The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-28
4 DOCTORS STORY
 IF 4 CHRISTMAS Trials of Two Girls In New
 York City HOLIDAY IS SPOILED Sister Breaks Down From Nervous Prostration and Small Savings for a Home Are Soon Wiped
 Out for Medicine.
BY ERNEST POOLE.

BY EHNES POOEEs
 (Excluslve Service The Survey Press
 Bureau)
 This brief story was told me by doc tor who works in a tenement section of the city of New York. It is no bright Christmas story-the bells ring out but once. Its only interest for Christmas day is the interest it would have for Christ
 It's common enough. the doctor began, and I'll give you all l can remember. The trouble is that I'm no writer, and I've seen so many cases more or less like 1t, that a good many details have slipped my mind. I'll give all I can.
 Last year, on Christmas eve. late. about Il o'clock. a girl came into my office as l was closing up. She was young, slim, worn, her face so white that I took it for granted she was patient. But she settled that with a quick nervous laugh. She had a young sister really sicko-so sick that she wanted me to come at once. She could barely wait to get started.
 They lived in a cheap furnished room, fourth floor back, with two windows looking into court. I wish could give you the room as 1t was You might fill that in from what you know. Make it vivid. You can do that, of course and still make 1t true The point to be shown is this. The room was desperate try at home. Bare enough-but clean. Fur niture cheap and ugly-the landlady's taste. But the small things different, quite different, and so arranged as to cover the ugliness. Some of the ugli- ness. On the whole it failed. And the small woman touches made the attempt the more painful
 On the double bed lay the young sister She was 16 but looked three years yoing- er-small thin and weak-a child. Her shoes were off and some of her clothes. She lay on her back, her hands opening and then clinching. her face twitching hard her wide open eyes staring up at the ceiling. When l tried to ask ques- tions, her only reply was a short shaking laugh.
 l turned to the older sister, who was IS. And she gave me the details of the case. While she talked she sat now stiff on chair, then rose and moved about nervously. But her voice was quiet enough. She had herself well in hand. Only I wish l could put 1t all in her words ana in full, for she made it real. vividly real. Her story was plain and to the point. It ran about like this.
 Their mother had died long ago. They had lived with their father, a clerk. He had died two years back and since then this room had been their home.
 Each had worked since the legal age Of If. One four years, the other two They were in the same store. The older girl sold children's toys. The younger wrapped up parcels. Six and four dollars a week made their wages.
 This money paid for rent, food and clothes. Room, s3 a week; breakfast for two, cents; lunch for two, 20 cents; supper for two, 34 cents, on an average Breakfast coffee, was cooked over the gas. The other two meals were bought in lunch rooms. The total for meals was s4.20 week. Adding the rent made HaO Car fare, when 1t rained, added 30 cents more and made the average-$750 Of the s250 left, each girl spent $l a week on laundry clothes and amusements." Fifty cents a week had been saved In two years they had saved not quite $50 a brief illness having wiped out s114o. They were saving to live in regular home"
 The scheme for a home grew out of the girls club they belonged to. It met one night a week. In this club they had joined with six other girls in a plan to save up and rent two small tenement f1ats-fats adjoining-and so make "a regular home." Forty-eight dollars saved They needed s56.
 The Christmas season had come on. For the last six weeks they had worked overtime-with Supper money" At first only two nights a week till 10 o'clock. Then three nights-and in the last stretch six nights week till Il o'clock. One girl sold toys, the other wrapped 'em up The pace was fast and never let up.
 "Is that package Of mine never com ing? Can't you hurry 1t up7''
 The girl who wrapped 'em up grew sick. Not really sick,' but enough to make both sisters nervous. Three nights ago 1t grew bad enough so that on the way home at Il p. m, "she couldn't walk quite straight" Her sister had to help her.
 They had faced the thing that night faced the thing till 2 a. m. The objection to her quitting work was this. Last win I ter New York had 100000 out of work. If she threw up her job she might not get 1 1t back If she didn't-goodby to that regular home" They found a way | out. The name of the way I neeo.'t l give. It was one of the worst of the l patent nerve tonics. And the thing work | ed at first like charm. She hardly need | ed meals even-and simply sailed aiona'' | until the day before Christmas. Something began to happen inside" | that afternoon. It happened more eao', 1, | hour. By o'clock at night 1t was bad | enough for her to lean down from her wrappers perch and tell her sister to 1 keep one eye on her-in case anything | queer should take place.
 | The queer thing took place about 10 l o'clock. An ambulance had been sum- | moned And that was all that the older | girl could tell me-except that her sister l had been like this as soon as they reached the room. It had scared her ana she had come to me. By now it was near | 12 o'clock.
 l A writer like Dickens, suppose, at this l stage in the game would have gone to