The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-19
He DODGED K. U.
Topeka Boy Fools Mother Six
Months.
She Thought He Was Student
at University.
LAD NOT REGISTERED
Instead Lived i'm Kansas City and
Had Good Time.
Has Been Duly Forgiven by Dot.
ing Mother.

The prize prodigal son story has just
leaked out in Topeka. But it is a story
where the fatted calf ending should
have been sprinkled with "echoes from
the wood house."
Last September a certain Topeka
young man, % years old, asked his
widowed mother if he could go to col
lege. He insisted that he wanted
liberal education in life and that he
felt as though it was his duty to Sc
cure whatever advantages possible to
support his mother in her old age
With all the pride that mother has
of her only son and with a self sac
rifice that gave her many days and
nights of misery. this widow accom-
panied her son, the pride of her heart,
to the station and kissed him farewell
as he left, supposedly for Lawrence,
where he said that he would register
as freshman in Kansas university.
1t was several days before the anx-
when the mail man finally delivered
her letter one afternoon as she ran
out to meet him as was her custom,
she tore open the letter with loving
hands and pressed the contents to her
heart.
She read and re-read the contents
of this letter-a little story from a
boy who had been raised into man
hood through the pains. trials and
tr1bulations of a faithful mother. He
told OF his registration, of the studies
he had signed up for, of the students
he had met and of his address in the
city.
Like all mothers, she sat down at
her little desk and for an hour she
thought and studied and poured over
the words and the answer that she
would give. Finally, she commenced
her answer, and it was evening before
she had opened her heart through this
little letter to her son. With all of
the motherlv love and instinct she
told him how to make his room COM
Portable, how to keep himself in the
best of health and condition and how
| to be honest, true and loyal to the
| college, the professors and the stu
dents.
1t was over a week before an an
swer came to the widow. This time
the boy told Of the classes, the profess
sors, of his studies and about his
associations. Everything seemed to
sigh of contentment and happiness
that the mother went to bed that
night, her last words being in prayer
FOR the boy that had departed.
| Home for Vacation.
| Weeks passed-and months The
Thanksgiving vacation neared and the
mother spent days in the preparation.
| She would sit down of morning and
| think of all the things he had liked
| When boy-and lot them down. She
| would write hurried letters to him ask
| Ing him of his tavOrite dish, his wish
| es and his plans on the coming vaca-
| ton. She could hardly sleep for nights
| before his arrival and her heart throb-
| red as in sweetheart days when the
| train bearing her son came around the
| curve in the Santa Fee yards to the sta
ton.
i The college boy was home for week
The mother watched him, petted him,
and worked for him and his desires as
| she would child. Everything he want
1 ed, everything he liked and every wish
| was granted to the best of her ability
| When the day came for his depar-
| ture back to college she repeated her
| trip to the station and blessed him as
| he left her alone. and sick for the Sec
! ond time.
The same thing happened at Christ
| mas vacation. No mother could have
| been more proud and more anxious 1t
| was at this time that she limited to the
! boy that if it was possible for him to
| cut down expenses a little it would be
better FOR both OF them The little sum
in the bank was rapidly decreasing and
| il was with regret that she broke the
! l:ewS. She had sacrificed everything but
life itself in order that he might be
| properly supplied with funds.
Finally a few weeks ago the widow
| decided that it was her duty to visit
! her son ana touch up MS ROOM, IN
| quire into his work and see him in his
| new environment and his new world.
She boarded the train for Lawrence,
Dot telling him of her proposed visit
| expecting to surprise him and bring
| happiness into what she thought was
| his lonesome and hornesiek world.
| On arriving in Lawrence she went at
once to the address he had given her.
| She knocked at the door and expected
| to be greeted with the kisses and the
loves that only her son could give. In
| stead gruff man answered the knock
and upon inquiry told her that no stud
| eEt of such name had ever lived in that
| house. The mother thought that she
had mistaken the address and inquired
! again but without avail.
| Finally she went to the college far
| I'D on the top of the hill expecting to
find from the registrar the information
that her heart was dying t. receive. The
trip this long distance tired her and
| weakened her in BODY but not in spir-
it's. The thought of her boy and his
surprise and happiness gave ncr the
courage ard the strength to proceed.
To mike a long story short she found
that her bow had never registered at
the state university, that there was no
4 sucn name OF the college rolls. She
! hunted frantioally for her only son and
/ finally learned that he was in Kansas
Il City wnere he had been ever since Sep
! TEMPER enjoying himself and with no
/ boob o worry MIN. He has been duly
forgI en-for he IS an only son-and
/ perhaps he'll go back to school some
time.
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