The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-07-20
THE LOVE STORY
OF NUMBER SIX.
TN the Baptist orphan asylum of a
IT'S a Tale of Devotion Well Rewarded.

IN the Baptist orphan asylum of a
small town in Vermont Lizzie Mac
ready was known as No. 6. The name
was particularly fitting for more rea-
sons than one. Lizzie was the youngest
child in a family of six. She was the
sixth orphan who had been admitted
to the institution in the sixth year of
its establishment. Her father was a
locomotive engineer on the Vermont
Central railway. Lizzie, the youngest
child, was six years old when he was
killed in collision, and brought home
a corpse to his little one. His eldest
daughter had been keeping house since
the death of her mother and soon after
the fathers demise she married sec
tion boss. The children were scattered
among friends and relatives. The boys
had found good homes and were all at
work earning money. Lizzie was taken
into the orphanage, of which her aunt,
a kindly, middle-aged woman, was
matron.
Nobody objected to this arrange
ment, for Miss Sanders stood very high
in the esteem of the townspeople, who
thought it but right that the youngest
child of the dead engineer should be
cared for at the expense of the county,
since all the others had not become
burdens on their charity.
Number Six grew up likely girl
amidst the orphans of the place, and
now, at the age of 16, she was quite
help to her aunt, who still continued in
charge of the county's waits. All who
had been there when she was toddler
were gone. The girls had sought serv-
ice with the townspeople, the boys were
at work in the fields. Lizzie was taking
upon her young shoulders the cares
which burdened the white-haired wom-
an who had been mother to her.
At this time there was not an empty
bed or cradle in the institution. An
open winter, something unusual in
the rigorous climate of the Vermont
hills, had depopulated the fresides
and filled the graveyards. For years
there had not been infants in the
homes until this winter. Now there
were two, boy and girl. The for
mer was the son of the schoolmas-
ter. The girl was poor washer
woman's child. Bud, the male in
fant, was robust enough and thriving
as successfully among the strangers
as he had in his mothers arms, but
Bee, the charwoman's infant daugh
ter, needed deal of attention. This
little mite of humanity had been chris
tened Beatrice, to the great astonish.
ment of everybody. A washerwomar
calling her child Beatrice was an un
heard of thing among the plain people
of the Vermont hills. Maggie, Mary
or Annie, wagged the gossips, would
have been more suitable.
Mrs. Rossiter, the mother of little
Beatrice, came to the Green mountain
town when her child was not quite
a year old. She wore widows weeds
and informed those who asked her
antecedents that her husband hnd
died short time ago, leaving her in
poverty. He had been u good man,
she explained, but a years sickness
had eaten up their little savings.
This was in the summer of the year,
and a few days before Christmas the
mother was called away from little
Bee, before she could indicate what
she wanted done with her child. Aftei'
the burial of Mrs. Rossiter the baby
was taken to the orphanage and
placed in charge of Miss Sanders. From
the first Lizzie Macready-Number Six
took violent fancy to the little one.
Bee got all the coddling and fondling.
She was such wee thing; so delicate
and frail. Big blue eyes gazed wist-
fully out of thin, pale face, and there
was sad droop to the baby's mouth,
as if the child realized its forlorn
condition.
For time after Mrs. Rossiter's com
ing to Water Hollow, the gossips in
dulged in talk about the legitimacy OF
little Bee. All doubts were set aside
however, when the public administra.
OOT lOuuu III al Olu Jln DON among
Mrs. Rossiter's effects two mar.
riage certificates. One, the latest
pronounced her the wife of James
Rossiter, whom she had wed six years
before the baby was born. The other
was ten years older. 1t had beer
issued by a minister in a small tow1
of New York, and by it the woman
had become the wife of man namec
Correll.
This was news, indeed, to the deni
zens of Water Hollow, and they al one,
speculated what bad become Of her frs
husband. BY the time they had foun,
something else to talk about Baby Be-
was forgotten, so far as they were con
cerned.
Slowly the little girl grew, tenderl,
cared for by Number Six. who had be
come deeply attached to her, and coul,
not endure to have her out Of her sight
Several opportunities presented them
Ns~.srs