Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-21

MY! HOW good it is to be home after
A'A you have been away for a while.
The train had hardly pulled into Farm
dale station than ! was on the plat
form and had mother in my arms. Lucy
and Ella were there. too, and 1t made
me so happy to see them again that
l kissed them, one after the other.
swung them in a circle right off their
feet, and then planted them down laugh
ing and protesting. Then every. one
began to talk at once
! was just going to thank Lucy for
her last letter when / noticed that her
eyes were fixed over my shoulder. !
turned to see what she was looking at.
Can you beat 1t? I had clean forgot
ten Graham in my excitement. -
Say, but lin awfully sorry" ]
said. Graham. l want you to meet
my mother"
Il have been looking forward with
much pleasure to meeting my friend S
mother"
And I am glad to meet you, too"
responded mother.
Il feel as If know you. Peter thinks
his mother is just about all right and
he has told me quite bit about you
and his sisters"
We'll, here are the pair of them
right on hand. Ella, this is Francis
Graham"
Glad to meet YOU" said Ella drop
ping an old-fashioned curtsy. Ella is
sixteen and as full Of mischief as a kit
ten.
Lucy is quite grown up; she's nearly
twenty And this is my sister Lucy" l
continued.
II hear you have been very good to
my big brother" sha said to Graham.
He needs some one to look after him."
His sisters letters seem to do that
admirably" Francis responded. He
was good enough to let me see the last
one you wrote him. He's a lucky boy 80
We'll. well, well.' said mother. here
we are all chattcring IKE magpes. while
your dad is waiting impatiently to see
you and your friend. Come along.
Peter"
We all piled into the surrey and Lucy
was soon driving us home. Dad is quite
old-fashioned. He doesn't believe In au-
tomobiles-calls them devil wagons -
Nellie, our horse. is getting very old, but
| remember that once when I suggested
that we have her shot out of her misery
and buy real horse. I got into such
hot water that I have never dared sug-
gest 1t again. Some day l am going to
write a book on Nellie.
Nellie once belonged to a brewer. Dad.
you know. Is strong on prohibition. and
one day he saw Nellie in the shaft help
ing to pull Il load which was beyond
her strength. There and then he Of
fered to buy her, and did. Somehow.
he seemed to think he had put some
thing over on the rum traffic. We never
dare to tease dad about it because he
is touchy on this question.
1t was two years before we broke
Nellie Of the habit of stopping at every
saloon in town. Farmdale is dry now
but it was very wet when Nellie was
young and skittish. Dad used to get
sosmad when we were driving up Main
street to have Nellie stop automatically
at every one of the seven saloons. Folks
around town used to tease him by saw.
ing that the horse knew where he
wanted to stop.
We used to have a whip for Nellie
We. don't now, for IL she were ever
touched with a whip she would stop
dead and look over her shoulder at you
with the most puzzled expression on ser
face. as If to say:
Now. just wonder what you mean
by that
In Nelie's good time We arrived home
and mother Immediately turned to me
and said. Il expect dad is upstairs. Go
and see, Peter"
Dad was in his study and I was
surprised to see how old and tired he
looked. can't write what happened
at that meeting. I know now why
mother sent me upstairs to meet hin,
alone. Gee! How proud did feel when
! saw how much mean to dad. won
der IL 1t is silly for men to cry?