The Winslow mail., 1900-10-18
How HELMlCK Per.
formed a Social Duty
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HELMICK had moved into town near
ly three years before he decided to
take Mrs. Helmick and Johnny out to
revisit the suburb where for IL months
he had scraped and saved and denied
himself all little luXuries to buy a house
on the installment plan. The house
eventually disappointed him. 1t prom
ised well at first and made specious
show of being al. that suburban house
should be, but by degrees it dropped
the mask, and one by one its faults and
shortcomings became apparent, SO that
1t was more in anger than in sorrow
that Helmick sold his house and took a
fiat. If it had not been for Knox it is
doubtful whether he would ever have
gone back-even for day.
Knox and Helmick had been neigh
bors, united in the firmest bonds of
suburban Brotherhood, which is to say
that they had borrowed each others
garden implements without any feel
ing of restraint, had been partners at
whist every evening on the 5:45 train
home. had voted as a unit in the viii
lage affairs. Their wives had found each
other extremely congenial, too.
For the first year after the Helmicks
left the suburb the intimacy between
the two families was kept up to some
extent. The KnoXes visited the fat two
or three times, and once or twice the
ladies met downtown by appointment
for shopping and matinee purposes.
y
mick's health became delicate, and aft
er little Johnny was born she was. of
course, kept at home so much. Hell
mick used to say that he would go down
TO Laurelhurst some time, but there
was always something else to do, and
then Laurelhurst seemed to have be-
come about as remote as the pyra-
mids. Once He.mick had Dragged of
the short time it took to reach the lit
tie suburb. "Thirty-six minutes in
comfortable, roomy train, with a pano-
rama unfolding itself before your eyes
at the rate of 40 miles an hour, and YOU |
are there" he would say. "Away from |
the dust and dirt and ceaseless hurry |
and turmoil of the city, where you can |
hear the glad throbbing of natures |
heart responsive to the mellow warble |
of the birds" Now he saws: "Oh, |
darn suburb. anyhow!'
One morning, however. Helmick met |
Knox in the street and Knox re-
preached Helmick bitterly. "Of course. |
II you've made up your mind that we |
are no longer the sort of people YOU |
care to associate with, it's different |
matter" said Knox. "We don't want to |
eontaminate anybody, and, another |
thing, we don't want to show any m
seemly haste about the matter. Let's
see, this Is 1900, isn't 1t? Well, do you
think you can manage to get down 10
Laurelhurst about 1910? If that would |
be inconvenient you might set date
yourself, only my wife says she'd like
to see that boy of yours before he goes
to college"
why, that's so" said Helmick: "vou
haven't seen the boy. have you? Great
Scott, how time flies! Say, that's too
bad! Do you know, Knox. we've been
coming down so times. and every time
something or another has happened to
prevent us. But I'll tell you what we'll
do. Well be down next Sunday, sure.
the whole tribe of us, if you're going
to be home. just to think that YOU
haven't seen that kid yet! Well. I'll
tell you, you ought to see him; he's Just
about the smartest young man that ever
happened-and gritty. If you had boy
like that, Knox, you'd be fixed for life"
II suppose So" said Knox. rather in
I'm Aa~
though"
Sure thing. 1 wouldn't trade John
ny for Laurelhurst. And you bet he !
thinks papa's all right. He and papa
are old chums, l want to tell YOU. Say.
the other day he got loose and ran
away three blocks before they knew
where he was. Like to have scared
the wife into a fit. And when they
found him what do you think the lit
tie runt said? Said he was going to
find papa. What do you think of that
for two and half?'
Children are great stuff" said
Knox. "Well, then, We'll expect YOU
and the lady-and Johnny-down on
Sunday. Now, understand that this
is your last chance to square YOUR |
self"
Helmick told his wife about the
meeting with Knox and the engage
ment he had made. But, do you know.
somehow Knox seems altered He
wasn't cool exactly and 1 know he
wants us to come down the worst !
way, and yet You know how en-
thusiastic and sympathetic Knox al |
ways used to be about everything. |
. That was one thing L always liked !
about him. Well, he seems to have !
lost interest in some way-if YOU
know what | mean. | was telling him
about Johnny, for instance, and he
seemed to be trying to keep from
yawning and he hurried away at last |
quite abruptly, But that may have |
been fancy and I'm pretty sure we
shall enjoy our visit"