Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1893-09-03
E:oanion OF Brother and Sister by
Telephone.
After n Separation of Twenty-Five
foirs They Arc Drought To-
Kethcr In n Miraculous
Manner.

manner. .. ..'a#a
W. w. Wheeler did not ring of when
he was through with his telephone q
few days ago. The patient young won.
an in the main Office on Washington
street called '~'Iicllo, Gvcoughtnincfour!
Are you through" until she was tired.
Then She broke the connection Of 5.O9I
with u North side wire. She might
have asked all day and rung all night
without n response, for W.. ". Wheeler
had gone out Of his office ut n bound,
leaving the receiver dangling alongside
tho box, and vas even then lashing his
galloping horse down Clinton street. A
strange thing had come to pass. Tho
telephone, having broken up families
and made enemies of friends and turned
father against son. had finally rcpcntod
the evil OF its ways and brought to-
ucthcr q brother md sister lost to ench
other for five and twenty years.
Long ago, says the Chicago Post, tho
Whcclcrs lived in Canada, q happy and
contcntca family. There were the fo-
thcr and mother and two children, Will
liam and Helen. Mrs. Wheeler died,
md he husband, after n time, married
u second wife. The marriage, liloc too
many others of its kind, did not result
happily. The second Mrs. Wheeler and
the children were not congcnial, and SO
1t canc abou that twenty-five years
ago this fall the boy, William w.
Wheeler, left his home and struck out
for himself. His family made inauirto.
Tor him. but these came to nothing, and
gradually the search was given up ind
the boy drifted ont OF the remembrance
Of all his relatives but onc. His sister
llcien never forgot him and never
ceased to love him. Five years later II
scc;ncd best for her also to look out for
herself and tn leave the home of her
childhood. This she did, and for n time
lived with friends in Canada. As the
years wont by she was more and more
attracted to the United States and
finally caine here TO live. Six years
ago che reached Chicago and became .
co3tcntcd inmate Of the home Of vii.
liam ID. Kcrfoot, the wealthy real estate
man and worlds fair director
! AT that time she had not heard from
her brother for nineteen years, but
woman like. Hhc never forgot him. The
years came md went. but she
kept his memory green md waited
patiently bat never dcspairingly 70.
The day TO arrive when they
should meet. Recently Miss Wheeler
was idling away the time ut Mr.. Ecr-
toot's home, and. entirely by chance IN
it seemed, her hand rested upon tho
telephone book which lay upon q table
mt her side. Was il chance? Did her
hand fall by pure accident upon the
volume? Miss Wheeler cannot think
90. She opened the book aud careless
" looked over tho list of names. After
4 time curiosity prompted her TO look
Mt the telephone subscribers who bore
her own nainc She listlessly turned
The pages until she came to the Wheel
crs, and her attention was rivcteu upor
the following lines: ~
a.O1!-Hhcclcr. ". w. rock. nsphnlt aud
cement payer. Ills south Clinton street.
twas her brothers name! She started
at the sight Of ~ familiar initials, and
then laughed at her own %foolishncss.
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 aud thought
of the old home in Canada. ". W.
Wheeler, telephone 5,094! ~ will call
that man up Tomorrow" Hhc said. She
wa mp very early Monday morning and
moving impaticntly about the house.
When she thought it was time for bust.
ness man to be in his Office she rang
and called up $685..
"iIcllo!"
'IIcllo!" ~NsE =
as this Mr.. Wheeler" Z
"Yys.n [
did you ever live in Cunnda?"
Yes. a good many years ago"
What was Your fathers nuruc""
lie gave 1t, aud in response to a sim
liar question about his mother gave her
nanc. Then there was n pause. md
presently a VOICE trembling with emo
ton was heard over the wire:
did you have n slater named IIclcn?"
Quicls MS u flash the answer cnInc
back: "Ycs! My God! Are you liclcn7"
81 nm Helen"
MIR. Wheeler flung down the receiver
after learning her address and jumped
Tor his hat. Running TO his buggy,
which stood just outside the door, he
lcapcd into IL and lashcd tho horse into
II gallop. People who saw him thought
he wa crazy. lie stood upright, fog
cling the animal with mad blows. In
just twenty minutes after he had boep
runE up on The telephone he WINS ut Mr..
hcriootsdoor and his sister Helen was
In his arms. lie could hardly wait for
satisfactory arrangement. TO bc made.
twenty-five years Is n long time, and
brother md sister had much 10 say 10
each other. Int in n few hours lie
took her homo with him TO live and tho
grief OF the past separation was forgot.
ton IN tho Joy of tho present meeting.
Miss Wheeler has lived here six years
and her brother seven, but neither had
ever suspected the presence OF tho
other. After twenty-five years tho
nucl, abused telephone brought them
together. Tho instrument Inns It's uses.
Names like Edison aud He'll will run
down through tho Wheeler family Ia
Tho last generation.
Monaghan FIncry,