Evening star., 1918-08-18
by SeWell Ford

holiday. Joe takes her all in, up and
Must he Crabs old lady" | sug-
gests. 'Some dolled, ehf ~
Joe Is still followm' her With his
eyes set. Finally me turns to me.
my DID lady wouldn't--woul6nt be
Ike that" 4. says he'
mo" says Joe, kind OF smothering a
sigh. "She---sho'd be wearin' II shawl
No hat understand; always n shawl,
red and green. And her old purple
dress. just like at home"
= Then ] got the idea; "Joe;' says I.
"'you don't mean you'd be ashamed to
have your old mother come out here?'
"Me?" says he. NO. What do
care? But she-we'l, when she saw
the other woman shed feel bad.
She'd want to go back. right on"
she'd feel as II she wasn't dressin'
done?"
II could send plenty OF money!.
says Joe. "but she wouldn't know how
to fix up right. Not her., She don't
go out much. II somebody could
kinda show her how"
Joe" breaks In. 4 hope you ain't
putin anything like that UP to me?"
"You--you couldn't do it?' he asks
pleadin'.
"Ab-so-lutely not" says ]. "Pm
-
comes to costumin' anybody's moth
er for a visit to camp I'll have to
pass. That's female job, But see
here; amt you got any women rela-
tions, or any young lady friends you
He thinks hard for minute or so.
and then announces hesitatin':
There's Minna and Rosa. my second
cousins. But they--they're too stuck
.I,.s up and a. stylish; Nlsh,. They work In big
Then they're elected, says 1.
They'd be tho very ones"
Joe seems to think they wouldn't
do it. "you leave it to me-" says I.
"I'n persuade. 'em."
I'd got kind of interested in tho
game by that time. Besides. as Joe's
regiment was due to be shipped over
within the next week or SO. and as
this might be the only chance the
old lady would have OF seeing him.
see him-I thought II was due to
both Of 'em. So spends most Of an
afternoon chasin around on the Jer-
sey side.
And Joe hadn't exaggerated any
about his second cousins. ! located
mont, the other at the bargain waist
counter. And for girls who'd landed
at Ellis Island not mOre'n six years
before they sure had caught on. You
know-ziPpy drsssers s. on nan and ,Sro,and on ana
Ss nSs s eashu rbsS sS0Sa W.. soe
though. to hear how Cousin Joe had
got to be q non com. and boss OF
wouldn't tina. bump you, Mimi
soys soyiu Rssa ses him, ss 4 Snss Sass" "sh' w'
You can" says ], 'if you'll take
this $40 he's sent and OUTFIT the old
lady for the excursion" 80
"Will wei" says Rosa. That's one
little thing we will do. and do hand
some. Trust us. How about next
Sunday"
"Fine'' says /. I'll hunt her up
and let her know"
At the laundry they was good
enough TO give her Ave minutes off to
talk to a stranger in the front once.
old girl It 10 that comes out wipin'
her hands on her burlap apron. I
don't suppose she was much over
forty, at that. but she might have
been sixty from her looks. Years OF
field work and more years Of tendin'
steam mangle are bound to tell. And
she seemed rather dazed at the pros
pect of visitin' the camp. e.
AYE like to coom." says she. but
but Aye no tank Aye can"
Sure you can." says !. "Minna and
Rosa are goin along. They'll fix you
''Oh!" says she. well. maybe Aye
COON. Aye dunno, though"
didn't either. She's such a timid.
pathetic little old party. Where the
girls were going to begin on her. or
how they would finish. was beyond
me. 1t looked hopeless.
So when I phoned over Saturday
forenoon to ask Minna how they was
progressin' ] was prepared to hear
that the party had been called off.
But II hadn't.
Sure thing" says Minna. "well
make the 9:15 ferry-Desbrosses." -
Even then ! had cold feet. It's a
hossy bunch that streams into them
camps OF Sunday and II would be
TOO bad IL Joe's mother should get to
sizin' EN- up and balle- right at the
gate. Besides. l kind of wanted Joe
to be able to show her around the
place. without havin' any Of them
new rockies snickerin' at him.
That's why. when / runs across
Pinckney-who's about the sweilest
friend I've got-I had this nervy
hunch about borrowin' his car. And
when I'd sketched out my scheme for
1oadin' Mrs. Pantlinski into his linn
CUISINE. where she could peek through
the curtains II she was too panicky 10
climb out. he falls FOR it like the true
sport he is.
my only regret. ehorty." says he,
lis that have but one inclosed car
to lend to my country"
Course, this means I've got to go
along with the chauffeur, SOS to pick
up the right trio at the ferrv put