The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-09-06
Book Reviews

1.-The whistling Mother is the name
of n little 5O-cent book by Grace :.
Richmond that every mother who has
q son going to war. and the sons. ana
other folks. too. might be inspired oH
Il IL they would read 1t. This son IS
in college when he enlists. lie writes
and tells his mother. and. although shc
loved him well. and suffered because
he was going. she wouldn't show 1t but
wrote him:
ITS all right son. and were
proud as Punch of you. that you
want to be not only in Americas
First Hundred Thousand. but in
her First Ten Thousand We
know it viii stiffen your spine
considerably to hear that your
family are behind YOU Well. we
arc--just ranks and rows Of US.
with our heads up and the colors
waving. SO go ahead-hut come
home first. II you can"
He goes home. and mother meets
him at tho train. looking her best.
smiling kisses him. but not Il tear nor
n word or scene. and. as they drive
his enlistment and all about it, and
she says: ''l,'s all perfectly great, and
don't wonder YOU want to go. Why
If YOU didn't want TO go. Jack. should
feel that had been the wrong sort OF
a mother.
And there was no scene when nc
got home everybody all smiles and
when bedtime came:
Mother kissed me good night.
when we broke up. in just exactly
the old Wayne extras. OH may-
b,. did put a little more muscle
into the hug gave her--mother's
great to hug. just exactly like
cirl-but that was all. We part
ed with laugh. Afterward. when
was in bed. she came in. in sonc
Kind Of n loose. rosy sort OF silk
thing and STOPPED down and
kissed me. and patted my Shout
der. and went out again without
saving a word Maybe I
didn't turn over then for Il min
ute, and bury my head IN my vii
Low and have II out q bit. But that
didn't count. because nobody saw.
Then the time came TO leave home
for the train and Jack went ny to his
room to pack. and he was afraid he
would break down. but mother came
in and
The next minute her arms We're
around my neck in the old way.
and she was holding me SO tight I
could hardly breathe. I have an
idea she was saying inside. "r
WON'T won't"---iust tho same
way I was. And she didn'tand I
didn't Just that one great hug.
then she looked into nay face and
showed me hers. all smiling. and
not a tear in her eyes. and said:
'Jackv. you're n brick" Aud then
broke ont into a great laugh Of
relief and shouted Mother.
you're "A whole brickyard." Per
haps You think she ought to have
prayed over me. and given me a
Bible. anh a lot Of motherly advice.
Don't You think it, The prayers
had been spread over twenty-five
years Of my life and my Bible was
all marked up with her markings.
As for the good advicc-wcll. if
she hadn't done her level best. long
before that to teach me to keep
clean and think straight, and hit
the line hard, il was too late to
begin then.
At the last parting at the station
mother smiles. too and. says Jack:
IT'S mothers. think. who do the big
gest giving when their sons go to war.
I ,,pf nj ~ h1i \
sons that stands for the real stuff in
the crisis. ! don't think there are
many weak mothers. But | wish more
Of them understood what it is to /,
fellow to have his mother hold her
head mp