| Show matt I 1 I 1 F ahe I 1 he big sister I 1 e for bill k i I 1 by LE ROY WINSTON h ET 0 1182 by mcclur mcclure newspaper Newt paper Synill cat W aas the members of the junior boys club of harlow street settlement were viere dispersing after their i agular tues lay afternoon meeting air leader mr air gordon glordon noticed that one of the num b L remained it was bob greeley in whom allow mr nir gordon wag as especially in te rested ns as 1 e was beyond doubt the only one of tie boy boys s of native ameri an pa parents tl e anly aa one in fica wl 0 was not the product of overcrowded bluing Is it tl ere something I 1 can do for aou ou asked mr gordon seeing blat the ba boy tt IN as waiting for I 1 tin sure there Is said bob trying to ilde his en embarrassment barras iou ion were ere lelling telling us fellows today flat you were ere going to get a big bretl er for each one of us a college fellow or something 0 to o help us along vell ell now honest mr gor cor ion on I 1 don t need a big brother I 1 ve got one but but the idea Is mr air gordon that in haaning iming college men for big I 1 it ey could help y ou in way ways tf ti at your own I 1 roti ers could not they would have time and would pos sibly be better educated not than my big brother pro tested bob but talat A I 1 at I 1 was going to say was this tl TI en bob became completely embarrassed and said something ll 11 at sounded like culan ck ulan t y manage to gamme a big sister in steal stott I 1 mr gordon laugi ed so tl V at Is what you need most it never oc gurred to us that any of you bivs boull ratler rati er have hake a big sister still a bister can be very helpful all right I 1 ol 01 III get you a big sister III I 1 ave her come to call on sou just the way tt e big brothers are going to think you mr gordon slid lid bob I 1 bamin and then as he lie turned to ecat its I 1 is retreat you t say anything te to any of the fello fellows vvs about my wanting a sister they lightn t understand mr air gordon expert wood craftsman and friend of small boys was a volun teer worker at tl e settlement cumor had it that he was a ed mil I 1 lio tt at he had gone li it to set dement work because of the deith of or its 1 Is young bride at all events I 1 e to get immense satisfaction out of I 1 Is club work nork and was always generous in I 1 Is cantril unions toward any good furthered by the set k tl TI e swimming pool tl ti e won vi on ar r of the youth of harlow street was as hig excessive gift it ti mr gordon told harlow street 4 1 atle of his personal affairs he told p big acquaintances and friends little of harlow street most of them were ere only mildly amused at this hobby of ft 4 1 ig ills sister among them f tl TI e t of bob greeley reeley C s request mr gordon was in some perplexity it had been an easy enough matter to get the red number of big broth ers lie ile simply put the proposition up to the younger men in his tits college p fraternity in town gordon I 1 lad ad ledged several thousand dollars for t the new fraternity hooe and as he I 1 ad promised tl 11 at he would see about dot I 1 ling the amount the young men did not take long to decide to fall in line with his tits big brother proposition but how to get a big sister the more gordon thought of this problem tl e more perplexed he became about it finally he decided to ask his sister helen though she h hid id not given very sympathetic or understand ing heed to the few accounts he had ever given of harlow street doings III rn on listened apparently with only I 1 alt air attention to what her br ther told but to his surprise she volun herself tor for the big sister needed I 1 t imagine you d do that protesto prote prot estel 1 mr gordon I 1 just tl it oua t I 1 iou ou digit t know some girl in your set aho vho ho would be interested in hat sort oc or it aling ing im interested dreadfully interest red ed myself helen gordon announced and you don t need to be preachy and tell me tl tt it I 1 austn t cc ns ler ter it a lark I 1 don t intend to and I 1 guess I 1 can mal e as good a sister to I 1 atle I 1 obby greeley as anyone else tell me vl vt ere I 1 e lives III I 1 U cill tomorrow afternoon helen insisted on calling alone and ler ter artler did lid not discourage her tl ti ough 1 e ed tl tt en ell tl at tl is I 1 atle sister of his was of a less striking type daen dressed somberly somi ariy ly and as juletty as loysble ler ter golden lair and vivid coloring could not but at tract attention in the I 1 probably d ngy neighborhood where cobby bobby greeley lived bobby greeted his big sister at the loor and assured her that she looked just the way I 1 le e had ahna always s t a big sister ought to loot look and ditl in five minutes tt atey ey had decided to call each other bobby and helen bobby s tome I 1 ome consisted of tiree tt ree rooms a liv 14 room a kincl en and a bedroom on tle tl e top floor of a sl abby but insist antly clean tenement then bobby ex II 11 tine I 1 its I 1 Is he ile and his bombel ned I 1 lad ad been I 1 red in a cc antry town tl TI air fall er a country doctor had died wl en ell bobby as a baby bab an ani I 1 ned was I 1 alt air grown groin n Iome somehow how or otter oti er their mother lad I 1 ad managed to bring t tl em up until a year ago she had died with the last request that ned should become a doctor he ile had bad at time thile already managed by hard work to finish col lege there were no funds left im by his mother mothers s request and his own inci inel nations ned had come 60 to the city with his young brott bretler er somehow he lie managed outside of hours at the med cal college to earn enough to p pay ay for their expenses in the little tenement and bobby led a not unwholesome existence atten lint public set ool getting recreation at the har low settlement and doing his ills littleboy little boy best to keep house for lila his overn overworked orbed big bi bietler ott er helen was at first shocked at the idea of the ten y ear old boy coming coining in from after acl ool play to I 1 ave to prepare supper for I 1 an I 1 his broth er but she ended by feeling tint thit after all B abby led as normal and happy an existence as any motherless boy could certainly I 1 ie e was as better off tl ti an I 1 ie e would I 1 aue a e been had his big brother consented to send him to a boys h hacire ire during the ill III years of I 1 Is medical study now non if vou you reilly really want to be my big sister announced bobby looking appio at helen you can start right in by helping me get supper ned said he was awful hungry for some muffins mullins the kind mother used to nuke make but gosh I 1 t make em now do you suppose if I 1 bought tl ti e things that you ou could mix em and cook em wabbe tle tte tl e next time you come tl TI it was as the be beginning inning of the most interesting advent ul uie e of helens helen s hith erta rather frivolous holous fr young life twice a week A eek sl si e vis ted bobby and twice a besides sra ste took toos lessons in cook in and domestic science so as to be qualified to help and instruct t bobby in the task of making the little tenement rooms more howelll e bobb bobby y would give glive her the money ned allowed for the evenings meal and she would come back from birket with beef steak and mushrooms when bobby said ned liked them luscious friet in season and out and delicacies such as bobby I 1 ad never before dreamed of its tunny funny what vou you can get for a quarter bobby often used to say ned says he t understand he said there was something funny about it and be hes s acted dreadfully fanny funny just as if he thought you t to help me so much dont don t sou you suppose iou you could stay to dinner some time and explain ta atiat at you really get the tl it ings for what I 1 give you he ile comes in just after you leave t you wait and tell hima oh dear no assured helen lou see I 1 in just 3 our big sister bobby and well niell sour brother like me as much as you do maybe not sighed bobby but for some eason or another ned came home a half hour earlier than usual that night and discovered discoN ered the helen still mixing drop cakes in the tiny kitchen she and bobby I 1 ad given tie tt e house a good clean ng that day ind she had left a bunch of daffold la Is on tl e living room table and II 11 I 1 ad I 1 ung fresh muslin curtains at tl ft e windows explanations did not take long nor were elaborate ones needed for when ned s steady gray grayeyes eyes looked into the depths of helens blue ones ellana exi Iana eions in words did not seem necessary helens helen s seemed to cay ay I 1 admire sou you for your pluck and perseverance to go on studying under such difficult conditions I 1 I 1 ave done what I 1 have done tor for bobbye bobbys sake please dont don t thank me and ned s es es said I 1 shall not protect because I 1 know you I 1 ive d ne tie wl at you I 1 ave done from the goodness of a kind heart As a matter of fact helen said I 1 in bobby s big sister and ned said lucky boy helen stayed for supper and left as soon as she and ned and bobby had washed the ashes d ashes and tidied the I 1 itchen she dafin tely refused ned a h me somehow after that n tie nights when aben helen came she was as always a little tittle delayed in her work 01 ned managed to come in a I 1 atle early and she would stay to supper auti the excuse that she want ed to help wash the disi es after se several eral weeks of this she con dented to allow ned to go home nith N ith ter 1 er if you are bobbi bobby s big sister tl en vou you are a brother to both of us N ned ed bald said as they were near ng her home do vou you wish wish vish tl vat at you were my br tl er asked helen IN well ell not exactly that Is id rather and tl ti at w is really as far as ned had to go NN v h his proposal |
