The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-02-16
THE LOVE STORY
OF NUMBER SIX.
IT'S Tale of Devotion Well Rewarded.


TN the Baptist orphan asylum OF .
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 q 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 .
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
ton 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 a
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 a 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 firesides
and filled the graveyards. For years
there had not been infants in the
homes until this winter. Now there
were two, n boy and girl. The for
mcr was the son of the schoolmas-
ter. The girl was poor washer
woman's child. Bud, the male in
FAINT, 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 a deal of attention. This
little mite of humanity had been chris
tened Beatrice, to the great astonish-
mert CT everybody. A washerwoman
calling her child Beatrice was an I'M
heard CT 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
Entecedcnts that her husband had
died short time ago, leaving her in
poverty. He had been good man,
she explained, but a years sickness
had eaten up their little savings.
This was in the summer of the year,
and q few days before Christmas the
mother was called away from little
Bee, before she could indicate what
she wanted done with her child. After
the burial of Mrs. Rossiter the baby
was taken to the orphanagc and
placed in charge of Miss Sanders. From
the first Lizzie Observation-Disclosures 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 visit
fully out of thin, pale face, and there
was sad droop to the baby's mouth,
as if the child realized it's 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-
tor found in an old tin box among
Mrs. Rossiter's effects two mar
rage 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 been
issued by minister in small town
of New York, and by it the woman
had become the wife of a man named
Correll.
This was news, indeed, to the deni-
zens OF Water Hollow, and they at once
speculated what bad become of her first
husband. By the time they had found
something else to talk about Baby Bee
was forgotten, so far as they were con-
cerned.
Slowly the little girl grew, tenderly
cared for by Number Six, who had be-
come deeply attached to her, and could
not endure to have her out of her sight.
several opportunities presented them
selves for Bees adoption, but Lizzie
Macready objected. She could not
bear to think of separation from the
little wait whose life, like hers, seemed
cast in lonely paths. But there came
time when even Lizzie could no l:.nger
expect to retain control of Bee Rossiter.
A childless couple had come to summer
at neighboring resort in the Green
mountains, and while on their Journey
visited the orphanage They hal long
ago decided to adopt child, and q
glance at little Bee satisfied them that
she was just what they wanted. The
bargain was made and it was agreed
that Bee should be sent to them few
days before their summer sojourn came
to an end.
From that <sv,o - NJ, ~.