The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-24
Agen Man and Woman Who Be-
Iieved Their Soldier Son. Among
the Dead in the PhiIippines.Had
Only a Desire to Die
SON RETURNED TO MAKE
A REAL THANKSGIVING
Found His Parents Suffering for
the Necessaries Of Life and His
Mother About to Beg for Food
to Keep Life in Her Husband
Spell Broken by a Recruit

Spell Broken by a Recruit
The publication of the simple fact
that T. White, sergeant in B Co. of the
Twenty Sixth Regiment, died from gun
shot wounds received in an engagement
with the insurgents at Iloilo did not
take much space in the press dispatch
es from Manila. The millions of read
ers of the daily newspapers passed it
over lightly but it brought the gloom
and sorrow caused only by death into
one little household In -
That household consisted Of middle
aged man and woman in fairly good
circumstances and the last letter they
had received from the Philippines
brought the good news that Tom had
attracted the attention of his COM
handing officer for his efficiency and
attention to duty and was to be pro-
NOTED. The news Of Sergt. T. Whites
untimely death following the letter was
a sad blow to the devoted parents of
the boy who went to the far-off land as
private.
The mothers fond heart was wrung
with pain as she thought Of her dead
son so far from home and the COM
forting words Of the neighbors that he
had met the fate of a soldier and had
always been a dutiful son did little to
IClleNG ntI dUS I1CI AuSOduu DOlC
his grief quietly and tried to soothe her
but it was no use. She began to fail
In health and her devoted husband did
all that man could do to stem the tide
that he saw was taking his life's part
ner from him. Medical advisers were
consulted and 1t was agreed that only
change of scene and life would do.
There was nothing to keep them at
their old home and 1t was sold.
N,.ia &c OF re- .fo Y,dfT1or hoda
farewell and a start was made for
Florida, under whose balmy skies it
was thought the stricken mother would
regain her health. She did improve
during the winter, as the entire change
from her New England life gave her a
new interest in worldly affairs, but 1t
did not last long Her thoughts were
in the western islands and she longed
for her old home and her old friends.
They turned their faces North again
but they made the journey by easy
stages and the husband spent his mon
ey with free hand in his efforts to
induce her to think of other things.
The trip South had eaten up most Of
the money from its sale and all that
was left had to be used to furnish the
tenement.
Then came new troubles. The hus-
band became i'll and could not work af-
ter a time, and it was not long before
they saw their last dollar go for medi-
cine. The mother showed she was of
| the kind that gives birth to soldiers.
| She forgot her sorrow and now strove
| to dc for. her husband what he had
| done for her. There were few avenues
| q wage-earning open to her but she
| secured a place among the corps OF
women who cleaned a big business
| block and in this way earned a few dol
| lars a week-Just enough to keep body
and soul together.
Friends of former days dropped away
| one by one until enquiries after the
sufferers health were few and far be-
tween. They were two, all alone, to
live out their miserable lives and think
of the days that had been when they
looked forward to the time that Tom
would be their mainstay.
The weeks and months went by with
no change in the fathers condition and
one night the tired mother brought
home an old newspaper proclamation
that the time was at hand for the peo-
pie of this glorious and free land to
offer up their thanksgiving for the good
that had come to them and their
country at home and abroad.
The irony of this to the man and wo-
man who had known nothing but sor-
row for the past year! Up to now they
had cause to offer thanksgivings but
the only thing they would be thankful
for now was death. He was the only
one who could relieve them of their
burden of sorrow and pain.
They, who had previously enjoyed a
Thanksgiving turkey as far back as
they could remember, had not enough
for decent meal, and they had no
prospects for one. True the kind
hearted rich folks were giving a very
little of their wealth to the police for
Thanksgiving dinners for the worthy
poor Were they not worthy? Yes,
but the thought of it, They had given
Of their good things in their prosper
Gus days and the thought of being the
objects of charity was too much. The
father would not listen to such a sug
gestion. He would rather die than beg
for a Thanksgiving dinner. If Provi-
dence had deserted them, it were better
for them to starve. The city might
bury him but he would know nothing
about it.
The mother, as proud as he, was
thinking only of the good such a din
ner as they used to enjoy would do the
now disheartened man. and her mind
revolted at the thought of becoming a
public charge. But why not? Others
better off than they had been remem-
bered by the police the day before
Thanksgiving. The officer on the beat
knew their condition and knew what
they had been in the days of old. Per-
haps he would remember them.
Just then a knock at the door dis
turbed their dreamings and the mother
FASTENED to respond. AS she threw open
the door. she saw in the dimly lighted
hall man in blue uniform who
asked Does Mr. White live here?"
When told he did, the blue uniform
stopped to pick up a box and brought
it into the kitchen without word, the
mother standing by to let him enter.
He placed the box on the table, turned
quickly and uttered one word
Mother"
She did not shrek. Her heart almost
stopped beating and she was falling to
the floor when a pair of strong arms
caught her and bore her to a chair.
When she regained consciousness, she
saw Tom and his father in a haze that
made her boy look strange. He was
bigger than when he left home but it
was he.
He was far from being a dead man
and in the explanations that followed
he said he was not even wounded in
all his service in the Philippines, but
that Tim White in his company was
killed by the Filipinos He wrote
home telling of the engagement some
time after it happened but the letter
must have gone astray. Other letters
followed but he never got one from
home and he wondered why It was.
His term of service expired in October
and he FASTENED home so as to be there
on Thanksgiving Day. He was told Of
the troubles caused by the mistaken
dispatch, but they were over now that
he was home, and they would have a
Thanksgiving that was a Thanksgiv-
ing.
Another rap at the door disturbed the
happy family and-the clerk in the re-
cruiting office in the Walker building