Show f A MOTHERS MOTHER'S RUSE Saved Bared Her IIer Sons From Conscription n but Changed Chanced the ramify Family NaZi N ni A gentleman living Jiving in Boston told an nn interesting story the other day about how bow some of his bis blood relatives happened happened happened hap hap- to have bave a family name Dame different from his own It seems that during tha persecutions in Scotland these particular lar lal went over to Ireland and settled in Belfast Subsequently the head bead of the family came across the ocean and as ns soon as he be was va established sent for his bis wife to join him bringing with her their four sons two of whom were old enough to make stripling soldiers soldiers sol aol diers had bad some exigency demanded such sucha a sacrifice The journey was undertaken in a slow going ship bound for New NewYork NewYork York and while she ebe was somewhere some in mid tho the war of 1812 between England and the United States broke out Tho The ship when nearing our seaboard was overtaken by a British cruiser which put her about and escorted her to Halifax Nova Scotia The officer in command of the cruiser declared his intention intention intention in in- of of impressing sailors and soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers from among the passengers A mother having more moro than two sons son would have to give up all aU over that number who might bo available for military or naval service Mrs KirkPatrick Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick Kirk- Kirk Patrick who was a 11 quick witted woman woman woman wom wom- an instantly planned a ruse which she justified in iu her hr own o mind by calling it ruse de guerre a trick of war She stood two sons in one part of the ship and two in iu another and was accepted without detection as the mother of both pairs though she called herself Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick Kirk- Kirk patrick in one instance and Kilpatrick in the other After they disembarked the deception had bad to be kept up as they y v were ere constantly constantly constantly con con- under the eyes of British officers The interception by the cruiser resulted in tho the family settling settling-in in Halifax instead d dof of in the United states but even after peace was restored the two VO Kirkpatrick boys found it much mach harder to get their name back than it had been to exchange it on shipboard In fact they never got it back Those who had bad come to know them themas as refused to know them as and in the course of time the effort to reclaim the family name was was' abandoned as hopeless The variation variation variation varia varia- tion in prefix made expedient pro tern tem tem by the intermeddling cruiser seems to have been ordained to continue sine die Harpers Harper's Harpers Harper's Round Bound Table |