The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-05-19
WANDA-ROSE
BY MILDRED WHITE.
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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
"A young woman bending over type
writer looked up and smiled reassur-
ingly.
That's Mr.. Lorrimer, isn't it, sit.
ting there in the farthest room behind
a desk? I'll go and find him myself"
who sent you In here?" he asked.
mo one sent me-" the little girl
quietly returned. II just came" She
seated herself in a wide chair at the
opposite side Of the desk. II came by
myself on the street car; 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 q
dollar. Please tell nae how to get I'm
adopted"
TO get unadopted," he repeated.
so you don't like the adoption buss-
ness, eh? Well. how did 1t happen ?
And what is your name, young lady 7"
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
orphanage. She liked me because 1
made her smile; it had grown very
hard. she said. for her to 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
ly talk at all and what called myself
founded like Wanda so that's the
name they gave me. My beautiful lady
added Rose; she says Pm like rose to
her, But, please, will you make me
unadupted?"
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 'unadoptedT"
The child raised reproachful eyes.
"As If I'd ever wish to be-" she said.
Its for her sake that I'm doing it. So
that he will come hack again"
James Lorrimer shook his head.
Il will have to ask you to explain
further Wanda"
"Bose." 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 iady'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 great deal. The boys name was
Roger. and Ellen says that my moth
ers husband got very 'noyed about
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.
WandaRose settled herself again
quietly in the big chair. "Well, Rog-
er's 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. hut 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 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
couldn't keep her laughing because
she cried SO much over the photograph
in the frame In her room; an / asked
her was 1t her husbands photograph
and was he ever coming back2 She
Just put her head down then and cried
harder than ever an she said: Never
darling now--I'm afraid So thought
that now meant me-that he'd never
come now you see, cause was here
like Roger. An he'd gone away be
cause Of Roger-or Roger is what
started the trouble. anyway. Eller
says. So / came down here to get an
adopted. Lawyers do such things
don't theyT' Wanda-Rose paused
"You ought to be gladder to do it thar
anyone else" she said, shrewdly.
James Lerrimer stood for loni
time looking down into the street be
bow. Then he came to bend ever the
little waiting girl. and his face wa,
very tender.
$50 you'd give your own hapnineSs