The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-10-19

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 were 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 was busy sorting out
the papers In my desk when saw a
telegraph boy mount our steps and
ring the bell. Maybe / didn't hurry
then! just snatched the telegram
from that boy and tore 1t open This
is what read:
Noon train is in from New York. Where
Is Ma. PA.
at was signed pa"
Nettie came along the street just
here. and 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 it
revelation.
pat, she has stopped off at Phila-
delphia.' declared Nettie solemnly.
l 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:
Philadelphia. Where is ma?
That last sentence she just put in
for sarcasm, but at the end of week
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 If it mattered Once she
had 1t. Where is mawT Another
time, Where's mar" Sometimes she
put an exclamation point after it,;
sometimes question mark. Once she
Just had, "W's MI" but we knew what
It meant.
Our telegram became such daily
affair that it was like the newspaper
or the milk. Every night we had a
telegram for dinner In the meantime,
where was ma?
OF course, we found out afterward.
Indeed, while we were fussing In New
York, ma was taking her ease and a
lovely vacation in Philadelphia.
On the arrival of the New York
Chicago train at Philadelphia, no one
was visible to meet her. So ma went
to the ticket office. got her ticket vail
dated, or extended, or whatever 1t is
that postpones the trip from one train
to another, and then found that she
had forgotten my uncle's new address.
Ma thought few minutes, and then
went to the telegraph office, and there
If she didn't trace Nettie's telegramt
She found the address.
Just as ma started up the street, she
was met by colored maid. who. recog-
nizing her from picture that she-the
maid-had busted many times on the
mantel in aunt's sitting room, stopped
and asked her If she was Mrs. Gilpat-
rick. Naturally ma said yes. She soon
came to the house, and was welcomed
with open arms. 1t seems the telegram
had not reached them. through some
delay or other, SO they did not know
about meeting the train
The family would not hear of mas
leaving that night, and they coaxed
and cajoled her day by day until she
had stayed a week
All this time we had no word from
her, and Nettie and / were getting
frightfully worried
Finally, at the end of the week-we
had telegraphed to the City of Friends
twice-we received dispatch saying:
tonight for Chicago. MA.
Nettie and l sighed reiievedly. We
thought we had ma located. We sent
word to pa that same morning.
Next afternoon we got our daily. It
was changed slightly:
Ma not here Where is she now?
Nettie groaned l shrieked with
laughter.
There's Bud in Wilmington, and
Aunt Harriet in Washington" | gasped
between my spasms of hilarity. 1t did
seem too absurd. By the way, Bud Is
my younger brother.
But Nettie looked unhappy.
"This is too awful" she sighed.
'sWill she ever get there?"
This time we were at loss. Ma
might be in Wilmington, she might be
in Washington, or she might not have
left Philadelphia. So we decided to
await developments. And indeed we
did. We waited another week.
In the meantime, ma had started
from my uncles home with the best
intentions in the world. She was go
ing to Chicago.
However. when she got to Whining
ton the temptation was too great. So
off went ma to see Bud, my brother.
She went for an hour, and stayed two
days. Poor pa!
Well ma thought she wouldn't wor-
ry US with any more telegrams-that's
what she said -so she decided to send
no word from Wilmington, but to go
straight through to Chicago. which was
now her one and only thought-until
she got to Washington. But why con-
tinue? Exactly two weeks from the
time ma waved fond farewell to us
at the Jersey City terminal she landed
In Chicago. The trip usually takes %
hours, except by the limited, when It
4 takes IS.
Pa, by this time. had business which
took him to Duluth. He was staying