The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-03-22

/ SOLDIERS MOTHER
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

per Syndicate.)
She was middle-aged and pretty and
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 1t was the
striking resemblance to his own moth
er that had at first attracted his atten-
ton.
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.
'sDo you mind my sitting down by
you2" 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 wonderful smile
at the young man. There Is nothing
at this moment that would please me
more" she said. 1T is for boy just
IL little younger than you that ! an.
anxiously travelling to get sight Of"
she said.
"Oh--then I was right. 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 little,
but she steadied it bravely and re-
sumed-"and I have made this long
trip on that one chance Of seeing him
before he sails for the other side.'
Robert Bowling asked number OF
rapidly formed questions. Then, ex-
cusing himself for short time 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 snow-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 country hickman, 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. y
shall come back tonight and 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 sight
of her son, when she saw Robert Dow
ling hurrying into the hotel foyer. ap'
parently looking for some one.
"Oh," he breathed, nervously, "here
you are" He said it half in relief, hall
in distress.
Mrs. Pemberton scrutinized his ex
preston. "What is it, boy?"
"First--your son is all right. Tn
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 We're bad
ly hurt. Your son was on one of tht
overturned trucks and is bit shaker
: up and looking for you in his room a.
the hospital. Shall take you right t.
mi him?"
Il In less than ten minutes they were
tn In q taxicab on their way to the hos
50 pital, and when once Robert saw thu
H. lovely little woman grasped warml!
n, in the arms of her big son as he sa
Of straight up in bed, landaged head ant
all, he turned to 60 out of the room.
AS he stood in the door he was fac'
to face with the only girl who had eve
made any difference in his life-Helei
6 Worden.
" "Helen-Helen," he gasped as n
VS. saw her uniform. "You--" But befor
ne he could finish he had sunk slowly t
be- the floor.
re "Bobs-oh, Bobs," the little nurs
breathed as she bent over him. The
ny the doctor came and Robert Dowlin
OK was quickly restored to himself.
cd 'sNo soldier life for this young man,
~ laughed the doctor, when Robert wa
re-, all right. "He has heart that can
"a. stand any sort of shock" Helen ha
nd explained few things to the docto
=, us in the brief time in which they wer
Ne. trying to restore Robert to normal.
"Oh-and I thought he was a.
n, coward" she whispered. THAT is VIII
an we've are not married today. brok
ar. our engagement because he would nc
re- Join up and he would not tell me VIII,
w. He thought / should have known tbs
he would II he could"
Meantime, Mrs. Pemberton and he
son had been anxiously waiting to hea
s. from the room into which they ha
no carried Robert.
At last Jack Pemberton's nurse an
Dv Mrs. Pemberton's train companio
came into the tiny room hand in lam