Front Porch Visits by MARTHA E. WARNER

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 4, 1915

Front Porch Visits

By MARTHA E. WARNER

MARTHA E. WARNER

“I’VE talked so much today, my throat aches,” sighed Mrs. Bowen, as she took a seat beside me on the front porch.

“Why so much talking?” I inquired.

“Oh, it is Harold! He has lost another cap, and we cannot afford to buy him a new cap every week,” she answered. “But you are seeing things? Is it a boy and a cap? Please tell me.”

“No,” I replied, “it is not a boy and a cap, but a boy and a silk handkerchief. You see, Lawrence never knew where to find his cap. If lost at play, he never knew where to find it. When it came time for a walk or an errand, he would be capless. Often I had him stay at home and hunt for his cap.

“One day when I told him I was sorry to leave him at home, he answered, cheerfully, ‘Never mind, mamma, I’ll find something to do.’ That answer set me to thinking. Staying at home was no punishment to Lawrence. Some other course must be followed. When I reached home, I found a silk handkerchief, and calling Lawrence to me, I told him that in the future, if his cap was missing, he would wear the handkerchief wherever he went. I would tie it on, so he could not lose it; and when we reached home, I would take charge of it.

“A week later, we were all going to the city. That to the children was a treat, and how they scampered to get ready! At the last moment, Lawrence came saying, ‘I can’t find my cap, mamma. I’ve hunted everywhere.’

“If your cap is gone, you know what you will have to wear,” I quietly replied.

“‘O mamma,’ he cried, ‘I’d rather stay home.’

“‘But it wouldn’t be right for you to miss the trip,’ I answered. ‘I can fix the handkerchief so it will look like a bandage for the earache. It is the best I can do as long as you have no cap.’

“When we reached the city, Lawrence said if I was willing, he should rather stay in the surrey. Even the museum held no attraction for him.

“Well, we did our shopping, and the children looked around to their heart’s content. Finally I said, ‘Which shall it be, boys, home or the museum?’ After a moment’s silence, one of the boys said, ‘Home. Let’s leave the museum until another trip, so Lawrence can go.’ As the others seemed to agree, home we went. As soon as we arrived, Lawrence began to hunt. The next day he invited me to go to his room. There he showed me how nicely he had arranged his clothes in the dresser. Then he opened the door to the closet. Everything was in order there. And right in its proper place was his cap. ‘Why, Lawrence,’ I exclaimed, ‘your cap in plain sight, and you not able to find it! What was the trouble with your eyes?’

“‘My eyes were all right, mamma,’ he said, ‘but the honest truth is, my cap was on the floor under a coat. From now on, I am going to take care of my clothes.’

“He was true to his word. Of course many times he would forget, but we could see improvement every day.”

Clintonville, Conn.