Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-09
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
His French Orphan
BY LUCIA BOSLEN


Wallace Broadhead wondered for the,
fifty ninth time what sort of girl his
French orphan would prove to be.
"lf she is half as good looking as she
sounds lovablc in her letters. she's a
winner he murmurcd TO himself.
He really felt that he knew her joy
Gus nature that all her terrible expert
cnCes had been unable to kill He never
had heard these details. just the broad,
general facts that her father had been
shot, her mother deported. and that the
child herself had hidden in cellar for
four days and then had managed to get
into the English lines.
''Tweke or So" they had told him at
the Orphans Relief when he had signed
up for her. "Pretty name. Nancy
Ducleon, Five days till | see her 80
He chuCkled softly TO himself as he
recalled his struggle over the idea of
adopting al orphan. 1t had seemed
such n strange thing for an unmarried
man to do. Though when he realized
that even school girls were doing it,
the idea had seemed more feasible.
That was some hik" | took the day
| decided. Some tough fight before
made up my mind. Cutting out dane.
ing. opera. flowers. Helen. all that gay
gcrcd half regrctfully on Helen. Il
couldn't have hit her stride ever.
guess. So It's better nS it is. Anyhow.
those half-Starvcd children on the pos
tcrS fetched me.
Wallace still gaspCd al his daring for
selecting a girl. big and rough rs he
was. He had no knowledge of women,
either. but the longing he had always
had for sister made him throw eau.
tion to the winds and choke out "girl'
from II dry throat when asked his
choice. II" had feared especially the
thought Of the personal letters. but they
had not been 50 bad after that first aw-
ful effort. Hours he had spent on it's
compOSition II" had told all his his
tory from his bOyhOOd. of his likes. his
work. of his newly formed plan to come
to Franc" to help out with r"ronstrur.
tion work. II" tucked in kodak snap.
Shot of himself. made when he was
kicking goal for his college team.
That first letter of mine must have
been fairly decent. for her answer was
great stuff :" lie took out Of his pocket
small bundle of letters. and thumb"d
them over till he got the first one Nancy
had written him. "Somc eager was to
hear from her,
The JOY of being responsible tor the
welfare of another human being was n
revelation to this grown-up boy. lie
began to re-read this letter. mutt"ring
aloud some of her lHborod phrases in
their even more labored English
"KindncSs OF America to bleeding
France. to render material aid to her
precious country, dire need even though
thr fighting was over.
"I'll bet the parish priest helped her
with that It's n rhild'S soul. all right,
even il there is maturity Of expression
\ beautiful one. too. | suppose that
war has made even babies think and
act like grOwu-ups. .Iovc, wish She
were. Almost | SUPPOSE if she were.
though. I'd be afraid of her.
He folded the letter and nut il caro-.
fully back in the proper order with the
others. Then he took from his pocket
book a bill and several lists. He studied
these:
"'rnat furniture fitted thar doll house
! | made nS If it had grown thorc. Tie
knwnir i'm the 'Iift' was n hapDv
| Thought. I'll bet no other French child
has such an outfit ."
! The next day WaIaco landed md
| FASTENED at once to Pre-. whCrc Nancy
! hpd always postcd her letters. Thc onIy
prrson there nnmcd DuclCon. the au.
! thoritics assured him. was n nurse Per-
hans She was n relative. She might hr
nbir ia fell him where he could find his
| child He hunted m the nurse. She wog
q hCauty. and his heart leaned as he
Registered the firm determination Ia win
hrr or never marry. and Lr fulIy in
tended to marry.
"Yos " she fold him in rcnlv to his
irou;ry 81 nm tho oniv iiyinmg m' rcInt;Yc
thr hIcsscJ chiId has nm rloJ Won,
hnvo como IA .cr bor but ynn wiiI hnve
=" woit CAM cxnInin wLy ms, now :,
,ho aIded mystoriousjy
'" ,,,Thot', "' LAID IurI,' WLnt ,I,o dlcLous
IN, "", a. Lo D'' ,yith tLc.r ,hincs"', ~ hs ,'
%i'r,oJ o"t imnrtuo,,.lv md ,,oi,,a ~
~ t,"i thc hWndIa in the motor ''' ''''''''
81 viii toEc charge of thom N'sio,,
o., WI o"|y sho hn. Cham ',y'.i W H,''
"',u s,or ,.n,, ont r,y, ,,,,, ',,"' ,iS a.
''"i w ngirg %, IL md cwoi ,,''r' ~ ','' ,,o
oit, W. W mssoI6rgnd liz cail i,, a, ,mT
XIII nv ,oTt sE"r, ~, nr '"I, ,n n"'" ''",
friendship that IT was wholly unncrcS-
SarN Tor MIN TO mn" "X'HS"S for eat ing