The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-17

GETTING ma AWAY
By BARBARA cooPER-cUsHMAN.
tCopyrisht)
When We finally decided to 20 to
Chicago to live. Nettie said: well.
We must take the canary and the COT.
feeurn. and-ma-" Ma just put her
hand up to her face. so-a way she has
and smiled. She said nothing. That
usually means considerable anxiety
for the family. It certainly did this
time.
Pa went hrst, . week or two ahead.
then ma was to 60 to finish settling.
and Nettis and I-Nettie 10 twenty-five
and am only nineteen-were to fol-
low two weeks later. The main thing
was to get ma OF.
Everything went beautifully ~ far
- We were concerned Nettie left the
o6ice-Nettie works; she's very clev-
or; Just help ma keep house-well.
- ! said, Nettie left the ONCE for q
whole morning to get ma . through
ticket and check her baggage. and we
both saw her aboard the express for
Chicago.
Truly. we nearly missed tho train
even then. because ma had packed her
best bonnet. We hunted high and
low for 1t till nearly train time. Then
Nettie finally concocted some sort of
IN affair out Of piece Of Grape that
no one had packed because We didn't
think 1t good enough.
Well, I think l told you before, we
saw ma OF, Grape bonnet and all.
Then Nettie sent telegram to pa in
Chicago, saying:
Ma left on the noon train. Meet her
tomorrow. NETTIE.
Nettie and were pretty busy that
afternoon and evening. Several people
came in, and there we're q dozen and
one things to be done about the house.
So that night Nettie and l slept the
sleep of the just. We thought we knew
where ma was.
Next day Nettie went to the office
as usual. and l was busy sorting out
the papers in my desk when ! saw q
telegraph boy mount our steps and
ring the bell Maybe l didn't hurry
then! just snatched the telegram
from that boy and tore it open. This
is what read:
Noon train is in from New York. Where
IL Ma. PA.
1T was signed pa"
Nettie came along the street just
! here, and l rushed to her like maniac
waving the paper at her and shouting
in high key:
PA wants to know where's ma"
Nettie stared at me In dumb amaze
ment. Then light came, and with 1t
revelation.
"Pat, she has stopped OF at Phila-
delphia." declared Nettie solemnly.
forgot to tell you that mas father.
Grandpa Klein. lives in Philadelphia.
and her brother and youngest sister.
Well, 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 IL ma?
That last sentence she just put in
for sarcasm. but at the end of week
1t had come to be 30 well known at
the telegraph Office near our home,
that the operator thought that it was
some sort of signal or code phrase.
She used to try different ways Of spell
ing It to see IL it mattered. Once she
had 1t, "Where is maw?" Another
time, where's MAJ" Sometimes she
put an exclamation point after 1t;
sometimes question mark. Once she
Just had. "W's M" but We knew what
It meant.
Our telegram became such . daily
affair that 1t was like the newspaper
or the milk. Every night we had Z
telegram for dinner. In the meantime
where was ma?
OF course. we found out afterward
Indeed. while we were fussins in New
York, ma was taking her ease and {
lovely vacation In Philadelphia.
} On the arrival of the New York
Chicago train at Philadelphia. NO ont
was visible to meet her. So ma wen,
to the ticket Office. got her ticket vail