The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-01

CneeSe IT, AIdbgb IOllNhS ANNs's7AS >
Italy," cried the gold-capped keeper of
the women and children's detention
room in the Ellis Island immigrant
receiving station. He accompanied his
words by an energetic wave of the
hands, and a dozen laughing boys and
girls fell reluctantly away from his
coat tails and legs.
Then the man turned to the visitor.
Lively brats. amt they-these adopt
ed kids of Uncle SAM" he queried.
Yes" agreed the other, they're as
full of mischief as the native born"
"Umphi" grunted the keeper,
they're a deal sight worse. and all
the hundreds who pass through the
island every day in the year are just
like 'em. They keep this bit of land
filled with trouble"
He looked around the great room,
lighted by a dozen windows, until. in
a far corner, and high over the heads
of the two hundred occupants of long,
low benches and gaudily clad groups,
standing patiently alongside bandana-
covered baggage, he beheld boy
swinging by his heels from one of the
wire cots suspended from the wall.
Look at that youngster," he said.
Hes been here three months-he and
his mother-Waiting for his sister to
get out of the hospital across the ISL
and where she's been having all the
ills that American boys and girls are
heirs to. She started in with measles
the day she landed and since then
she's had scarlet fever, humps, chick
en- pox and what not one after the
other In the meantime that boy and
his ma have been kept here. though
LANDING
It's a rule to detain healthy members
of the family until the sick ones are
ready to go ashore with them. Nearly
all of the youngsters you see sprawl
ing all around are here for the same
reason. That's why 1 say Uncle Sam
is their foster father, because event
ually they'll get safely ashore.
A BOY with n Record for Mischief.
well, that kind-he's from Naples,
his dady, in the detention room for
men across the hall, says-has been
making more trouble for me than a
half dozen Yankee boys could think
of all together. He started in the sec
ond day he was here to carve up that
little black eyed Araby girl over there,
because she wouldn't let him kiss her,
and l not only had to take away his
pocket knife, but l had to separate the
two mothers who were pounding each
other over the heads with their fists
for all they were worth. Next day the
boy tried to whip all the other boys
at one and the same time, with the
result that | was compelled to pull
him out from under a pile of small
bodies representing every country in
Europe and a few in Asia. 1 thought
that would settle him, because he re-
ceived such a good licking, but it
80 80 l. i
he's like the proverbial flea-you can't
get your finger on him until it's too
late Why, he's all around the place
at his own sweet will, and how he
it, l don't know. Just when
think he's safely locked in his room,
I'll discover that he's missing and, on
searching for him, find him over with
his father, entertaining the men with
his Italian songs, or in the dining
room stealing hunks of rye bread, or
over at the hospital trying to get in
to see his sister. He's the ringleader
in all sorts of mischief. and, tell you,
he keeps me earning my money"
The keeper grinned as he saw the
boy, in an effort to scramble down
from the bunk, miss his footing and
sprawl ANONYMOUSLY on the slate
floor Then, as the lad picked him
self up and, despite the evident hard
tumble, walked away with a swagger,
meant to show that he wasn't hurt,
the man spoke admiringly:
Wanted to be President.
Hes a plucky lad and a bright one.
During the time he's been here, he's
managed to pick up good deal of Eng
lish and he can make out pretty we'll
What say to him. One day not long
ago l told him about our President and
s.,f4 N1NA
day he came up to me and. half in Ital-
ian and half in English, made me un-
derstand that he'd been thinking very
hard about what I'd said about the
President. and he believed he'd like to
be president some day. When l told
him that he couldn't, because he'd been
born in Italy, his face fell and he SEEM
ed much disappointed.
"In order to make him feel better
I've taken quite a fancy to him-I tried
to explain that, although he couldn't be
President. he could be many other
things, and 1 ended up by saying that
the best thing he could be was a good
citizen. He asked me to explain what
that meant. and did as best as 1 could.
In the middle of the talk I was called
away by something and forgot about
the boy until 1 found him Juggling at
my arm an hour or so later.
what do you want, Italy?" I said.
"'Please. SIR he answered-aI1 these
children are very polite. although you
wouldn't expect tim going to be- -
Shrieks and shouts from the center
If the room hurriedly drew the keeper
'ther. where he was instantly sur
1ded by two fearful women and
dozen offspring, equally divided
full five minutes he listened to
r chattering, then he led one of the
oaudi1y clad mothers and her children