The Pulaskian., 1918-12-20
Observation-Disclosures
THE MEANEsT STACKER.

On the Rock Island train, out from
Tenth Street station, l found every
seat occupied, excepting one. It was
occupied by young woman and her
two-year-old baby girl. / asked per-
mission to occupy it. 1t would appear
to have been left vacant, while the
aisle of the car was full of people
standing just because the young girls
misery repealed all. She was frail,
lady. The baby was the means of our
starting a conversation. [ asked her
where her husband was, and she re-
piled, He left me last week" From
1 her conversation | learned that she
! was the daughter of a widow in an Ok
lahoma town and her husband had
come there from Arkansas, and, be-
| ing of a pleasing disposition, he made
| friends with everybody and prosper
ed. After living there a while he con
cluded he wanted to return to his old
home, SO she moved back with him.
i His people took a dislike to her A
couple of months ago he suggested
that she visit her sister at Fort Worth
Texas, which she did; then on the way
home she stopped off with her mother.
She wrote him that she was homesick
and for him to send her money to re-
turn home on. He answered that he
had just been drafted into work by
Uncle Sam and ordered to shipyard
at New York 1t was three weeks be-
fore she heard from him, and then
when she wrote she was very sick
with the FLU" He answered that he
was just recovering from it, but to let
him know, and if she was no better
he would come at once. Having i'm
proved since writing, it was then she
wrote for the money to come home on.
Not receiving reply, she got the
money from younger sister, whose
husband was in the army, and sent
her $50 month, and returned home.
She found another family in her home,
and he boarding with them. When
she walked in he paled, and she said
You could have knocked him down
with a feather" He had Sold off
lot of her things and was trying to sell
the remainder. He told the neighbors
that he had been writing to her to
come home, but she would not He
was running country store and had
the confidence and respect of every
body. When she asked why he treated
her SO, he would not answer her ques-
tions, but went on talking and treat
ed. She said that he had no cause to
treat her so whatsoever, but she
thought it just run in his family, as his
sister took her little child and ran off
with another man. Her husband fol-
lowed her to get his child, and she
begged so hard that he let her return
home with him. He permitted her to
remain and board with the family
Then he told the woman he was going
to his people, but would pay his wife's
board. After that he went into anoth-
er room, as though going to bed.
When she got ready to retire he was
! gone, and that was the last she ever
saw of him. / remarked that she had
better have sent him to the war. She
replied, The dirty scamp used the
plea he had me and the baby to sup
port to keep from going" | suppose
he is the first Stacker to desert his
wife and child after the danger of be-
! ing sent to the front trenches was
over, and for that reason, of all slack
ers he is the meanest and most con-
temptible 1T would not be so bad, /"
she said, ''if had father or brother
to help support me-" | was trying to
help her get her husband back to help
support her, but she said she could
not live with such a disgusting crea-
! ture again, and that she had sworn out
a warrant for his arrest and would do
her best to send him to the peniten-
tiary for wife desertion. He also
| Jumped a $40 board bill, and the wom-
an tried to hold her things for it, but
could not, and that is another offense
sufficient to send him over the road.