The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-24
AN ORPHAN GIKL.
BY: AMY RANDOLPH.

MI fol1ott had just nnlSned MS
dinenr
Mr.. FoIliott was very rich man. anc
his cook had once been a pupil of the
great Soyer. so that the meal, although
transformations in every respect, wa:
of the best and choicest. The aspar-
agus soup, a delicate young baked
shad, roast ham with champagne
sauce. a salad, coffee, sweets-all thess
things Mr.. Folliott enjoyed because. il
their way, they were perfect. And he
was just culling out few monster
strawberries from among their greer
leaves when a footstep sounded on the
veranda.
He looked quickly up. A tall child OF
Is stood there, her face flushed, hel
hair disheveled and her thick boots
powdered over with the fine dust OF
/ the roads.
4 am so hungry" burst Involuntary
from her lips. Cant I have one OF
3 those cakes?"
Mr. Fo.liott frowned and shook his
head If you are beggar," he said
] you had better go around to the bach
door. Mrs. Hanford will give you
/ something. l dare say
! The child blushed deeply and drew
herself up with something of uncon-
scious dignity
( I'm not a beggar," she said Cant
girl be hungry without being a Leg
gar? l have come here to look for Pau
Folliott"
That's my name" said the old gen.
tleman, a little suspiciously.
Then" she said composedly. Il Rave
come here to be your little girl. 1 am
Oracle Bellaire. My papa was Colonel
Bruce Bellaire, and when he died he
%ol-a Of
! Here are his letters. And now, please
let them give me something to eat
And this was the way in which
Grace Bellaire came to the house OF
her fathers distant kinsman, Paul Fol-
lott.
She was a pretty child. when the
dust was washed out of her dimples
and the shining brown curls were
brushed into something like shape.
She had Bruce Bellaire's large. dreamy
eyes and exquisite Greek profile, and
Mr.. Folliott, even while ne experienced
a thrill of CONSERVATION at this new
charge, felt his heart warm toward
her.
My dear" said he, you are a nice
! little girl, but what can 1 do with
vou2
I could stay here and play, couldn'
I?' said Oracle, innocently.
But there is something else in the
world for little girls TO do besides
playing" said Mr.. Folliott: and so he
/ took counsel with good Mrs. Hanford.
his hOusekeeper.
''Deart heart, SIR" said that kindly
parsonage, 1T seems to me plain
enough. Why don't you send her TO
Mrs. John Folliott? Don't you remem-
Der last summer, when she was here
/ and you helped her out with the debts
that troubled her so badly, she declared
she would do anything in the world to
show her gratitude? And she's got
daughters of her own, hasn't she? Who
is there in all the world that could
bring Oracle up better than she?"
Mrs. Hanfcrd, you are a genus."
said Mr.. Folliott. Why on earth
didn't I think of that myself?"
Mrs. John Folliott came to the
Grange at once-a portly. smiling
matrOn.
The darling" she cried, enthusiast
tically. embracing Oracle, who looked
rather awed at the sight of so much
splendor. 4 shall love her as dearly
as if she were my ownl Poor. dear.
Cousin .Brucel How well I remem Der
MIN. You sweet one, you are the very
picture of your papa"
So Mrs. John Folliott, greatly rejoic-
ing returned to the brown-stone house
in New York, whose rent was unpaid
and TO the daughters, whose expensive
dresses were yet written up on the
wrong side of Mademoiselle Surlitor's
books
Its positively providential," said
Mrs. Folliolt. "A thousand dollars a
year clearly added to our income,"
But there is that great awkward
child to bring up said Madalena Fol-
lott, handsome brunette who had
just made her debut in society.
oh, that does net signify" said the
serene matron. Her cost will be alb
solutely nothing"
And so. in the course of a few weeks,
Oracle Bellaire found herself settling
down to the position of a ladys maid
to the three Misses Folliott She sewed
the buttons on Madalena's boots, she
ran out on rainy days. when the cham
bermaid objected on account of the
weather. TO match shades of worsted
and filOselle for Alicette, the second
daughter; she washed FloreEce's poodle
for her, and wept many a tear of bitter
notification the while. And by de-
grees her shoes sgrew worn and rusty,
her healthy young growth CutstriDDed
the limits of her course serge gowns,
her bonnet and mantle became so shah
by that she could not go out except
under cover of the friendly dusk. Once
driven by desperation, she wore Flor
ence's white chapeau and soft seal
jacket. But she never repeated the eX-
pertinent, for Mrs. Folliott met her on
the stairs and flashed the light OF her
great black eyes upon her in a manner
that was truly appalling.
If ever you presume to do such
thing again" said she, in low voice of
concentrated wrath, you shall be shut
up on bread and water for a month";
But l have nothing to wear" plead
ed Grace.
Your clothes are good enough" said
Mrs. Folliott sharply. There is nothing
so sinful as vanity"
But when 1 go to school'-began
Grace.
You are not going to school," said
Mrs. Folliotte. 1t is your business to
stay here and help Jane with the china
and silver and make Yourself useful.
You are not a young lady, like Miss
Alicette and Miss hlorence-you are
only a working girl"
Child though she was, Oracle Bel
laire comDrehended the injustice of all
this Kind old Mr.. Folliotte hadn't
meant this when he gave her over into
Mrs. John Folliott's charge. He must
have forgotten to send the money.
Grace Thought, or she never would
have been treated thus,
It's a shame" said honest Bridget,
the cook. The child ought to have ex-
ercise at least
Sure, if she was the cat they
couldn't take less notice of her. said
Norah, the waitress.
And just look at the clothes of her."
said Fannie, the smart chambermaid.
she kept me awake with her cough
for two nights" said Bridget. land all
the paregoric 1 give her don't loose il
up Bit
For Mrs. Folliott, under an extra