The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-08

i AT length the boys withdrew int,
& Dextcr's bedroom across the hall. II
& silence, with looks sheepish anC
4 ashamed, they grouped themselves il
different attitudes about their eldest
Y brother. At length that eldest broth
cr spoke. His voice was husky.
"A grateful bunch of fat-heads VIC
six are, aren't WEI"
"What do you mean, 'gratefuP?"
"How long since you did,"
mother last OF sent her any money!
"A couple of months, guess"
"A couple of months! Sufferin'
Moses! Call yourself son. BAIL p
allow long since you did,"
"Thrcc months" replied Tom hon
estly.
"Call yourself SOM" mimicked
George.
"No; a skunk!" said the eldest son
equally honest.
In his slow, thoughtful, precise
way, Frederick spoke up.
~ guess it hasn't been that we
think any less of mother or were I'M
grateful. But mothers always APP
peared so self-reliant and self-sup-
porting and efficient that it's never
come home to US hard enough that
she was human and could grow old
and get played out. l don't know
as ever gave it much thought"
"To say nothing" added George,
"-of being so blooming concentrat-
cd in making good at our jobs that
we hadn't much time to give to as
sOciations of the past"
Silence, scowls, much drumming on
table tops with finger tips. Richard
bit the tip off a cigar savagely.
"My God, fellows" cried Tom, e
mothers fifty-seven; fifty-seven only;
and she's old! She looks seventy.
We're bunch of cads, the whole
kiboodle of us. Dammit!
The brothers took the censure
without protest.
"What's her life been?" demand
cd Tom. "She came off the farm and
married dad. And they were poorer
than scrub whites and had to furnish
their homes on installments. She
had this holy-rolling bunch of rough
necks one by one that tied her down
! and took away her looks and her wo-
manhood and made her old even be-
Il fore dad died. And then she lost
him. We're old enough now to rea-
* lie what she faced, the morning she
Il returned to her place in the news
IL paper Office to fight the battle of life
v for thoughtless scum like ourselves.
n And think Of the stunt she's put over
since! Boys, does it strike you that
4 this is the first time to our knowledge
3 that mothers been to New York in
4 her lifc?"
"Go on!-rub it in!" prompted
g Ted
Fellows" concluded Tom quickly
81 because he could not go on, its
u up to us to see that she spends the
rest of her days in joy-riding. It's
up to us to help her make up for
lost. time"
"How?"-
"Here's my share: A week ago the
paper wanted to. send me to Europe
+ to get line on international politics.
I turned it down because Lily could
4 MT leave her crippled sister. l had
s no heart to go alone. The papers
sending Saunders. But here's where
Saunders gets disappointment. Pm
going to Europe-and by God, moth
er's going with met,
"At her age?'
"What about her age? She's only
ffty-seven. All mother wants is a
resting spell and chance to
come back"
$50 in and tell her So" ordered
George. maybe it'll help her 4, to
recover"
Tom left the room to talk it over
with his mother AS he closed the
door behind him, he came face to
face with strange woman. She was
dressed in long heavy coat and a
hat of gorgeous red plush. Her fea-
lures were burned out and old, her
eyes tired. Something ailed-her lips
she could not speak distinctly.