The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-05
asr ~ pORr % kissing sHISS.
stOthes ttspds liev aatseg sea TIsrsauh . ran
~ tne PastmasteF.

~ me Postmaster.
st'm lootina for tho wtFIgu N tho port
~ missing ahips.' ssplalnsI ~" little obi
lady.
sHavs Q ohals, ma'am, and III go Whist
Ws oan do Zoe you, SAID NJ Murphy Mr..
Murphy h, secretary 10 Postmaster Will
cor, aud the llttls old lady wbo vac hooking
! for tho warden ~ the port of mie-sna
ships had. possibly by mistake. @'rayed In
there In her search.
You sse.i am Esldle's mother. said tie
little old lady. parting the widows grape
back from her white hair; that IL, Eddie
Merriman. It's been such a long time since
I saw him last. and I've been looking for
him for weehs and weeks. That's Why I'm
looking for the warden. They told the that
I'd probably have TO look for my son In the
port Of missing ships. aud Of course the
warden Of the port could tell me all about
him.
you see. my Eddie's a sailor on n war
ship; that II, II carries coal. They call 10
the collier Celtic, and il carries coal for
the Government.
We'll, Eddie's been away from home
for n long. long tine-oh, since he was a
boy, ten long years ago. My man died
three months ago-it was a dreadful shock;
he was such a steady man. never drank,
died Of fatty degeneration Of the heart;
had the rheumatism. too. and lumbaso.
Such n steady man my Tom was.
well, when Tom dies and leaves me Q
nice little bit Of money and IN old cottage
In the Western Addition out ia San Fran
cisco, why. l says TO myself, I wonder what
my boy Eddie's doing. How I'd like to see
him, so ! lust pack up and 90 to visit him.
But when I reach New Orleans, where
his ship was supposed 10 be. | find that
it's m~issing-gone to Norfolk. But it
wasn't there when l got TO Norfolk-they
told me 1t had Just left for New Orleans.
And when I got back to New Orleans, don't
know how II happene d, bot they said it
hadn't been there at all, but had gone
straight on down to Cuba.
Il waited and waited in the South, then
| the fire came n burned up my little
house and / knew | just had to find Eddie.
My money was holding out pretty. well,
but the Celtic still was noe to be found.
Finally / saw a notice in the paper that it
was going TO be here to-day. came to
New York, went TO the navy yard, and they
said there that the ship wasn't expected TO
arrive here soon. Then | went down to a
place on the Battery, where newspaper
IOODlC dICs viz AhAC NtDNA AhhH1 NohiAO
In and 60 out, and that's where they told
me to come up here and find the warden Of
the port Of missing ships.
IT'S just this way said one Of those
young fellows down there, your story may
all be lust as you tell it. But I'm very much
afraid, very much afraid. that you will
nave to look for your son in the port of
missing ships. Now you go up to the
postmaster's Office. He kno ws all about
when ships come in and So out, because
he sends their mail 70 EN-. He'll know il
any one does, whether there is a Celtic,
whether It's coming in soon, and whether
your letters to your boy will reach him.
$50 I've come here. | suppos this
| Is the port and you're the warden. Now,
viii you tell me whether l can find my
boy ,.n
master Morgan had come In silently while
the little old lady was telling her story,
Nobody said u word, but the Postmaster
turned to the phone and called up Quaran-
, tine,
in two days. But there's a Government
ship just coming in Z" he old her.
We'll, she will be here soon. That's
some comfort " nodded Eddie's mother TO
the group about her.
1t wasn't long before the bell rang again.
| Celtic got in half an hour ago and here's
a mar from the ship wants to talk to the
aCertainly, we'll send your letters down
to Tompkinsville. They'll get there not
long after you do. Be sure TO- send any
Merrimanl Well III he hangedl just a
minute, please"
Eddie's mother didn't waste any time,
She seized tho receiver and soon had the
room to herself. Perhaps II was because
sill the Post ONCE officials had work to do.