Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-02-04
CHAPTER XII.
ssHolbrook's Girls"

On the Saturday evening that the
class was to meet at Mrs. Wilson Ward
DESTROYS. Mr.. Teddy Holbrook, the
young man who expected some of these
days to be a great artist, climbed up
the steps leading to his own apartments
with a big bundle under his arm and a
big lump In his throat
The bundle came from shop in 4th
avenue. over whose door hung the
sign: Gents evening dress suits to
hire" The lump came from sheer
nervousness.
It might easily have come from the
physical exercise involved in the jour-
ney from the street to his rooms, had
he been older or less athletic. AS it
was he took the fifth and last flight
with the same ease he had taken the
first step.
Plumbing for the latchkey to his fiat,
he flung his head back defiantly. I'm
In for it. She's sure to give me bad
half-hour before get off. But"
Then he opened the door and passed
from the dark general hallway into the
intensified darkness of his own apart
ments. He pushed back a stuffy drab
chenille partiere to look into the sitting
room. Such light as a still taller tene-
ment house, about ten feet away, per-
united at this time of day, fell into
that room, showing him a small figure
huddled against the window, to gar
ner up the fading light upon a paper
backed book.
He sent an affable greeting toward
the figure, but stood still with his big
bundle well out of view.
Hello, Lady Janet"
Hello, yourself. You're back early"
Lady Jane" closed her book with a
bang. The voice that carried her an
swering greeting was somewhat shrill,
but it conveyed welcome. She strug-
gled slowly into a standing posture
and reached for a crutch that leaned
against the window sill near her chair
Holbrook preferred a request hest
family: Can have my dinner lit
tie earlier than usual, Jenny? l want
to go out this evening"
'Oh, you do. Seems to me you want
TO go out every evening of late. Not
that care silver whether you go out
or stay In"
eff it's trouble to you said the boy,
still standing partially concealed by
the pagtiere,,- Il can go to restaurant
and get bite. l don't want much"
The shrill voice grew querulous and
the girl to whom it belonged stumped
across the room on her crutch petu-
lantly. "Teddington Holbrook, any
body to hear you talk would think you
were prince from fairyland and could
fill your pockets with gold by just
stamping your feet"
Teddy laughed good naturedly 81
only wish l was, I'd do some pretty
lively stamping. I'll dress while
you're getting dinner on the table.
don't want much, Lady Jane; we al
ways wind up on something after
class work.
He withdrew his head from the
portiere and carried his bundle into
the smallest room in the fat. A mere
cubby hole, but good enough for a
poor beggar of poster painter was
what he said when he had assigned
the better parts of the fiat to the lame
girl
Who the lame girl was, nobody in
the tenement house knew or cared.
People who live in very cheap tene-
ments are apt to cultivate stolid in
difference to the rest of the herd
''Holbrook's girl was the only name
any one had for her. She was very
seldom seen, for she was too lame to
get up or down the steps. Oftener
she discovered on the fat roof, sitting
az YR.a