The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-02-09
when HIS MOTHER CAME
THE ELEVATOR MANS STORY.

| elevator man, who was shooting him
up to the sixteenth story.
HUH" chortled the elevator man.
beaming. why shouldn't 1? Just got
word that my mother is coming to see
me-
The elevator man being fat, red
| faced and of grown-up years, Bang
worthy looked a trifle bewildered. Yet
evidently from the manner in which
the news was delivered he was ex-
! pected to strike an attitude of aston
ishment and appreciation.
THAT 500" Bangworthy offered,
vaguely.
"Yep!" said the elevator man. "She
wrote she'd be here next Friday on
the train that gets in at ten o'clock.
I'm going to get off and go meet her.
Hard to get away these days." said
Bangworthy, idly. Why don't you
have your wife meet herr"
The elevator man laughed hugely.
Why" he chuckled, my wife doesn't
know my mother and my mother new
er laid eyes on my wife. You see, l
| haven't seen my mother myself for
| ten years-not since l came to Chi
| cago."
Obi" commented Bangworthy with
aroused interest. Il see."
"Ten years. unused the elevator
man, forgetting to open the door
Gee! That's long time-not to see
/ your mother I hate to think of it!
She never saw the two kids, either"
"Pll bet she thinks the boy looks
like mel" grinned the elevator man to
Bangworthy the next morning when
he headed for Bangworthy's floor.
'Who-what9" asked Bangworthy in
bewilderment.
The elevator man looked almost
hurt. "Why, didn't l tell you yester-
day that my mother was coming to
visit?" he reminded. Say, you oughta
eat the custard pies my mother
makesl When / was a boy at home
l could eat a whole one. Just as
creamy! My wife's anxious to find
| out how she does it. She's going to
| find out about a lot of things while
| my mother is here. She says Tn al
ways talking about that scrapple
| stuff and raised doughnuts and things
that she's blessed if she can make,
my mother'll be tickled to tell her,
| because if there's anything mother
likes to do it is to cook. Gee! l can
| just remember being up in the hay
NOW and hearing her calling out that
the sugar cookies were out of the oven
and if | wanted any-say, ever eat any
sugar cookies all warm from the oven
and light brown on top?"
"They sound good" agreed Bang
worthy, trif1e enviously. eve had
good things when l was a kid, too
not that we don't now, of course. But
I suppose this generation of women
has learned some different things to
| cook"
"You bet!" agreed the elevator
man. I'm not saying that my wife
amt dandy housekeeper, either, but
somehow things did taste different
when l was boy. My mother was a
corker Once when she'd said not to
go swimming and | did, anyhow, ]
| blistered my back something awful
1t hurt so I wanted to cry, but l didn't
dast tell her, and after I'd gone to bed
she slips in with some soft cloths and
ointment and fixes me up without
word. 1t gets me how mothers seem
! to know about lots of things like that
without being told"
whats the matter?" anxiously
Bangworthy inquired of the elevator
man the next morning when he saw
that individuals countenance of
| gloom
Jaw, just had a wire from mother.
| She can't get here till Saturday, in
| stead of tomorrow" growled the dis
appointed one. "And me all fixed up
to go to the depot tomorrow! The
kids have got new shoes, too. ]
wouldn't miss seeing mothers face
for farm when she lays eyes on
those kids You oughta see the
things she sends em Christmas and
| birthdays. Makes 'em all herself!
She's been just crazy about 'em on
| paper, and when she sees 'em-gee!'
| us she coming today sure?" asked
l Dang WOIIuy OH Odiuluoy .uOI LIuS.
"Yep!" breathed the elevator man
excitedly, letting passenger for the
eleventh floor off at the ninth floor
and disregarding his frantic protests
I'm getting off at $50 to hustle over
after her. Say, I'm all sort of nerv-
Gus. Amt it queer?"
well, did she Gomez" asked Bang
worthy, as he descended late that af-
| ternoon.
The elevator man looked at him
from behind a subdued sort of glow.
Yep he said, vibrantly. "She came.
Say, would you believe it? l looked
and looked and couldn't pick her out
| from the crowd-mother's changed
so. Why, she's old! Somehow, you
never think of your mother getting
old But she knew me-after ten
years! Yes, sir, she came right up to
me and called me by name. Beats all
| how a fellows mother always knows
him in spite of everything! Say, but
it made me feel good to think she
knew me after ten ars."-Chicago
Daily News.
Proving an Alibi.
| "I see" said the foreigner "by vour