Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-15
TOUCHING ON THE KlNNEYS- BY sEWELL FORD

Besides. the best thing that could hap.
pen to young husk like Buck would
be to be taken into the Army"
"His Nav don't want him to go into
them trenches" whines Scott. "SheAs
shore he'd git shot to pieces right or"
"Oh. maybe he wouldn't" says L
anyhow, he's got right to take his
chances with the Others"
That don't end 1t. though. Next
eventn' Just before dinner up comes
terview with Sadie. She's tall. rangy
female. Mrs. Scott, and what you
might call o sloppy dresser. even for
the marshes. Mostly her costume con.
sists of blue polka dot dress that's
turned purple in spots. and on her
. greasy black hair is battered old lid
with some straggly feathers trailin'
limp over one ear. It's the first time,
too. that I ever knew of her leaviu
the shack. Too proud l expect Bu4
this seems to be a special occasion.
, She starts in quiet enough. begginP
eus Of tho draf sn KEEP 1sx ss s
fore she's cuttin' loose with the sob
stun. clawin' Sadie about the knees
and otherwise registerin' deep emo
ton in reg'lar Sd avenue style. Course
us. for Sadie feels a good deal ~ I
do about that sort of thing. she tries
to smooth her down by tellin' her that
maybe Bucks number won't b.
chance chance; s sgS s ssss at f... t oh some.
thing to keep him out. -
Resides" Sadie goes on. "your son
the thousands and thousands Of
mothers think quite as much Of them
: az you do Of yours. Your brother-in.
laws boy may have to CO." ",
~ hope t Gawd he does." snifnes,
Mrs. Scott =
It wasn't a nice exhibition. All the
crude. raw selfishness Of a crude,
selfish woman came to tho top. like
scum on a boiling pot But\under.
meath must have been something that
got to Sadie. Because they was both
she LETT I'd Promised to DC" do what I
could for Bucky boy.
Well. got him the Job. But. II
aS g ts BUCK Tnsa a. been snnt tSc
on about then. and the board was Wise
to It. Ten days later he was marched
: on In squad, with g yellow ticket
tied to his coat lapel. And Tubby
don't know whether the Bruce
Kinneys felt as bad over 1t or not.
They didn't do any talkin' on to US.
anyway. But when I lugged down
up for the e boys found dat Fat Mrs. s bruce
Kinney slumped with her head be-
tween her beefy arms OF, the kitchen
table and her pale blue eyes All
"You wouldn't think somehow" I
remarks to Sadie. that they'd take
1t 40 hard. folks like that
I'm afraid It's something all moth
ers share in common" says sadis:
Later on Sadie sent down a couple
of service flags and from the top Of
each little shack they fioated. just ~
brave and snappy as them from the
big %4Sy tns II; post to pG sss ths
change few weeks in camp could
make in Buck Kinney. Why. when he
come back on his first leave and I saw
this straight square-shoul-
,dered young soldier swellin' around
town ! hardly knew him for the
shuffled Off with the draftee squad q
month or so before. ~
well. Buck" says I. "you sure
look like regular Hun swatter now"
He grlns pleased. Relieve me. pro-
them square-Reads all by myself. I'll
git him right, too"
e: that's the stuff. Buck" says L
"And how's Tubby comm on?"
HIM" says Buck. "Oh. Ono. All
right I expect"
"But he's in tho same company.
amt he?" says I. you amt Eth
keepin' up the old feud. are you?"
Buck scrapes his toe sheepish. I'VE
we don't have no truck with one
another" says he. =
And was almost as much Jared
when I saw Tubby in his uniform for
tho first time. They'd drilled about
twenty pounds off him. should judge.
He didn't waddle when he walked. and
that pasty. rubber collar complexion
of his had been tinted up by the sun
and wind until his round face looked
like the bottom of copper pan. Him
and his father paraded around town
all one Saturday afternoon. and the
followin' Sunday mornin' was one OF
the few. I'll bet, when Bruce ididn't
wake up with a hangover II e.
It was after this bulletin came from
made q corporal. though. that Scott
begun to show signs OF sprucin' up
Whom he holds mo up to tell me about
It notice that he's shed tho hip rub.
Der bolts for pair Of new canvas
sneakers, that he's had q shave. and
that his breath don't remind one Of
the lee side of distillery.
"Whatdye know about that!' says
he. Corporal! Guess that's goiR
some. Amt it? Maybe he'll be q mae
jor by the time he gets home"
There's no telling" says I.
Mart know Scoft has INIT tha daA