The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-21
JACKS HOME.


despite the apparent discomfort his visits
caused them both. Everybody could see
/ that he was desperately in love, and il
was a saying among their friends that
II Jack ever summoned up the courage 70
! propose Ethel would be TOO bashfui 10
I refuse him. whether she loved him or not.
J she had just come out at the beginning
! OF the season. about the same time that
/ Jack who had just graduated from col
/ lege and entered his fathers business. OF
+ which he was the prospective heir, first
began TO attract the attention OF mothers
with attractive daughters Perhaps II
was while avoiding them that be first
met Ethel who had found that there are
ways OF keeping out Of sight when a
/ ballroom was crowded with other girls
: who were enjoying themselves Anyway.
some common chord Of sympathy made
: them embarrassed friends from their hrst
meeting.
Although Jack was bashfuI, he called
/ on Ethel as often as he dared. but in
4 di1idence, he made little progress with
/ his suit. They could get along fairly
wen when there were others in the room
with them, but when left to themselves
they suffered. Unlike most young people
in similar case, they courted rather
than avoided the company OF Ethel's little
brother, Gus, and Jack soon became such
! friends with him that he felt called upon
+ TO remember his birthday. This he did
/ by sending him an elaborate box Of build
ing blocks, which Gus dragged into the
parlor on the occasion Of his next visit
and insisted that the donor teach him
how to build with them
What shall 1 build2' Jack asked.
Build me a big hotel like one Ethel
and were at last summer"
Jack immeditely drew his chair to the
middle OF the room and began on a suit
able design. But he soon found that
building while sitting on a chair was diff
hcult, and as Gus was sprawled comfort
ably on the floor watching the work, he
promptly slipped down beside him. Now
it is a peculiar thing about building
blocks that although they are always
bought for children, very few children
can work out the designs that 90 with
them, and consequently they are forced
TO call on their elders to help them.
Moreover their elders usually take kindly
to the task, and are apt to get cross il
the child interferes in any way and de-
lays the work in hand. In few minutes
Jack was as deeply interested as if he
was building a sure enough hotel, and
Gus watched with admiration. Presently
he tried to put In place an arch that was
in two pieces and needed two other
blocks to be placed beside il IN order to
keep / tin place. Gus tried to hold the
pieces in place, but IN doing so he knock
ed a corner out Of the building with his
elbow.
You clumsy boyr' exclaimed Ethel,
who hae been watching with the most in
terest. "Here-let me hold them" and
moment later she was sitting on the floor
with them.
Jack patiently rebuilt the damaged cor
ner and dthen Ethel held the arch until
he had built around it.
Now make some bathing houses on the
beach," commanded Gus.
Jack obeyed, and then Gus brought out
some men and women cut out of card
board and set them around to represent
the guests.
Here's you and Ethel. IN introduce
you, for you weren't acquainted then"
said the young rascal, as he placed the
figure of a man raising his hat before
that of a young woman with a parasol
"All right said Jack. But I am not
raising my hat at her as I should. 1 am
raising il at the far corner of the build
ing. Here, let me set them right"
Saying this, he reached out and turned
the figure representing himself so that it
faced the figure representing Ethel. I'M
mediately a white hand shot out and
turned the back o fthe pasteboard belle
toward the bowling figure.
''Snubbed," exclaimed Jack, having a
holiness for his pasteboard representative
have for himself.
But you don't know him yet. Hes the
checklist man on the beach, at heart;
and he moved his representative with his
bow in front of the maid with the para
sol.
And she's the haughtiest girl at the
beach" said Ethel, as she again snubbed
her cavalier.
TRY them behind the hotel where the
hammock is and folks amt looking" vol
unteered Gus.
Great headtf exclaimed Jack, picking
up the two figures to make the change.
Take care whom you're handling like
THAR exclaimed Ethel, grasping him by
the wrist and striving to pry his fingers
loose from her figure.
There was a struggle fun OF the aban-
doned gayety Of the nursery, TO which
the blocks had brought them back far
from the formalities and endorsements
of social life. Gus jumped into the strug-
gle to help Jack. ard in the general mix
up the hotel was wrecked worse than any
house that was ever built on sand. The
clatter brought them back 70 themselves
again but the nursery spirit remained
with them. They once more had the
frank fearlessness Of children and could
look one another in the face without
blushing.
Vow YOU must build me something
ruins Of his hotel
For an hour they built and rebuilt all
kinds Of houses, 10 the Infinite delight Of
the boy, who watched and criticised. At
last they disagreed about what was to
be built
Let's build a cottage" said Jack.
"No. Let's build a church said
Il want YOU to build both" said Gus.
So. as there were plenty OF blocks TO
build both. they started a race 70 see
who could finish first But it was pecu-
liar thing that Jack built with his left
hand and Ethel with the right, while
each leaned on the hand that was sup
p0sedly disengaged. But an observer less
interested than Gus might have noticed
that the two hands not engaged in build
ine were irving 70 rest on the same spot
on the floor. and occasionally the fingers
intertwined in a wa ythat brought the
color TO the cheeks Of the two young peo-
uIe. whose faces we're carefully averted-
s.Tacl-'s cottage is done first" said Gus.
sprawling forward with his cardboard fig
ures. And here you both are going in
the front gate
but we should 20 to the church be-
fore we 20 to the cottage. SAID JACK gal
fantly Don't you think 50. Etheit
A gentle squeeze Of the hand was the
..1-hen Fl Is settled" ne exclaimed IN a
trembling voice. glaacing a. the back o.
an avertsr head. First TO church and
then 20 ny cottage
Another pressure 81 assent
Just what would have happened next =
site os the presence Of Gus VIII never
- 1-rov-n fer his mother. who had en-
tered The room uunoticed, suddenly ex-
claimed.
wen. bless ny heart IS this nurs-
er-f Bless vou. ny children
They both spraug 20 their Ieet - coz
f-,s5,- t-rr Tsei< stnl chung 70 Ethels
rs~5 r4r- r,ofrer looked from one -