Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-10-16
STRANGER THAN FICTION
Reunion Of Brother and Sister by
Telephone.
After Separation of Twenty-Five
Years They Arc Brought To-
gether la Miraculous
Manner.


Manner.
W. W. Wheeler did not ring off when
be was through with his telephone
few days ago. The patient young wom-
an in the main Office on Washington
street called "Heno, fveoughtninefour!
Are You through?r until she was tired.
Then She broke the connection of 5,094
with North side wire. She might
have asked all day and rung all night
without response, for w. w. Wheeler
had gone ont Of his office at bound,
leaving the receiver dangling alongside
the box, and was even then lashing his
galloping horse down Clinton street. A
strange thing had come to pass. The
telephone, having broken up families
and made enemies of friends and turned
father against son. had finally repented
the evil of its ways and brought to-
gether brother and sister lost to each
other for five and twenty years.
Long ago, says the Chicago Post, the
Wheelers lived in Canada, happy and
contented family. There were the fa-
ther and mother and two children, Will
liam and Helen. Mrs. Wheeler died,
and her husband, after time, married
a second wife. The marriage, like too
many others of its kind. did not result
happily. The second Mrs. Wheeler and
the children were not congenial, and SO
it came about that twenty-five years
ago this fall the boy, William w.
Wheeler, left his home and struck out
| for himself. His family made inquiries
| for him, but these came to nothing, and
| gradually the search was given up and
the boy drifted out of the remembrance
| OF all his relatives but one. His sister
| Helen never forgot him and neves
| ceased to love him. Five years later ID
seemed best for her also to look out for
herself and to leave the home of her
childhood. This she did, and for time
lived with friends in Canada. As the
years went by she was more and more
| attracted to the United States and
finally came here 10 live. Six year,
ago she reached Chicago and became
contented inmate of the home of Will
liam d. Kerfoot, the wealthy real estatd
man and worlds fair director.
At that time she had not heard from
| her brother for nineteen years, but
woman like, she never forgot him. The
years came and went, but shd
kept his memory green and waited
patiently but never despairingly fof
the day to arrive when they
! should meet. Recently Miss Wheeler
was idling away the time at Mr.. Ker
foot's home, and, entirely by chance as
1t seemed, her hand rested upon the
telephone book which lay upon tabic
1 NJ 11.N,- 81 Id ~. 1,o,.
hand fall by pure accident upon the
volume? Miss Wheeler cannot think
SO, She opened the book and careless
| " looked over the list of names. After
a time curiosity prompted her to look
at the telephone subscribers who bore
her own name. She listlessly turned
the pages until she came to the Wheel
ers, and her attention was riveted upon
the following lines:
b,oa4-Wheeler, w. W., rock, asphalt and
cement paver, 1913 south Clinton street.
twas her brothers name! She started
at the sight of the familiar initials, and
then laughed at her own foolishness.
This man couldn't be her brother. Meet
| ings like this were not possible outside
of novels. But the name brought
memories, and she sat with the open
telephone book in her lap and thought
of the old home in Canada. w. W..
Wheeler, telephone 5,094l 81 will cali
that man up tomorrow" she said. She
was up very early Monday morning and
moving impatiently about the house
When she thought 1t was time for busi-
ness man to be in his Office she rang
and called up 5,094.
"Hello!'
sHeiloi''
SIS this Mr.. Wheeler"
| yes"
| ''Did you ever live in Canada?"
Eyes. A good many years ago"
What was your fathers name?"
He gave it, and in response to SIM,
liar question about his mother gave her
name. Then there was q pause, and
| presently voice trembling with emo,
tion was heard over the wire:
did you have sister named Helen?"
Quick as flash the answer came
back; "Yesl Ny Godi Are you Helen?"
''I am Helen.h
Mr.. Wheeler flung down the receiver
after learning her address and jumped
for his hat. Running to his buggy,
which stood just ortslde the door, he
| leaped into it and lashed the horse into
gallop. People who saw him thought
he was crazy. He stood upright, fog
| ging the animal with mad blows. In
Just twenty minutes after he had been
rung up on the telephone he was at Mr..
Kerfoot's door and his sister Helen was
In his arms. He could hardly wait for
satisfactory arrangements to be made:
Twenty-Five years is a long time, and
brother and sister had much to say to-
each other. But in few hours he
took her home with him to live and the
grief Of the past separation was forgot,
ten in the JOY Of the present meeting.
Miss Wheeler has lived here six years
and her brother seven, but neither had
ever suspected the presence of the
other. After twenty-five years the
much abused telephone brought them
together. The instrument has its uses.
Names like Edison and Bell will run
down through the Wheeler family tol
the last generation.