Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-23

mine. My grandfather ana me played to
gether, ate out of the same tin pans
When he was elected president he wrote
a letter to my grandfather asking him t
go down to Washington for three
weeks visit. I've seen the letter. That
don't get me anything, though
This grandfather was one of the
guiding influences Of the boys life,
and was possibly second to his mother
to whom, in common with most great
men, he ascribes practically all that
he is. The grandfather was an or
chardist, and also worker in wood
very frequently referred to in Mr..
Sundays sermons as maker OF
caskets.
How hard the first few years were,
probably even the evangelist does not
know. The meager pension which the
government allowed was not sufficient
for the maintenance of family of
four and, accordingly, at an early age
the mother decided that she would
have to send the two younger boys to
an orphan asylum. Nothing could be
more effective than the eyangelist's
own description Of the parting, which
he, uses frequently in his sermons,
and which seems, naturally enough,
to have made very deep impression
on his young mind.
"At Ames. Iowa." he says, I'VE had to
wait for the train and we went to lit
tie hotel and they came about one o'clock
and said: Get ready for the train I
looked into mothers face, and her eyes
were red, her hair was disheveled. I
said: What's the matter mother" "All
the time Ed and I slept mother had been
praying.
1--WE went to the train; she put one arm
about me and the other about Ed and
sobbed as If her heart would break. Peo-
pie walked by and looked at us, but
they didn't say word. Why? They
didn't know, and If they did. they
wouldn't have cared. Mother knew.
She knew that for five years she wouldn't
see her boys. We got into the train and
said Goodbye mother as the train
pulled out.
eve reached Council Bluffs. 1t was
cold and we turned our little thin coats
around our neclls and shivered. We saw
hotel and went up and asked lady
for something to eat. She said: What's
your Nance
"My name is Willie Sunday and this is
my brother Ed.
"Where are you going?"
"Going to the Soldiers Orphans Home
at Glenwood." I said.
'She wiped her tears and said: My
husband was soldier and never came
back. He wouldn't turn anyone away,
and I wouldn't turn you boys away
She thew her arms about us and said:
Come on In She gave us our breakfast
and our dinner. too. There wasn't any
train going out on the &C." until after
noon We played around the freight
yards. We saw a freight train standing
there, so we climbed into the caboose
1.-THE conductor came along and said
Where is your money! Amt got any.
Where is your ticket?' Amt got any
ticket You can't ride without money
or tickets, I'll have to put you off, we
commenced to cry. My brother handed
him letter of introduction to the super
intendent Of the orphans home. Inc
conductor read it, handed it back as the
tears rolled down his cheeks. Then he
said: Just sit still boys. 1t won't cost
you cent to ride on my train S!.,s1a
tits only 20 miles from Council Bluns
to Glenwood and, as we rounded the
curve, the conductor said: There it Is
on the hill We went there and stayed
for years"
(To be Continued.)