Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-09-12


Clothes Which Replaced His Rags,
With a Liveried Servant to Help
Him on With Them.
A LII the heroes of the story books
~ those surprising youths who rise
- to fame and fortune with such In.
credible quickness before tho last chapter
Is reached-have been outdonc in real
life by Mike Gilhooley. the freckle-faced,
red-headed sixteen-year-old son OF an Irish
father and a Belgian mother, who stole his
way across the Atlantic in the hold of
troopship and promptly landed in soft
lap Of luxury from which nothing seems
able to shake him. The way this boys
lucky star has shone on him, enabling him
to triumph over oil sorts OF advorsitics and
giving him every assurance happy.
prosperous future in this lan ne Free
makes the imaginary achieve. IS Of the
do and dare" luck and pluck boys about
whom Horatio Alger and Oliver Optic
wrote seem quite tame and commonplace
If there had been ally doubt OF this after
Mike Gilhooley was suddenly snatched
from Ellis Islands crowded deportation
pen and installed in luxurious suite at
one of New York's most fashionable hotels.
il would be dispelled by the latest amazing
turn which the whirligig of fortune has
taken for this young hero OF real life.
Mrs Marion Gilhooley Curry was the
fairy godmother who brought about the re.
markabe transformation that turned Mike
Gilhooley, penniless waif, into Mr.. Michael
Gilhooley. prosperous young gentleman BY
touching the ragged, grimy. half-starved
stoYaWay With her magic wand OF good
American dollars she not only secured his
admission to this country but also assured
him all the advantages of millionaire's
SON. Was ever anything in this world of
stern reality so infinitely stranger than llc-
ton? Even Alger and Optic might we'll
have hesitated to build one Of their famous
stories around such a chain OF events for
fear Of straining their readers credulity
But TIE luck which was working these
wonders for Mike Gilhoolcy proved unable
to hold good for his fairy Eodmother. Be-
fore she was fairly started on tho task OF
giving her protege good education and
polishing off the rough edges left by his
years OF vagabondage, q series OF unfortu-
nate investments made SCI 'ous inroads on
her wealth Soon some ui her creditors
began TO press her, and at last she was
forced TO declare herself q bankrupt, with
only a few hundred dollars OF assets Ia
offset liabilities OF more than $4,000
There seemed nothing TO do but give up
all her ambitious plans for Mikes future
and either send him back to Belgium or
put him 10 earning his living here in some
humble fashion
Just what we've expected all along"
said the confirmed pessimists, who thought
tho luck which had attended Mike Glhoo-
ley since he first set foot on Ellis Island
altogether too good to be true. But the
pessimists were wrong this time. as they
often are. Not even the bankruptcy Of his
fairy Eodnother was able to dim the rays
os the lucky star which for nearly year
now has been shining ON this Irish -Bcig
waif
While Mrs. Curry was still bemoaning
her sudden fan from affluence and Mike
was gloomiy contemplating the prospect
OF having TO give up his school and his
nice clothes and his pleasant companions
there entered the room where they sat q
brand new character In these real life adj
ventures-Mr. Harold Bolster, prosperous
New York banker
Mr.. Bolster was friend Of Mrs Curry's
He knew Mike through having entertained
the boy for few days at his country
home. He liked the freckle.faccd Young.
ster. thought he had the right stuff in him
and would make a successful man II given
half a chance Now, having heard of Mrs
Curry's financial misfortune. he came n
offer to become the boys guardian and "a
give him all the advantages which she wa q
no longer able to-.