The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-18
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THE OLD LADY TALKS
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(By Edith Barnard Delano OF the
Vigilantes.)
Light OH the Port Bow

The Old Lady came in laughing
well, | heard mighty funny story
just now" said she, "and yet t wasn't
so funny, either!"
Her son William looked up with
twinkle. Sounds like the Teller thai
said he certainly did have jolly good
time at his old Uncle's funeral" said
he.
But the Old Lady was not to be dis
couraged when she had a story to
tell. She gave William a look. and
proceeded
Sarah Speers was reading me a
letter she had from Teddy, that Joined
the navy. Teddy's in one OF those
submarine chasers that are takin'
care of New York, and he wrote he
was standing watch one night when
another Teller sang out, Light off the
port bow, sir!'
Naturally, with one light, and that
white one, everybody aboard though
they were about to have their hearts
kdesire, which was to come up with
submarine. So they woke up all or.
board, and put on all the speed the
boat could make, which was some,
Teddy said. If the vessel off the port
bow had had the usual lights they
wouldn't "a thought so much Of it.
But they figgered out that the one
white light must be showing through
little winder or something they have
aboard those submarines-stop laugh
ing, amt up in the pattern of 'em.
$50 on and on they went, and sure
enough the light begun to rise up
and Teddy says that's the way a light
always does, at sea, when you get
closer. In fact, that's the way you
know you are getting closer, there be-
ing no sign-posts nor milestones out
there to go by.
"They went on and on, tossing and
rolling and foaming up the waters
something fearful. And then
"Then all of a. sudden the Captain
said something Teddy said he'd better
not write down, and stamped off to
his cabin. In another minute the
word got round the vessel. For about
twenty minutes or more they'd been
chasing the morning star, just a-ris-
ing!"
When the laugh had died down, the
!Old Lady added, "But that was the
funny part, and the part that amt
funny is the best part.
And what's that, mother" her son
asked, indulgently.
well, all the way home I was
thinking-many and many boy is
learning to follow star in this wa,
"a star Of some great big idea No,
don't mean ideal. / mean plain idea
Take fellow that lost his ma, may.
be, when he's little, and turn him ou
O this army; do you reckon he's go
ing to go dirty afterwards? Take s
Teller that thought he was little
mite better than some other boys thai
had less-how's he going to feel whei
a man drives up to his house with !
truck load O. coal, along in the yeal
1920, and he finds it's the boy tina
brought him back from No Man.
Land on his back, when he was
wounded? Take boy from some o
. those mountains that are so shut |,
by themselves that all the rest O. tn,
worlds shut out-how's he going t
feel when he finds that fist rule an,
gun rule aren't the only laws in tn,
land, and the only way to be safe il
TO keep your neighbors safe too?
my goodness! The more | thinl
! about this war, the more l realiz
what it's going to do for the world
If it doesn't teach our boys anythin,
better than to follow a star,-welI
| that'll be something"
J William made the obvious remark
Providing the stars the right one,
The Old Lady tossed her head
There amt but one star that'll ris
for each and every one of our BOYS
son! You don't need to be afraid o
that! The boysll come back wit
new ideas of decency and cleanliness
and discipline, of brotherly kindlines
and of what's worth while and wha
isn't; but the morning star they'll al
be looking for is H-o-M-E!"
I II thought you said there wasn't a
ideal in it?' William leased.
| "0h, shat" said the Old Lady. "Yo
! 90 IN with 1rnur