The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-06-17
OECORUM IOOKCOUNT;;
n|CABROWS But HUMAN
When Moment of War Part
ing Came, Mother For
got Cool Aloofness.
so DID SWEETHEART
AS for Stern By-Standers,
They Felt Suspicious
Dampness in Eyes.
Orchard Henry Little In the o"'caeo
Herald)

orchard Henry Little in the ch'caso
Herald.)
aozen persons at a railroad so1
.,on somewhere in Chicago. sometime
,h,s week. The dozen persons welo
=. .,,o .tnt;on to say goodby to Jonh
(deleted), who Is sailing on 'ns ~
leted) for n certain place IN Huo -.
where he is going to drive car
the American ambulance helo se'
ice. - ~,
The ambulance was given ov
certain college fraternity ana cos.
the aforesaid college 1ra.erh.S
a GOO certain dollars. The 1rateln'.s
also gave John, who will cost $4o3 =
send support six months. ana pr.ns
hack to Chicago all in one piece. Inc
name az the fraternity is not 10 NC
given for fear some enemy h.reEhss
might blow up its chapter mousse W
give potato bug poison to one OF 'he
bulldog mascOts.
There were many applicants for the
Job, but the fraternity fina"y e''oso
John. not only because he was 4 cracn
driver, but because he was IN expert
machinist and could take the machine
apart and put it together with ms
eve shut, his hands tied behind MIN
and his feet in q bushel basket.
Chosen for His calmness.
The committee picked John espe-
cially because he is SO calm. john
took the last degree of the initiation
that the ambulance association gives
its candidates without batting an eye
or losing his habitually bored express
sion.
1t was a great relief to the commit
tee as it stood on the platform wait
ing to back John up the gangplank
and tie him in his stall in a Pullman
car to reflect that he was product
OF the higher education. He gradu-
ated at one college and was taking q
post grad course at another and the
committee knew that he would leave
fer the trenches with becoming digni-
ty and frigid decorum.
Also the committee knew that
Johns mother would make the Spar /.
tan ladies ashamed of themselves.
She, too, was college bred and Johns
girl Is 4 senior in college and won a
prize on her junior essay, Did thu
Pterodactyls Fox Trot?"
A Scholastic Farewell.
The committee said to one another
that 1t was q great comfort to know
that here was farewell that would
not be sloppy. In fact. John had al
ready taken leave of his mother and
his fiancee. Mother kissed John cold
~ on the left ear and said not to for
get his flannels. and be careful about
overeating. The author of Did the
Pterodactyls Fox Trot?" on whose left
hand third finger sparkled the dia-
mond that John had placed there,
shook hands coldly with him and
wished him pleasant voyage. If John
had been leaving for week house
party at Lake Forest the goodbys
could not have been more informal
and colby respectful.
The fiancee spoke of a luncheon Of
the Emancipated Woman's Ballot Re-
form league, which she must attend,
and marched solemnly away, ard
mother and the committee discussed
Mayor Thompson until the depot po-
liceman said that kind OF language
wasn't allowed. Then John shook
hands solemnly with the committee
and turned toward his train and the
higher education which teaches us al
ways to maintain scholastic calm
on all occasions had won another and
an eventful victory.
But suddenly something squeezed
through the gates of the trainshed and
came bounding like young gazelle
across the platform and threw soft.
loving arms around Johns neck and
sObbed just like human being and
kissed John, right in front of that aus
tere crowd of intellectuals and porters
and conductors and committee and ey
erything.
1t was Johns fiancee, back for a
real. human farewell, and she held
'John tight as she sobbed through hey
tears. John. love you, but 1 want
YOU to do your duty to your country
like the big. wonderful boy you are.
Goodby and God keep your"
And then suddenly the college bred
mother had her arms around John and
was kissing him and crying, too, and
then it was all up. The party was
simply shot full of holes.
The cold. grim committee that had
raised the money and was sending
John to the battlefield felt like a bunch
OF sheep stealers and looked suspi-
ciously damp around the eyes, but
they gave three cheers for John and
slapped him on the back, and the por-
ter pulled him on the train. as it be-
gan to move and John was off to tn,
war.
The two women!s mother and sweet
heart, stood weeping in each Others
arms as the higher education slinked
out q the depot.