Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-26
Daily ShOrf Story
House Mother
BY SANFORD FARRELL

Last time was in san Fran
cisco was sauntering down
Montgomery street three four'
before train time when ! happened
TO remember that Bob Lanhan
had his law Office somewhere u
the financial district.
I hadn't seen him m three wears
since we ran across each other m
the Brown Palace Hotel IN Denver
and spent the evening together m
the taproom RELYING our college
days until we both wee more
than a little bit woo1y
He had given me his card, bat
of course Id mlSlald ~ ! cropped
into a cigar store. looked him up
in the telephone directory, and as
covered that he was IN "a towering
SkySCraper Just across the street
II appearance were not deceit
full, Bob was a partner IN pretty
important firm The rec'p ilon
room VAS luxurious but business
like. with a modern touch, ami
the girl was The gorgeous type 10
whom men always SAY
"Nou ought Ia be IN pictures
7 was admitted into Bob swell
private office without delay. and
we gladhanded each other hand
Somely. He had a marine view
that anybody not hittati- 'Settid
appreciate, and he pointed OUT the
hills OF Marin. where he said he
lived. IN Mill Valley at the foot
Of Mount Tamalpals.
However. I'm mol here 70 DISCUSS
marine views or 10 put IN a plug
for San Francisco'S rChtful claims
for having one of the two or three
most beautiful harborS IN the
world Neither was Bob, for he
looked al his watch and said:
Harry, I've got to go to the
hospital. and you come along
with me. We can visit on the
way, and afterward we'll have
time for a couple Of drinks at
the club before your train
leaves"
i asked him if anybody in his
family was sick, and he replied:
mo. only a friend, very
dear friend"
On the way out he stopped at
the reception desk for a word with
the dream girl. and picked UP a!
large box of flowers. We got his
car in a garage and soon we were
speeding out on California street
to the hnSpitai,--
A little old lady with SNOW
white hair and about the sweetest
expression I ever saw on any
body's face was lying in bed, one
foot propped up on one of those
-hideeus devices for broken legs
The room seemed unusually
large for a hospital room. but II
wasn't any too-big,+ for about
seven or eight men were standing
around. Bob rushed over and
kissed the old lady. saying;
''Dibby, you ought to have
better sense than to go roller
skating and bust your leg"
Then he introduced me 10 the
patient, a Mrs. Scott.
4 H4etthe men in The reefff7-too7
a pretty well groomed lot. One of
them was called senator, and they
all seemed TO be the prosperous
type you find on Montgomery
street and in the Bohemian Club
The darned place was banked
with flowers. Mrs. Scott chatted
gayIy with these grown men, called
them boys" Finally two or
three more callers arrived, and
the nurse shooed us out. Bob
didn't say much until we got to
his club and ordered highballs.
Dibby is one of the grandest
women who ever lived Bob told
mel. You saw all those men
there? Well. I'd say that not
more than one or two OF them
didn't come from broken homes,
Just as / did.
My mother and father were
divorced when l was just little
shaver and they both remarked
my mother twice-and l didn't
know what a real home was.
spent six months a year with
my mother and six months with
my father, and ! was a miserable
youngster if ever there was one.
When / was Z my parents
agreed that Id be better off in
boarding school. and they sent me
10 Foster, down the peninsula,
That's one of the many military
schools on the coast, taking kids
from kindergarten age up TO "a.
/ was scared 10 death when my
mother drove me 10 the school
and introduced me 10 the super.
intendent, a Major Gray He was
a kindly man. had way with
boys, but he would stand for nc
nonsense.
He in turn put me IN charge Of
an older cadet and IL was the
presence of this boy that kept me
from bursting into tears after IL
kissed my mother good-by and
she left.
The cadet took my bags and We
IL THIS MAN