PROLOGUE
Roberta Thompson knelt beside the still form of her father. Two weeks ago, the doctor had come and diagnosed her father with tuberculosis, but it had been too late, and therefore untreatable. And now he was gone. The thought came to Roberta's mind 'I'm an orphan. Papa was all I had. What am I going to do?' Out of nowhere, the last words of her father came to her. " Roberta, I want you to take care of yourself, you hear? Ever since your mama died, you were all I had. I am so glad that I could see you grow up to be such a beautiful young woman. I want you to be well taken care of when I go. That is why I have made the decision to have you find a young man named Jack Kelly. I knew his mother when we were young. He will see that you are well taken care of. You can find him at the Newsboys' Lodging House in Manhattan. I love you. Goodbye, my Bobbie." And with that, he died.
Roberta Thompson knelt beside the still form of her father. Two weeks ago, the doctor had come and diagnosed her father with tuberculosis, but it had been too late, and therefore untreatable. And now he was gone. The thought came to Roberta's mind 'I'm an orphan. Papa was all I had. What am I going to do?' Out of nowhere, the last words of her father came to her. " Roberta, I want you to take care of yourself, you hear? Ever since your mama died, you were all I had. I am so glad that I could see you grow up to be such a beautiful young woman. I want you to be well taken care of when I go. That is why I have made the decision to have you find a young man named Jack Kelly. I knew his mother when we were young. He will see that you are well taken care of. You can find him at the Newsboys' Lodging House in Manhattan. I love you. Goodbye, my Bobbie." And with that, he died.