Page 1

A MOTHER IN EVERY PORT

(By Martha Caudler ) v '-'They used to say that old salts bad a wife in every port but. they didn't hare 'anything <-ai ugl" The lfittle Jackie, all of eighteen, swaggered a bit s^lf-oomsciooisly as he gavel an extra liilch. to his ' e«agoing'' tie knot "'Cause, we got _mothers all over, and geo whiz! who wouldn't rather have a mother'n three of four wives'" His tones w«re scorn fuiL. Then ha went an to explain. "They used fx> call them the Wednesday' Mending' Squad, and y<xi just oughta seen, iAt& way they'd coma her© to the training station, and sew on our buttons and sew up holes till you couldn't find them. "There was oinei —oh, she was .i. peach of a lady!—that mended mine the jir&b timo and scolded me just lik<? my own mother .d.boiut the v,ny my totes punch tihroiugh. Newt time die brought mo ,a little sewing, kit so, I could fix 'em up myself before they got so-bad. Then-she (Wivited me. and 'my pal tot'hea*. house to dimner. After •that wet just got to calling her moihier. -She's lots like mother, and ; Henry said she was lots like . his mother, the; way she knows ju3f. what you like), .and makes, you take a second 'helping and! ail -tiha.t. , I TEN TO FILL THE PLACE OF ••■■• .■'.■'■■ ..'■' ONE. .■/- .;•:;: . ! "One ■■•tune, on a return trip, the oonivoy put iiinj at another Atlantic port, as the saying is, and'l; was awfufl blue. Thought nobody would 7 L ever care anything 1 about Vine any mare, ' But, say; thai first nigjit ashorei—it was SaJtiiifiay—-ine and Georgia went arouiid to'a 6lub they have! goto, there fo* vis sailors. After we'd had ay shower— -and-, you better believe! it was""*, good ."feeling'after we'dl' bern on thei obnvoy twaaty : six days without [ tsveKi goingl iishore on .the otihar.'. side—-w© were' playing; a game of .checkers, Ainerfoa.' against Germany, himi Ainericai and me ftermaiuy, "..'cause'' he nearly :/alvmys. can. lick tiho stuffin' out. of me playm'. 11l comes,a maa; ailMl announces that his wifesenit him to ..bring; home four, of us to spend, Sunday. Thar© was teii..of'..us lellowsin that room; .some of,thi,eimi was doling a bltog 1 dance : ta me •phonograph, BBd. som^ i%4d-.. ing and some hanging over thte ViilLiard table. We all looks .at,,' one aJip otlier, not saying anything It sounded too -good, to us for /us to., insist on the other fellow . going— we'd all just gpfc ashore. Home dinner and folks to talk to!,' Gosh!. ' "B.& was a, wise ■ guy. Ein'ally, he. ; says.''All of you conje on,' aaid-we 'all went. Has wife Was a fine lady. He told her hie bid /in the whole lot of us 'cause he couldn't choos'ej and she laughed fit to. kill herself. 'I wanted somebody,' die says, 'for fill my boy's place. He's gomiei off, to be a sailor, too; and his place will sure be full and overflowi?ig inito the ■attio.': We had an awful good time, and' she made us promisei we would come thare every liiirie we conn e> to Norfolk-— I mean' that; Atlantic port. THE TRADE MARK OF A MOTHER. "Me and George was slieepiug on some camping' out sUiff up in the' 'attic, andl I says' to him that night: 'George, it's funny how much she tis jffijke Irnotliet 11—-whein isJie laughs she looks justi l/ike her.' " 'Well,' saysi Georgje, 'you know hoiW my mothea" us^d to.pretend to scold us foi* making: a drive) on ike jam" wh'ein we were kids. We'd a. thought she wag leal miad only there was a twinkle back in her eyes r. Well, that 'same.twinkle kept ' coming out in her eyes, even when sEei 'got to telliing; aibout her boy and looked sad lake.' ; ■ "That- night while I was trying to gio fe sleep a; great idea flai3hed into my .mind. 'George,' I sa,id^ sitting ■up' in my hammock, 'I > ben eve I therei'ssometMng 1 about mothc-iis that' maikes 'em different. It's just biilly tho Way a felloiw 'aain' 1 have a. mother , everywhere,; amd t/hcy'ro not a, bit, jealous. Mothet'o are. the women for, me!"' ' I just grunted. I giiessi he must, have been, nearly asleep. I been worrying! aßoufc George ever since that dance he) went to at the Grand CeptraL -PaHace: .a few Saturday mights; ago." There was a, red head s£irt be tagged around..-after some, | smd several tiinos since I've -thought. • he had /something on his mind—l hope it's not girls. . A ma.n with girls on_.the: bradn'si iiO good .fv-rv a' pall"—'New; York Tribune.-.; | •. - ■ ' "' ■ 1