The Scranton chronicle., 1900-10-13

take MTS- deimlck dnu tommy OUT 10
revisit the suburb where for 12 months
he had scraped and saved and denied
himself all little luxuries to buy house
ON the installment plan. The house
eventually disappointed him. 1t prom
ised well at first and made a specious
show of being all that suburban house
should be, but by degrees it dropped
the mask, and one by ore its faults and
shortcomings became apparent, so that
1t was more in anger than in sorrow
that Helmick sold his house and took
fiat. If 1t had not been for Knox it is
doubtful whether he would ever have
gone back-eyen for day.
Knox aud Helmick had been neigh
bors, united in the firmest bonds of
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
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.
Then it gradually waned. Mrs. Hell
mick's health became delicate. and aft
er little Johnny WI 5 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 Heimick had Dragged of
the short time it took to reach the lit
tie suburb. "Thirty-six minutes in a
comfortable, roomy train, with 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 responsiTe to the mellow warble
OF the Now he says: "Oh,
darn arb, anyhow"
One morning, however, Helmick met
Knox in the street and Knox re-
preached Helmick bitterly. "Of course,
If you've made up your mind that we
nre no longer the sort of people you
care to associate with, it's different
matter" said Knox. "We don't want to
contaminate anybody, and, another
thing, we don't want to show any un-
seemly haste about the matter. Let's
see, this is 1900, isn't it? Well, do you
think you can manage. to get down to
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; ''you
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. Wen 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 yeti 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.v
II suppose so," said Knox, rather in
differently. "You know best about it,
though"
Sure thing. l wouldn't trade John
ny for Laurelhurst. And you bet he
thinks papa's all right. He and papa
are old chums, 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 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 a half?"
Children are great stuff" said
Knox. "WeIl, 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. s.But, do you know,
somehow Knox seems altered. He
wasn't cool exactly and / 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 always liked
about him. Well, he seems to have
lost interest in some way-if you
know what I mean l 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"
people who haven't got children of
their own very seldom take the inter-
est in them that their own fathers
and mothers do" remarked Mrs.
Helmick, wisely.
THAT may have been 1t. said Mr..
Helmick. well. I'd kind Of like to see
the old place again anyway"
Accordingly, on Sunday little John
ny was dressed in his little white
cord dress and the Helmieks went TO
Laureihurst.
IL was horribly polsy place, Helm
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