Evening journal., 1920-11-02
This FATHER
ALWAYSLATE
Has Followed Footloose Son
For Last Seven
Years
TRAIL LEADS ALL
OVER SOUTH AMERICA

NEW YORK, Oct. 81. - The steam
ships which ply between the United
States and Laiin-America carry a
wide range Of passengers with pur-
poses as varied as the sea is deep.
And always included in the list. trav-
cling any way, from a member of the
crew 10 iirst-class passenger may be
! found a father who is going in search
OF a son who has gone TO seek his
fortune somewhere in Latin-America, |
brother who is seeking broth er.
or perhaps a son has started out TO
ind a father who, at some time In the
past, grew weary of family RESPONSE
hilities and followed the call of the
I sea TO this pioneer country, with its
varied industries ,and limitless OppOr-
/ ltunities offered to those willing to
take a chance at the game
The story OF each OF these shep-
herds In search OF the family's rest
less sheep has its own touch Of
pathOs, its own note Of futility. Few
OF them ever told is so interviewer
with the elusiVeness of fate and the
| unswerVing determ nation Of a faith
er's love as that told OF an old Hol-
lander. a boiler manufacturer from
81. Louis, Mo. lie sailed from New
York for Buenos Aires on AWguss 81
lost for seven years.
John Nooier, born in Amsterdam
started his career ats a diamond cutter,
hut gave up that profession, which ne
characterized as more dangerous
than gambling in Wall street. since
one mistake on the part Of the half
skilled might cost thousands of dol
lars and settled down to the bust
ness Of making boilers and raising a
rufnl hama -1nNirNr family IIn af1e-
ceeded in doing this until his eldest
son, John NOoier, Jr., a hearty lad
OF n, became restless and discon-
! tented and finally disappeared unccre-
/ moniOusly and without warning. after
, the fashion Of the average lad OF this
? age who follows the urge OF adven-
, ture.
'My hoy Travelled around long
time before ne went TO South Amer
) hca," said the old bOilermaker, whose
desire to ind his wandering son he
: has made his one chief ambition in
Z life. I'VE heard from him directly and
indirectly from time 90 time in the
, states, and always ! left my wOrk-no
! matter what the cOst-and followed
! lup he clue But for some reason,
God knows why. | always arrived a
y day or tive late only TO find that he
= had Wanden,d on again TO some other
: unknown place. 10 has been discOur-
: aging, but l can't give up until l ind
. him and try to bring him home. II
I he is still living.
4 a can't unde. stand why Il always
u must be that he disappears when
, nnd out where he has been living. but
p it has always happened so. The first
= time he left home he went 10 Louis
= llama. lie was such a young boy and
I since 10 was the first time that any
u thing like that had happened his
= mother worried a great deal. lie
wrote us a card after a few months
u and / went r ght 20 Louisiana. Tn,
+ police helped me, l found his roOmine
e house, but he had gone two days be
9 fore. no one knew whittier.
% 'sThe next time we heard from hin
> he was in Yuma Ariz. We still
wanted him 10 come home and al
e though he sent no address we wircC
4 lhim Si0O. The telegraph office founl
/ lJohn. hut they wired the money hacl
IS finally and said that. although he hal
D. been i'm the office and promised q
come back. he never had returned q
s. get it lie is proud and honest and hl
Ig would not take it, for he knew w
le wanted him to use 1t to come hom
Pr with.
Il 1--WE received another card from m,
son from MoiaVe, Cal. When 10 cam
M ! started out myself TO find him.
N followed John from MOiaVo 90 ElhanO
4 Cal, and from there 90 san Francisco
:, from san Francisco TO Seattle. One
he had gone Just two hours before
r arrived, and usually IL was not NOR
IN than day. lie used names Othe
ai than his own, but / had his pictur
IA and traced him with that.
m when / got 10. Seattle the bigges
4 disappoinlmnt Of all awaited me. Tn
n police helped me 60 trace John 10
m steamship office, VIII here ! found tina
on he had signed up with a freighter'
M crew 10 30 to South America. But
ny had steamed out of the harbor tina
re very morningl / could hardly get u
A. my courage TO go back and tell IN
" wife.
cs II did go back home, and l got m
,e business which was paying prett
'N well then-in shape and took passae
myself to Latin America. IL took
long time, for / looked for my boy /
ar every west coast city OF any sizl
lie Sometimes after hanging around IN
rough places for weeks, ! would z
on blindly, and sometimes / woul
find some trace OF him.
At last. In Buenos Aires, l foun
some boys who were down and on
themselves fels sorJ for them. an