The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1913-11-13
HER CALL TO DUTY
Incident That Opened Young
Mothers Eyes Before 1t
Was Too Late.

her. After the twd had kissed and
gone into the hotel together, half the
tongues began to wag, and the many
blessings that fate had showered upon
Mrs. Lord to be recounted.
She was young, rich, a beauty;
married to a man who adored her
and thought nothing good enough for
her; the mother of dear little boy,
who was no burden to her, as she had
perfect nurse; and to those who
blamed young mothers for turning
their children over to strangers to
be taken care Of" there was the an
swer that Mrs. Lords mother was
devoted to the child, and had no OBJ
ject In life but to superintend his
bringing up.
"She must have just got back from
that Canadian trip" said one of the
tongues Went with her husband
two months ago-all the way by
motor-took her maid-entertained
Notwithstanding to do but en-
Joy herself"
Hasn't she a child?" asked new
arrival
Yes; three years old; staying here
for the summer. Grandmother and
nurse with him-a darling"
81 heard her tell the chauffeur to
be ready to start tomorrow" said an
other. Marie says she's going abroad
from here"
| In fact, Mrs. Lord was here for
overnight, between two trips. She
had come, disarranging her plans a
little, because she wanted to see her
baby, and now that she was here,
kneeling on the floor in her mothers
apartments, and holding out her arms
with a smile that statesmen and phil
! osophers had not been able to 70
sist, he would not come to her!
| Christine could hardly believe her
eyes. There he stood. looking at her
shyly, a friendly little fellow, anxious
to please everyone. looking from his
mother to his grandmother, who
stood near, and then to his nurse at
the other end of the room. AS his
eyes fell on the last-named he turned
| suddenly and ran to her, flinging his
| tiny arms around her knees and bury
ing his face in her skirt.
Christine leaped to her feet, her
| face flaming. Before the anxious
| grandmother or the astonished nurse
could move. she had bounded across
j the room, snatched the child, almost
roughly, away from his refuge, and
clasped him in her arms. The sud-
denness of her action, the flaming
jealousy in her eyes, and the con-
vulsive tightness of her grasp fright
ened the child, who began to cry and
struggle, holding out his arms to
| the nurse.
81 want Buddy" he screamed. 81
want Buddy!"
1t was impossible to hold him.
Christine put him down with feel
ing as though her body and limbs had
grown suddenly numb; and again he
ran to the nurse, this time for pro-
| lection.
So she had been away SO long that
she was a stranger to her own child!
| Christine remembered the last time
she had come home. He had been
asleep, and she had tiptoed to his lit
tie crib and kissed the soft little
cheek, very lightly lest he wake.
Perhaps he would have resisted her
then If he had been awake. During
the past two months she had longed
to see him, and had promised herself
that when this season was over she
would be more with him-the same
thing she had been promising herself
ever since he was born. She had
congratulated herself more than once
on having such good nurse as
Buddy" on the fact that Kenneth
was so fond of her. And now
The nurse, blushing and embar-
raised, was soothing Kenneth, and
had her face hidden against his
fiaxen hair. Christine's mother,
frightened and distressed, took a
step toward her daughter, afraid to
offer sympathy in the mood Christine
was in, yet unable to withhold it. But
Christine herself, the vivid color still
flooding her cheeks, even to her neck
and brow. drew off her gloves with
decision, took her motoring hood and
threw 1t on a chair; and then turned
to her mother, set her pretty lips,
which were beginning to tremble,
and said: please telephone to the
garage that have changed my plans,
and call boy. l want to send q
telegram" The telegram was to her
husband, and read:
Cant come. Everything cancelled.
VIII write. CHRISTINE"
New Orleans Times-Democrat.