The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-23
By GRACE BOULDER. (With the American Y. w. c. A. Over eeas)

seas)
 Coblenz, Germany, March 2S (By Man.) It happened right here in Coblenz.
 A big corporal came into the Y. ". c. A. Hostess House and asked for the director, Miss Ruth Woodsmall, who comes from Colorado Springs, Colo.
 Gould my mother stay here7" he began at once, trying his best to cover his excitement
 Your motherl'' gasped Miss Wood small. How did your mother ever get here1' "well, she isn't here yet, but If she comes will you keep herr"
 Of course will, but
 / She didn't finish, for the boy had smashed his cap back on his head and was out of the door on run. The corporaIs visit remained a mys- tery for two days. Then one evening just at dusk little white haired wo- man dressed exluisitely in black ap- peared in the sitting room of the Host ess House, and tue corporal was hover ing behind her, trying to be beside her and back of her and in front of her all at once ETe was carrying her coat-a big fur one. With them were three doughboys, pals of the corporal. | They tried to keep in the background, | but their eyes were glued on her face. Everyone in the sitting room sat at l attention. There are no English | speaking men or women out of uni ! form in the Third Army area. Yet | here was a woman in civilian clothes. | Mothers are unheard of with the army. IT. ge-x Jy,1a, After awhile someone found out | about this mother.
 | Had Been Interned During War. She and her husband, who were | born in Germany, but had been nat uralized, lived in San Francisco. Be | fore the war they left for Weisbaden. 1 Germany, that their invalid daughter | might have treatment at this famous | health resort.
 They brought their other children with them. One was Walter, small boy, and the other was Ralph, now | Corporal Stepp of the American A<my. l When the war was declared they 1 sent Ralph back to America, because | he was of military age, and they did not want him to fight for the kaiser. | Then America entered the war
 Mrs. Stepp-Mrs Anna Stepp she is told this part of the story:
 Until a month ago I hadn't heard i from Ralph for two years and half even before America got in the war mail was held up. I didn't know whether he was in the army or not but I was sure he was, because well because he is an American" Here she stopped a minute, to smile up at him.
 After awhile we heard from some friends that he was in the army-and that he had come over here. That was all I ever knew. It's nearly five years l since I have seen him
 | "Of course 1t was awfully hard-l couldn't get word to him and he couldn't to me. My husband used to tell me it wouldn't help Ralph any for me to cry. ' tried not to-before the rest of them anyway. My daughter got worse steadily-she is no better. We couldn't get the proper food for her after awhile. And she hated to see me worried about Ralph, so used to try to keep up before them.
 Hast January my husband came to Coblenz about his citizen papers. An American soldier in Ralph's company
 
 and asked him if he was any relation to Ralph. He didn't tell him Ralph was in Coblenz, but went after Ralph He didn't tell Ralph his father was here. When they met they couldn't believe their eyes.
 | "Ever since then have been trying to see Ralph. He couldn't come to Weisbaden because 1t was out of the American area, and I couldn't get through until today-more than two months"
 They asked her if her Ralph had changed much in all that time
 "Oh, yes-very much But do you know, I think it Is because all that long time when I didn't know where he was or how he was-I got in the nabit of thinking of him as he was when he was a baby-I kept seeing him as a baby and remembering the way he felt when he was little. Isn't that queer? And now look at himr"
 And the corporal tried not to see the adoration iH her eyes
 Five years is a long time to wait to see your boy" she murmured, and kept her eyes on him. Again she had forgotten the people around her.
 The corporal cleared his throat "This is why I ask-d d you if you could keep my mother, Miss Woodsmall ] didn't want her to come unless she had good place to stay. An. e-e-r- thanks awfully."
 And that Is the story of how tfe Hostess House happened to entertain the only known A B. F. mother who has visited the Army of Occupation.