Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-21

~ mah. Other gnesttons t9iii oe answerehd .,erhi
!ens o. anquirers toiil be toopen INTO the
sforp OF Peter Flint
CLXSI
uAVE you ever had to write letter
i i that you knew you ought to write
and you wanted to write and yet you
didn't want to- write? Isn't II awkward
to start, and when you have got started,
you feel that you have started wrong.
and every time you make fresh start
you think you are worse off than ever
That's just how I felt when l wrote
mother last Saturday night after Mar
garet and Philip had left for ''scme-
where in America" where they are
going to spend their honeymoon
We had a regular jollificaticn after
they left, and It lasted until nearly mid
night. Then the guests gradually drifted
away and the family retired to their
'-ropms
NIL want to stay up to write n letter"
said to Wallace when he suggested
hat We go to bed
After he had gone I sat by the little
mahogany writing desk in the living
room and began to write my letter to-
mother to tell her about my engage
ment to Rosie Lever
1 made half a dozen tries-then the
clock on the mantelpiece chimed mid
night. I heard a door close upstairs
and then silence.
1t seemed but a few minutes before
the clock chimed again, this time 1880.
Still my letter was unwritten, although
several vain attempts were scattered
on The floor.
/ put down the pen, placed my elbows
on the desk, my head sank into my
hands and 1 began to think over my
problems.
I felt in my heart that Rosie wasn't
the equal of-oh CT Margaret Rogers
-or Mary Gillespie. l sometimes wish
Rosie was Mary. 7 wondered if / was
just getting by, or whether ] was getting
on. 1t occurred to me that of all my
folks at home and all my friends in
dear old Boston, there wasn't cne of
them who knew Rosie in friendly way.
There wasn't one to whom / felt / could
introduce her. Was / fair to myself in
sticking to her? Was I fair to her?
What would mother think? That dear,
dear mother who had stood between me
and the results Of many boyish esca-
pade!
How ! wished my mother could be
with me then! Dear mother! How un-
selfish she has always been to me! How
she is always giving and never seeming
TO expect TO receive l suppose all moth
ers are like that.
think a mother is the best invention
: God ever made-how lucky / am that
He didn't take out patent on mothers
and put a corner on them, so they
would be too expensive for me to have
one
/ thought of the time when I was
sick-day or night l would look up, and
there was her dear, sweet face smiling
down on me and her hand ever ready
to smooth my pillow or make me COM
Z Portable. A wave of remorse seemed to
sweep over me- God knows, l hadn't
been fair TO her. | guess Margaret
knew me better than know myself.
She's a nice girl-Margaret is. She
knew that once / thought of mother d
write to her and tell her.
/ wish mother were here now, and I'd
like to kneel by her feet, put my head
in her lap and cry. I would ! don't
care if 1t is babyish. ! wish l were
different or Rosie we're different-or
something. I'm all Rosie has got
though,
took out my handkerchief and
wiped my hands dry of the tears which
had wet them. stupid fool l said
and got up and walked across the room
Boom! went the clock-one o'clock!
"Pshaw." l said aloud. I'm getting
sentimental" ! pulled out a package
y OF cigarettes. struck a match ana nm
mediately blew it out. The sound OF
that match scratching was so LOUD II
seemed as II II must wake the house.
listened breathlessly for minute. No
body stirred. Next l gathered up the
scattered attempts at a letter, shoVeo
them into my pocket. took another shee'
OF paper and without any hesitation
( wrote the following:
Dear Little Mumsy-It is o'clock II
the morning; Margaret Is married snc
the folks have all gone TO bed. Here
4 am by myself writing 20 you.
when / saw Margaret married
! knew that some day / might get mar
ried. 90 I Wanted to write to the oes
little mother In the world and tell hel
that even now there is some one that
like and who. ! know. likes me. W.
aren't engaged exactly. mother dear bu
foet have an understanding, as II were
Heg name Is Rosie Lever. She's nevel
known q mother or father; they died
whan she was a little girl. She's hat
= nFetty rough time altogether.
So rDhs used TO work in Marsh & Eel