The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-12

am going to send You to the Sol
diers' Orphans Home" a branch Of
which Was located in Greenwood.
Iowa. near Council Bluffs We went
to Ames. Iowa My grandfather
heit,ed to start the Ames Agricultural
coiiege. tho best agricultural college
IN the United States He gave lands
20 neip start It So l went to the
~. rsot ,.ael ,>... .,,.,a.- ~ =, ,...-. ., !
iYotEsf. The old hotel stands there
yet, and went upstairs In tn. sane
room where mother and Ed and
slept that night. and they came aud
Weakened US about ! o'clock and said.
Boys. get up: the train In coming
So We hurried and dressed. Her
eyes wore b'oodshot and her hair dis
heveied. her lips pale. her cheeks
sunken. her form trembling. While
Ed and I slept she had prayed. We
went 20 the depot. She put one arm
around Ed and the other about me.
She drew US to her heart. kissed Tic.
and sobbed. People walked by. They
did not pay any attention. They d,d
not krow, and X they did they did not
give rap. We got in the train.
raised the windows. put our arms and
our hen DIS out, and heard the conduc-
tors "Ali aboard"
The bell on the engine rang, and we
walled and cried In the night. and the
last sound We heard was mothers
voice.
We reached Council Bluffs in the
morning, tired. hungry. homesick,
turned our collars up about our necks,
went shiverinR down the street to the
door and panhandled the woman for
hAnGnnt and Rha said what ia
your namer"
ED and Willie Sunday"
''Where are you from
"Ames"
Where are you goingT'
Gong to the Soldiers Orphans
Home in Greenwood"
Didn't run away7"
mo. ma'am. Here's our letter OF
Introduction to the guardian, Mrs
Stevens" (who Is now in the adju-
tant-generaFs once in pes Moines).
She said; Come ins boys. My nus
band was a soldier, and he never came
back. ha never turned anybody
away hungry"
We went in. and ate our breakfast.
We sat in front of the fire and fell
asleep. She came in about half-past
II and said, Don't you want some
dinnerr''
we said, eS, mn am.
So we ate our dinner and then
went over to the Chicago. Burlington
and Quincy yards and played around
tho freight yards. and We saw a freight
train starting out We climbed into
the caboose and sat there afraid. The
conductor came around and said,
Where are you going boys7"
Going down to Greenwood"
Where is your money, Where ~
your ticket9'
Amt got any
Well. you will have to get Off at
TIE next station then. / will have TO
put you or at Pacific junction You
can't ride on this train without n ticket
or without money"
Ws began to cry and handed him the
letter of Introduction from omr guar
dian Joseph Packtree. who Ia now state
senator, and president OF the First Ma
tional bank In Nevada, iowa
The tears rolled down his cheeks
and he reached back and said "Sit
still boys, II won't cost you "A cent to
rae in my train. 1t is only twenty
miles from Council Bluffs to Green
wood, There 1t is up on the HILL"
1t Is used for a home for the fee
Bile minded now. We went there and
STAYED, Then they discontinued that
and took us TO Davenport Then r
left and went back to liv. with Colonel
John Scott. iieutens governor Of
Iowa and state senator. ono OF tina
best friends ] ever had
Mother wept and prayed. She knew. |
Ed went to sleep went to sleep. I
Didn't know
think that n one reason WHY the
disciples went 10 siecn. They didn't
know, love To ba charitable viii
be fair with you, and IL you don't
know. In Gods name, / am Informing
YOU and u you do know and stin are
Indifferent. then don't expect me to
have much sympathy for Won
Lord, In II II Tell me how much I
you read your Bible, how much YOU
pray, how much you do to win souls
to Christ. and | will tell you what
figures you point to on tho spiritual
thermometer, and will tell yon how
much You will weigh on the scales
they keep outside the door Of heaven.
when you go there apd ask for admis-
sion.
In rising in a balloon you've got to !
throw out the ballast Some OF YOU
have got to dump the beer bottles out
OF your home. You've got to cut loose
from lot OF things that hold you an
unwilling prisoner 20 this world and
the blessing that you know nothing OF
today. oh. one step to make atone
ment for the world and the other. nv
friend tn condemn us.