The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-01-29
DOUGHBOY'S XMAS
WARRIOR RETURNED FROM BAT
TLEFTELD SURPRISES THE
HOME FOLKS.

porter raj waiting for a shave in a
Park Row barber shop yesterday and
butted into the reveries of a husky
uniformed youth next to him who
had a wound stripe ON his sleeve and
a wsathsr-beaten cheek.
YES" said Husky Young Soldier.
II got over in time for Christmas.
Came over on the Magnolia"
The reporter asked Young Husky
IL be was a New York boy and IL the
town did not lock pretty good to him.
Husky allowed that he was and that
1t sure did.
But say" he said, with a grin. Il
haven't looked 1t over much. On the
level. I've spent every minute since
Christmas with my mother"
Ovsrhsaring which, the manicure
girl stopped smbroidsring and re-
gardsd him c~uriously, And 1t "a
something like a minute before the
reporter got by thinking he was be-
ing kidded.
You know 1 put one over on 'em."
pursued the warrior from overseas.
Il wrote 'em from the other side you
see that they needn't look for me in
SIDE OF six months. / knew / was
coming on the Christmas boat, but 1
wanted to surprise them. Well, I
got my leave the afternoon before
Christmas and headed for mothers
house. With one thing and another,
1t was pretty well toward bedtime be-
fore I got there. The house was all
dark, but l rang the bell. Nothing
doing. Nobody home.
Well / says, this Is a fine
MOTEL Then happened to think
maybe mother'd gone up to my mar
ried sisters In the Bronx. Fathers
dead, you know. So i started sub
waying up to the Bronx and got lost.
and when I finally did reach my sis
ter's house it was after l o'clock. and
/ knew they'd all gone to bed.
II knew they were home because
there was a milk bottle on the porch,
with a note stuck In 1t. And SO, first
off, l was going to ring the bell. But
II dunno what put 1t in my NUT
says no, I'll sneak in somehow. And
I did. It's a detached house and l
jimmied a window and CROPPED my
way into the parlor. And there was
the Christmas tree for sisters kids,
all dolled up, and the presents piled
around it. I could tell 1t in the dark
ness by the shiny dingbats on 1t.
"'Well, now what'll do I says,
sprung my cigaret lighter and looked
around. The tree was just In front
of the parlor couch. And I was pref
ty tired and the couch looked good to
me. and b'jinks, i just stretched out
on it and went to sleep too easy.
You get that way over there. Well.
the next thing I knew I heard some
body in the room. 1t was getting
light, but the curtains were down and
I couldn't see who 1t was. So I lay
plumb quiet and watched out OF the
chink OF n eye.
Then. whoever 1t was. raised the
shade a little, and there was my sis
ter In her kimono. I never moved.
She walked over to the tree and be-
gan to look II over and count the
things on the floor, and I could see
she'd come down early to make sure
the tree was all right before she woke
up the kids.
And then she saw me. Say. you
should have seen the look on her
face! But l never moved. She start
ed for me quick-like, and then she
stopped short and beat 1t out Of the
room. And in a minute she was back
with a sheet, and. me never moving.
she stole up and put II over me. head
to foot, and beat II out Of the room
again. So / lay there quiet. for i see
she had a game.
And pretty soon. oh. maybe in
half an hour. / heard the bunch COM
ing downstairs, the kids gfggling and
mother talking to sister and her hus-
band. And then they come in the