Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1920-05-13
o9P3pAo0r@p 0oooo oNoQ 200
H'sNDA-ROsE
BY MILDRED WHITE.

| tCopyright. 1920. Western Newspaper Unon1
The little girl who had been wander
ing uncertainty about the corridor of
the great office building paused at last
before glass door
james Lorrimer," she spelled audi
bly, Attorney and Counselor at Law"
Then the little girl opened the door
and peeped inside.
young woman bending over type-
writer looked up and smiled reassnr-
ingy.
That's Mr.. Lorrimer isn't it, sit
tln@ there in the farthest room behind
desk! III go and find him myself"
WHO sent you in here?' he asked.
80 one sent me-" the little girl
quietly returned. II just came" She
seated herself in Il wide chair at the
opposite side of the desk. II came by
myseif on the street car; l found your
name last night among the lawyers in
our telephone book. It's business
visit and brought all the money in
my bank to pay you. I've got over
dollar. Please tell me how to get I'M
adopted"
ITO get unadopted,' he repeated.
so you don't like the adoption bust
ness, Ell? Well, how did 1t happen?
And what is your name, young LADY,"
I'm Wanda-Rose," the child an
swered with dignity, land don't like
being adopted very much. 1t happened
when the beautiful lady visited our
l Cho
made her smile; 1t had grown very
hard. she said for her 10 smile, so she
managed with the directors to adopt
me and took me home with her. She
was the first mother I'd ever had.
Some one found me long ago in the
orphanage garden, when could hard
~ talk at all, and what called myself
sounded like Wanda so that's the
name they gave me. My beautiful lady
added Rose; she says I'm like rose to
her. But, please, will you make me
unadopted?"
The big man got up and lifted the
tiny figure to his knee
I'm afraid that / don't understand
all this, Wanda Rose" he said, whimsi-
cally. IF your beautiful lady is also
kind, why wish to be 'unadoptedY"
The child raised reproachful eyes.
las if I'D ever wish to be-" she said.
IT'S for her sake that I'm doing 1t. So
that he will come back again."
James Lorrimer shook his head.
II will have to ask you to explain
further. Wanda"
Rose" she finished, severely. HE
went away two years ago; you see he
was my beautiful lady's husband
Ellen, that's the cook, says that they
were very happy together until my
lovely lady's sister died and she took
her little boy to raise. She was so
fond of that boy; he was delicate, FL
len says and my mother-I call her
mother YOU know-had to stay with
him a great DEAL The boys name was
Roger. and Ellen says that my moth
er's husband got very 'noyed abNt
Roger. An he'd talk cross when he
wanted her to go some place an my
mother couldn't because of Roger, an
she'd cry, and then by an by her hus-
band went away, an my mother told
Ellen he was never coming back, an
he never did"
The lawyer arose abruptly and put
the child from him. His brows were
drawn together again and his gaze
was darkly piercing.
"Well?" he asked.
Wanda-Rose settled herself again
quietly in the big chair. We'll, Rog-
ers father married after that Ellen
says, an he took Roger away; an my
mother used to cry great deal she
was so dreadfully lonely. Not for
Roger, Ellen says, but for her husband.
He didn't know that she was lonely.
of course. or even that Roger had
gone; he just kept on staying away.
Then my beautiful lady began to visit
the hospital and Orphanage, an brings
us toys an roses. an she called me
her rose ! liked to make her laugh
she had such a pretty laugh-like
! birds singing when you hear them in
, the morning. An one day she took me
home with her to be her little girl But
l couldn't keep her laughing because
she cried so much over the photograph
!. in the frame in her room an asket
/. her was 1t her husbands photograph
and was he ever coming back? She
just put her head down then and CRIED
harder than ever an she said: Never
darling, now-Im afraid So ! though
. that now meant me-that he'd never
y come now you see, cause | was here
like Roger. An he'd gone away be
= cause of Roger-or Roger is wha
= started the trouble. anyway. Ellel
:, says. So came down here to get I'm
y adopted. Lawyers do such things
!. don't they?" Wanda-Rose paused
y "You ought to be gladder to do it thai
y anyone else" she said, shrewdly.
James Lorrimer stood for Ion
y time looking down into the street be
- low. Then he came to bend over tn
- little waiting girl. and his face wa
y very tender.