Smyrna times., 1918-10-02
SOLDIERS MOTHER
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.
RRRaIS0NS
1918, by The McCIur
per Syndicate.)


Robert Bowling had watched her ever
since he had settled himself in his
comfortable Pullman seat in the great
station. He was certain that she was
somebody's mother, for it was the
striking resemblance to his own moth
er that had at first attracted his atten-
tiOn.
Now the train was sidetracked
somewhere in the middle West" in
order to give right of way to loads Of
coal and trainlOad after trainlOad of
foOdstuffs being speeded on their way
to the soldier boys across the sea.
At last the young man summoned
the temerity to go over and speak.
DO you mind my sitting down by
your" he asked leaning over the sweet
face and looking into the lovely blue
eyes so like his own dear mothers in
| expression.
| Mrs. PembertOn moved toward the
window and smiled a wonderful smile
at the young man. There is nothing
at this moment that would please me
more" she said. 1T is for boy just
a little younger than you that 1 am
anxiOusly travelling to get a sight of"
she said.
"Oh-then l was right l knew you
were somebody's mother. My own
mother was much like you. Is your
boy in-in the service, perhaps?
Indeed he is" the woman answered
proudly. And he is on his way across
country now on one of the trucks of
the cOmmissary department. There
was good chance OF my seeing him in
Detroit if our train had gone through
and" her voice trembled a little,
but she steadied it bravely and re-
sumed-"and l have made this long
trip on that one chance of seeing him
before he sails for the other side"
Robert Bowling asked a number of
rapidly formed questions. Then, ex-
cusing himself for short tire and
promising to return, he left.
He found the conductor and aScer-
tanned the distance from the station
he knew to be not very far away, and
then he started out, in bad weather
and spJw-bOund roads, to find it.
Bowling left word at one or two
points that he found out the commits
sary corps had to touch and then he
sought out a country hackman, who
took him back to the siding in a one
horse sleigh.
Arrived in Detroit, Robert took Mrs.
PembertOn to her hotel and hurried on
to make his own business calls. 'I
shall come back tonight and l hope to
have word of the wandering soldier
boys by that time" he said as he left
her.
Late that afternoon the mothers
eyes were getting weary for a sight
of her son, when she saw Robert Dow
ling l. ing into the hotel foyer, ap-
parent. looking for some one.
oh" he breathed, nervOusly, 'here
you are" He said it half in relief, half
in distress.
Mrs. PembertOn scrutinized his ex-
preston. what is it, bOy?"
''First-yOur son is all right. I'm
going to take you to him in moment
"The big trucks, two of them, went
over an embankment just outside OF
the city and one or two men were bad
ly hurt. Your son was on one of the
overturned trucks and is bit shaken
up and looking for you in his room al
the hospital. Shall take you right tC
himp
In less than ten minutes they were
in a taXicab on their way to the hos
pital, and when once Robert saw thC
lovely little woman grasped warmly
in the arms of her big son as he sa
straight up in bed, bandaged head anC
all, he turned to go out of the room.
AS he stood in the door he was face
to face with the only girl who had eve
made any difference in his life-HeleI
WOrden.
"EIelen-Helen," he gasped as h.
saw her uniform. you" But befOr
he could finish he had sunk slowly t
the floor.
"BObs-Oh, BObs," the little nurs
breathed as she bent over him. The
the doctor came and Robert DOwlin
was quickly restored to himself.
"No soldier life for this young man.
laughed the doctor, when Robert wa
all right. "EIe has a heart that can
stand any sort of shock" Helen ha
explained a few things to the dOctO
in the brief time in which they wer
trying to restore Robert to normal.
"Oh-and l thought he was "a
coward" she whispered. "That is VIII
we've are not married today. brOk
our engagement because ne would NJ
join up and he would not tell me VIII,
He thought 1 should have known thi
he would if he could"
Meantime, Mrs. PembertOn and h
son had been anxiOusly waiting to he's
from the room into which they ha
carried Robert.
At last Jack PembertOn's nurse ar
Mrs. PembertOn's train cOmpaniC
came into the tiny room hand in IAN