The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-03-18
Select Story.
OUTOF CHARITY.

"There isn't q pretty one among 'em," :"
said Mrs, Bcnson,with small regard for
the feelings of the ten little girls ranged
in row before her.
'No,' said the matron Of the asylum,
| ''therc never is much OF good looks to
spare 'mong foundlings. But then some
of EN- are real smart, and you know you
can have your pick"
"Ye-c-s," answered Mrs. Benson, slow
ly, thinkingthere wasntmuch of achoice
aud wondering which of the ten orphans
was the smartest.
The little girls looked at each other
critically. They were accustomed to
hear people talk of their plainness and
awkardness, and the remarks of Mrs
Benson did not disturb them in the least.
Each one wanted to be the object of the
visitors choice, but the rules of the asyl-
um forbade to speak unless spoken to,
and they could only show their longing
by eager eyes and expressive faces.
AS Mrs. Benson had said, there was
not pretty one among them. Scqnt
sad-colored stuff gowns, gingham aprons
clumsy shoes and close cropped hair are
not calculated to make one appear well,
and these ten little orphans were shy and
| awkward as we'll as plain.
Mrs. Benson delberated some time be-
fore she spoke again, and then, pointing
her thin finger at a little gray-eyed girl
who was balancing herself on one foot,
she said, decidedly:
"Well, I'll take that one"
Ruth Manning" exclaimed the mat
ron, "why, she amt but ten years old +;
she'll be no manner of help to you"
"She can learn-Ill risk her." said
Mrs. Benson. "Where did you get her
Mrs. Brown7'
Mrs. Brown had been matron of the
Walford Orphan Asylum for twenty We
years, and of course knew the history of
every child within its walls, so she an
swered without hesitation:
Her mother came here eight years
ago last December and asked for shelter
over night. 1t was storming hard and
we took her in, for she was delicate
looking creatrre, and had this child with
her The next morning we found her
dead in her bed-diod from fatigue and
exposure, the Coroner said OF course
we kept the child and she's the very mod
ell of her mother"
"Well, think she'll suit me-" said
Mrs. Benson, who had listened to the
short story without Il sign of sympathy,
$50 please tell the lady directcss I've de,
cided Mrs. Brown and we'll sign the pa
pers right away"
And an hour later little Ruth was sit
ting in the cars by the side of her new
guardian, whirlng along to her new
home fifty miles away. Poor child, how
happy she wasl Delighted with every
thing she saw, and ignorant Of what it
really meant to be ''bound out" until she
should reach the age of IS.
| The large, well stocked, well fruited
farm which Mrs. Benson owned seemed
at first like a paradise to the little orphan.
Everything was new and strange to her,
and she would have been very well con
tented had Mrs Benson proved less ex-
acting But flom morning till night the
child was not allowed to rest She rose
at daybreak and kindled the fires, bring
water, and help her mistress in the prep
aration of the breakfast. And after
breakfast the dishes had to be washed
the chickens fed, the kitchen swept, and
the COWS driven to pasture. Little Ruth's
feet were never still, her hands never
idle, until she lay down at night in the
rude cot bed in the lumber room in the
house. The lumber and trash had been
moved out, but the room was large, gloomy
and lonesome, and sometimes the rats
ran over the floor, much to Buth's hor-
ror. But she did not complain.
AS the months went by Ruth's hair
grew long and curled' over her shoulders
in shining rings In spite of her hard
and careless labor she grew plump and
round, and her checks were as red as
roses in June Mrs. Brown would hardly
have recognized her, so much did she
improve on the good fare of the farm and
the pure mountain air
Across the road from Mrs. Benson'r
lived Mr., and Miss Moss, brother and
sister who, by their peculiar mode of life
had made themselves much object among
their neighbors. They ed,apparently
solely for each other, and it was seldom
that visitor crossed their threshold
Miss Moss attended the affairs of hel
household, assisted by handmaiden a.
gaunt and grim as herself, and Mr., Mos
shut himself up in his study every da,
and spent his time in reading and paint
, ing for he was an excellent artist anC
might have made his mark in the worlC
+ with his brush had he cared to do so.
S One day when he was busy with hi
paints and palette, he was startled by
noise at his window, and looking up saw
his neighbor's little bound girl gazing a
him as if awe-struck She had climbeC
up on the grape vine and was seated Sc
curely on the window sill.
? Mr., Moss first impulse was to scar,
the little thing away with terrible
, scolding; but, fortunately for Ruths ai
ter happiness, better thought came mt
his mind.
q "Come in," he said, n little gruhly
+ "What are you doing therel'
t 81 only wanted to look just once,
p answered Ruth. "When | stood on tn
fence over there ! could just see I'M bu
| couldn't tell what you were doing"
/ Sha oprop,, into tb,N ,,oo,,, a., IL q - 4.