The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-09-03
CARLoTTA's NINTH PARCEL.

Carlotta was sixteen, slight and graceful even
in her shabby outgrown frock with dark hair, and
eyes that betrayed her Italian parentage. The art
which is the birthright of so manly of her race had
developed in her as a genius for gowns and mil
lnery; and, though yet she nothing more
than messenger girl in Madame Delvilles high
class dressmaking establishment, she looked for
ward with confident hopefulness to the day when
lust such another establishment should be her
And she did wish to be rich! Not for herself
(for she had enough to make her sunny tempera-
ment content), but for the sake of others poorer
than herself she onged for riches. Dodgng here and
there through the streets, as she was obliged to
do on her mistress errands, she met cases of want
and suffering that wrung her warm little heart and
made her wish for riches, that she might divide
what she had with others. As it now, she
hardly ever had so much as a half-penny to give
away-and. to CarlOtta, giving a far greater
JOY than receiving. But there always remained
kind actions for her to do; and she trotted up
and down the streets, laden with parcels and card
board boxes she was always looking out to if
there was any one who needed help that she could
give. Sometimes it an old woman more heav-
lily burdened than herself; sometimes child who
was afraid of crossing the street alone-little
things that many people would have passed by with
out even noticing that they needed doing.
1t was on winters day that Carlotta's i'm
pulsve charity got her into trouble, and this is how
s. q
of their best customers, Madame Delvie's packer
had forgotten a very valuable piece of lace that
was left over from the trimming. As soon the
mistake was discovered the lace carefully
folded up. and Carlotta, already laden with several
parcels was hidden take it to the house at which
on the previous day she had left the dress.
Madame Delville very particular about the
appearance of her work people; and, although her
messengers frock was worn and her coat was old,
she was. as a rule the neatest of little figures On
this day however, the wind was so piercingly cold
that at the last moment she threw around her
shoulders cloak that Madame had condemned as
being too shabby for her to wear when she was
going on errands. She intended to take it off be-
fore delivering her parcels; but she had not yet
come to the first house on her list when, seated on
bench on the embankment of the river, she caught
sight of q girl about her own age, crying bitterly.
Two or three passers-by had turned to look a sec
ond time at the child, so mserably clad and evl-
IDENTIFY in distress; but, until Carlotta came along,
no one seemed to have taken the trouble to ask
the reason of those tears
Il am so hungry" sobbed the girl, so hungry
and cold"
Carlotta had sat down beside her on the bench
and questioned her gently She slipped her hand
down into her pocket Oh, to be rich, or even on
this occasion to have single coin to buy some
hreadl But the pocket was empty, except for a
haIt-eaen roll that Carlotta had forgotten to finish
before she came out.
Even that scrap OF bread the poor chlld ate
greedilv But in handing it to her, Carlotta felt
shat chilled as were her own fingers, the little
oaee that seized the bread so eagerly were almost
frozen. She looked compassionately at the mis-
cradle shawl that the child had dragged so closely
round her. and then glanced at her own cloak 1t
was Old but there was warmth In 1t STILL She knew !
-aat since Madame's prohibition, 1t had been of |
lrtIe use to her in the way of wrap; but at |
ght. in her cold attic room, she found it not |
rnvalcorne addition to her almost threadbare |
Blankets
In less than moment her mind was made up.
JucIaspng her cloak she put it round the should
rr- If the figure that crouched beside her.
You mustn't stay here, you poor little thing"
She said pityingly "The wind along the river is
colder than anywhere else. See, this cloak will
help to keep you warm"
Them fearing that the child might refuse the
gift when she saw that it came from one ~ little
better off than herself Carlotta took to her heels
and disappeared almost before the recipient had
realized what had happened.
She had nine commissions on her list; and,
hrving along to do them, she had 40 time to
think OF being cold Only, when eight parcels had
been disposed of she suddenly came to standstlll.
Y here was the ninth What had happened TO 1t
Jenainly she had not delivered it, In flash she
remembered what it was and where she had put 1t.
was the lace that had already once been forgot
ten. 1t was only a small parcel, but Madame had
Impressed It's value on Carlotta when she was start
ing; So the girl for greater safety, h@d put it IN
the pocket Of the cloa-of the cloak that she had