The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1921-04-07

letter, I've been 'Enrfetta wilkins To
'er, an Mother jerks to every beach.
combin' beggar In the Caribbean
tropics. I've lied to 'er, Willie. I've
wrote 'er as 'ow 'er fawther, before e
died. give me enough money to hedu-
cate 'er like lydy-"
Again Mother jerks grief Overcsme
her. "Gor'. Willie. amt respectable.
She's comm to see mean ] cawnt
let 'er. She mustn't know 'ow got
the money for 'er beducation-selIin'
'ell-fire to pack Of rotten dorgs an
consortin' with the scum Of this stink
in ole! Oh. Willie. you've got to 'eip
me. cawn't ave 'er comm to EI
ruin 'er reputation by callIn' on 'er In
public at the 'Otel Mateo. Oh. Cor.
Willie, Mothers come a cropper.
Willie agreed with her. He patteti
the sinful gray head OF his landlady
and waited for her to regain her COM
posure. the while he racked his agile
brain for feasible plan to fit the
emergency.
''She been picturin' me in 'er mind
all these years. Willie--picturln' a
fraud" wSIled Mother jerks. "If she
sees me now wOt n shock she'll get.
pore sweetheart an er The snittin'
hiinage OF u hnnyel. And OH. Willie.
while she don't remember wnt I
looked like, think o. the shock If she
meets me! In 'er lawst letter she said
as 'ow l was the only hanchor she had
In life. Ho, yes. A. sweet-lookin'
hanchor / am--an' Hi was 'opin' to die
before she found hout. I've got
hanuerism in my cart, Willie, so the
surgeon on the mail boat tells me, an
wen I go, I'll go like--that !" Mother
jerks snapped her cigarette stained
fingers. I'm fifty-seven, Willie, an
since my sainted Emery passed away.
i 'aven't been no bloomn' hangel."
She wrung her hands. "Oh. wy i'm ell
couldn't them harteries ave busted in
time to save my lamb the 'umiliatn'
knowledge that she's be'oldn' to the
likes o. me for wot she's got-an' 'ow
I got it for 'er."
Billy Geary had bright idea
well" he said, "why not die--tem-
porarly-if YOU feel that way about
1t? You could come back from the
grave after she's gone"
But Mother jerks shook her head.
NO" she declared. "While Dolores is
self-supportin' now, still, if anythink
'appened an she was to need 'elp,
'elp Is somethin' no ghost can give.
Think again, Willie. Cor, lad, w'ere's
yer brains"
"Well," Billy countered thought
fully, apparently there's no way of
heading her off before she takes the
steamer at New Orleans, so we'll take
It for granted she'll arrive here in due
course. About the time she's due.
suppose you run up to San Miguel de
Padua for n couple Of weeks and
leave me to run FL Buen Amigo in
your absence. I'll play fair with you.
Mother, so help me. I'll account for
every centavo. I'll borrow some de-
cent clothes from Leber the day the
steamer gets in; then I'll 60 aboard
and look over the passenger list, and
II she's aboard, I'll tell her you closed
your house and started for California
to visit her on the last nOrth-bound
steamer-that her cablegram arrived
just after you had started that the
cable company, knowing am friend
of yours. showed me the message and
that took 1T upon myself to call ana
explain that as a result Of your de-
parture for the United States 1t will
he useless for her to land-useless
and dangerous. because cholera is
raging in Bueneventura, although the
port authorities deny it"
"Willie," Mother jerks interrupted
impressively, ghost Of her old deb
onair spirit shining through her
tears, ever don't owe me a bloomin'
siYpence! Yer've syved the day, syvcd
my reputation, an syved lydy's
peace o. mind. Kiss me, yer precious
byby."
SO Billy kissed her-gravely and
with f1lial reverence. for he had long
suspected Mother jerks Of being a
pearl cast before swine, and now he
was certain Of It.
"Ill send her back to the United
States and promise to cable you to
await her there" Billy continued. "Of
course, we can't help 1t If you and the
cablegram miss connections. and once
the young lady is back in the United
States, I dare say she'll have to stay
there couple Of years before she can
save the Drica of another con yoyooa