Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-01-17

He TRIES TO BE A BROTHER TO HIS
SISTER EVA.
Incidentally Brings Upon Himself
Not Only Her Vengeance. but the
Wrath of One of the Most Dignified
Men In the Skyscraper.

" rlfh One the
Men In the skyscraper.
[Copyright, 1900, by C. B. Lewis.1
The first l knew about Miss Muir
dock, the stenographer and typewriter,
moving into our skyscraper was when
she sent for me to call at room %. L
found her to be a woman of 40, and
couldn't say that she was a dream of
loveliness. She was tall and thin and
scrawny, and her hair would have been
gray if she hadn't bleached II. She
put on a sweet smile as she greeted me,
and of course l smiled back.
.'Sammis," she began, Il have sent
for you to say that am all alone-all
alone in this big world"
"Yes'm."
(Which is a sad thing for a young
girl, you know. l like the frank, ho1r
est look of your face, and hear good
reports of you, and / have sent for you
to ask if you wouldn't be my little
brother. 1 once had a brother about
your age, and l thought the world of
him, but he died in my arms. Shall we
be brother and sister, Sammis:"
| told her l was willing. think that
every elevator boy who has the inter
est of his employer at heart is always
willing to be a son or brother to any
lonely hearted tenant.
"You are so goodw she said as she
kissed me on the ear and then stood off
and tried to blush and look coy. Il
shall call you Brother Sammis, and
you can call me Sister Eva, and we
will both have more to live for. Broth
er Sammis, do you think your sister
bad looking girlie?"
"You are a dreamr' / replied.
"And how old would you say was Z
"About 20"
"Ah, you young rogue, you must not
fatter me. | am almost -. Ana now
my walk, Sammis?"
She rose up and wriggled and TIP
toed back and forth and smiled ana
simpered. and | told her it was the gait
of a 16-year-old maiden. She kissed
me on the other ear for that, and then
she told me in sisterly confidence that
If any one sent her bouquets or invited
her out TO lunch ! mustn't say any
thing about it, If any one asked her
age. l was to put it at %, and was to
be very, very discreet in case of little
notes or theater tickets. Sister Eva
and | had a thorough understanding
before left. but / can't say that ! was
highly delighted to have found her
She didn't offer me a cent extra TO help
pay off that mortgage on the widow $
home, and 1t seemed as if all the bene-
fits were to 90 her way. week pass
ed. and no one inquired her age, sent
her bouquets or invited her to lunch.
She sent for me to know the reason
why, and felt obliged to lie to her. 1t
is no harm for n boy to lie to his sister.
! told her that Mr.. Jumper, on the floor
above, was casting sleeps eyes at her;
that Mr.. Johnson, on the floor below,
had praised her walk; that the gentle
man in room 4S said that her face had
reminded him of n Grecian goddess.
and the cotton buyer in room, "a was
dying to ask her out to lunch. She
kissed me on the forehead and patted
my shoulder and blushed, and the fam
ily conference broke up in great good
feeling
Now and then SISTER Eva" had a
caller who wanted some work done,
out the days passed, and the bouquets
didn't shower down | kept lying to
her in q brotherly way, as it seemed
my duty to do, but there came day
when | saw that something must be
done or there would be a family row.
| bought her big bouquet and wrote
the name Of Mr.. Saunders on n card
and handed it in to her. Mr.. Saunders
was the gas engine man on the same
floor. He was 60 years old, as dignitied
as a knot on a log, and few men dared
to speak to him. Sister Eva" was de-
lighted. When I told her that an inyi-
tation to lunch would speedily follow,
she blushed and simpered and looked
so coy and shy that | was really proud
of her. ! hoped to get out of 1t with
the bouquet, but she kept asking me
every day IL Mr.. Saunders had said
anything more. and / was finally driv-
en- to say that he would call very soon
and ask her to honor him with her COM
pany to lunch. | was wondering how
many more lies would have to tell to
get out of the scrape when a sudden
climax came. At noon one day Mr..
Saunders called at her room with some
work he wanted done at once. She had
her Sunday clothes on. and as he en-
tered she simpered and tlptoed around
and put on her hat and said she felt so
honored. He wasn't over two minutes
destroying that poor girls illusion.
What he said or how he said 1t don
know | saw him 90 In, and, knowing
that all was lost, | hid under the stairs.
| heard him talking about light headed
women and she answering back about
fool headed men, and three minutes
later ! was n discovered elevator boy.
"Sister Eva hauled me out of my hid
ing place, and the way she did thumE
me around left me an almost helpless
wreck. She hauled me into her room
by the hair of the head and said ! was
no brother She boxed my head from
side to side and said the family had
been dsgraced She led me about by
the ear and cast me out into the cold
world without n sister, and three hours
later she had moved out OF the room
and disappeared. hoped that was the
end Of 1t, but 1t wasn't. Next day Mr.
| Saunders called me up to bis room
| and. after giving me shake which
loosened my teeth. be said.
"Boy. you play another trick like that
ON mo mud | won't Iaaye n whole hone
I'm your body"
SANyns, the Elevator Boy.
| NJ. QUAD.