The News Democrat

The old man who had a seat beside me on the car looked so lonesome and sighed so often and so heavily that I felt he must be in deep trouble, and after a bit I turned to him and observed:

'If anything is the matter that a stranger can assist you in I shall be glad to do so.'

'Thanks,' he replied, 'but I'm afraid it's gone too far.'

'I trust you haven't been robbed?'

'It's not that.'

'Is it serious illness or death in the family?'

'No,' he replied, sighing a sigh that seemed to be a yard long.

I realized that it was not a case for me to meddle with and turned away, but after a moment he touched me on the arm and whispered:

'It's about my old woman, stranger.'

'Yes?'

'Up to three months ago she was as humble as a cat and don't give me a word of sass. If she was getting cantankerous one look from me would settle her. Then they began to talk of sending our war fleet around into the Pacific and I could see a change in her. She finally got so pert I had to box her ears.'

'I see.'

'She held on to herself until it was finally decided to send the fleet, and then she broke out, and she's stayed broke out ever since. Stands right up to me and sasses back, and this morning she said that if the house wasn't big enough for both of us I could take the outside.'

'Have you got any influence with the Government?'

'I'm afraid not.'

'Well, it's fish or cut bait with me. I've either got to find somebody who can influence the President to keep our fleet at home and keep my old woman scared, or I've got to pull up stakes and make my future home in a hole in a hill.'

And then he sighed some more and went out and dropped off the platform so slowly that the conductor sarcastically asked him if he thought he was working for the city at $3 a day.

JOE KERR.