The Snowflake herald., 1915-11-26
.I[I7ING ma AWAY
.oaARA cooPER-cUsHMAN.
(Copyright.)

fee'uin 70 her face, so-a way she has
band W apu,iIed. She said nothing. That
-an1 ,raIlv Sl means considerable an anxiety ie:
usuans lns family. 1t certainly did this
time ont first, a week or two ahead,
"a w. was to go to finish settling.
tnen Nottie h and I-Nettie is twenty-five
anu ON only nineteen-were to fol-
ana % two weeks later. The main thing
Gas to get ma on
Wa n.0rvtbing went beautifully as far
n0'1 w vere concerned. Nettie left the
SS Ss-Nettie W. works; she's very clev-
QUIZ inst help ma keep house-well,
a' said, Nettie left the Office for a
~ sa,o morning to get ma a through
sDEet sd' and check her baggage, and we
u'a' w cav her aboard the express for
Chicago ,,uuod +bo +ro;r
tben because ma had packed her
s. s. hcnnet. We hunted high and
. p'@' for # till nearly train time. Then
yettie y finally concocted some sort OF
Nv '' affair out of a piece of Grape that
% a. ope had packed because we didn't
think it good enough.
We'll I think / told you before. we
cow ma off, Grape bonnet and all.
Thon Nettie sent telegram to pa in
chicago, saying:
vo left on the noon train. Meet her
tomorrow
Npttie and l were pretty busy that
afternoon and evening. Several people
.omo in. and there were a dozen and
mo things to be done about the house.
So that night Nettie and slept the
sleeD Of the just. We thought We knew
where ma was.
Next day Nettie went to the office
,s usual and l was busy sorting out
he papers in my desk when l saw a
telegraph boy mount our steps and
ring the bell Maybe / didn't hurry
them Just snatched the telegram
from that boy and tore it open. This
Is what | read:
Noon train is in from New York. Where
Is Ma. PA.
1T was signed pa"
Nettie came along the street just
here, and rushed to her like maniac
waving the paper at her and shouting
ina high key:
"Pa wants to know where's ma"
Nettie stared at me in dumb amaze
nent. Then light came. and with it
evelation.
'Pat, she has stopped off at Phila-
iepha,' declared Nettie solemnly.
forgot to tell you that mas father,
Grandpa Klein, lives in Philadelphia,
and her brother and youngest sister.
WeIl when we got ma placed in
Philadelphia, mentally, we felt better.
However. Nettie telegraphed back to
pa to ease his mind:
Ma left Tuesday. Probably stopped
Philadelphia. Where is ma?
NETTIE.
That last sentence she just put in
for sarcasm, but at the end of a week
1t had come to be so we'll known at
le telegraph Office near our home,
mat the operator thought that it was
some sort of signal or code phrase.
She used to try different ways of spell.
ing 1t to see if it mattered. Once she
had 1t, Where is maw?" Another
ume, Where's MAJ" Sometimes she
put an exclamation point after it;
Nmetlmes question mark. Once she
Just had, "W's M?" but we knew what
tmeant.
Vur telegram became such a daily
dualr that it was like the newspaper
VI The milk. Every night we had a
Elesram for dinner. In the meantime,
Where was ma?
vi course, We found out afterward.
rueeu' While We were fussing in New
.OiA' ma was taking her ease and a
",ely vacation in Philadelphia.
~ VI tne arrival of the New York
SuiCdgo train at Philadelphia, no one
.'S visible to meet her. So ma went
As ticket office, got her ticket vail
sa'eu or extended, or whatever it is
a'' poStpones the trip from one train
oao'her, and then found that she
W. W. iorgotten my uncle's new address.
- 'nought a few minutes, and then
wy 70 the telegraph office, and there
VIC uldn't trace Nettie's telegram!
~ iound the address.
a'0' dS ma started up the street, she
,,,. . meO Oy a colored maid, who, recog-
ma, ss ler from picture that she-the
n.". lad busted many times on the
ma ''i In aunt's sitting room, stopped
sol "sAed her if she was Mrs. Gilpat-
sm. naturally ma said yes. She soon
rI 10 the house, and was welcomed
hsa ~ Vpen arms. 1t seems the telegram
ds.r 4O' reached them, through some
abor. VI other, so they did not know
vS' NJ meeting the train.
esriS idnlly would not hear of mas
aDa a tnat night, and they coaxed
bad ~. a'Oied her day by day until she