Tip Top Weekly No. 118: Frank Merriwell, Engine Wiper — page 17: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TIP TOP WEEKLY. miust be right. It is so strange, for I feel as if I had known you always. What is your nanie ?”’ “Frank Merriwell.’ ‘“My name is Nellie Norton. I wish I could see you, Mr. Merriwell.°’ ‘‘We are trying to get money enough together to have her eyes treated by a great octlist,’? explained the boy; ‘‘but times are hard, and people do not have much money to spare.’? *“Well, we'll see what can be done right here,’’ said Frank, observing that anuinber of the original crowd had re- turned and were standing about. Then he turned to them and said: “Gentlemen, this girl is blind. Shie was not born that way, but sustained an injury by a fall that affected the optical nerve. might be restored by an operation, and, with her brother, she is trying to get together enough money to pay a special- ist to do the work. ‘This she and her brother have just told me, for I never saw either of them before this evening. Now Iam poor and can afford no luxu- ries, but I can afford to give a dollar to help this girl recover her sight. Iam going to put a dollar in my hat, and then I will pass it round. I hope others will give as much as they can afford.”’ He took off his hat and dropped a sil- ver dollar into it. Then, talking in his most pleasant and. persuasive manner, he went round with the hat. Every person present gave something. One olg Irish woman threw in a dime, asying: “Thos arl Oi have, an’ Oi wish it wur a hoondred dollars, so O1 do! Me ‘ould marn sint me out fer a can av beer, but it’s warther he'll have ter drink to- noight, an’ it’s jist as inuch good it'll be afther doin’ av him. God bliss th’ dear -girul’s swate hearrut! an’ it’s bloind she OUR PATRIOTIC RREMIU MS ARE ELEGANT—SEE PAGE 32, She has been told that her sight | is! birruds an’ th’ flowers? An’ it’s me own litthle b’y as is dead now pwhat wur borrun thot way, an’ he uster be afther axin’ me pwhat things looked loike, an’ now he’s gone foriver where he can see. It’s ounly tin cints, a dhrop in th’ bucket, but it will do th’ dear swate girrul more good thot way than it'll do me ould marn roonin’ down his throat, bad cess to th’ lazy dog!”’ Then she turned and hobbled away in a hurry. Fler example led many of the others to give with the greatest liberality, and when the inoney was counted and passed over to little Nell, Frank announced that Six dollars and eighteen cents had been reced ved. The blind girl held out her hands to the crowd, laughing even as the tears streamed down her face, and brokenly sald: “Oh, I thank you all so much—so much! You have been too kind to me! It will be such a help!’ ‘‘And I thank you, too!’ said the boy, his voice trembling. ‘‘Why, it’s a smal] fortune! Sometimes we have worked a whole week and not received so much; but I believe juck has turned now, and Nellie will be able to see very soon.”’ Frank was deeply touched. Then he regretted the loss of his fortune for the first time, as it made it impossible for him to take charge of the blind girl and see that she had the best medical atten- tion, which he would have done in other days. “Can’t we do something?’ asked the boy, eagerly. ‘“‘We will sing something more for you.”’ He hastily adjusted the guitar and strummed the strings a moment. What shall we sing, Nellie?’ he asked.. 15 An’ she can’t see th’ skoy an? th’. AM[ICLOOO (CO) SS (SO)