The Shultz File

The next few months at the orphanage were quite uneventful, unless you count chores, education, and meals significant. The weeks dragged on for Adelaide. Her birthday came and went. Her only joys were Nellie and Edward. Even cheerful Samantha seemed down in the dumps.

Although Miss Prinsen and Miss Howard may have meant well in their efforts, the schooling system for the orphanage was somewhat strange compared to the common institution. For one, there were only two teachers, or instructors, as they called them. Their names were Miss Brighton and Miss Clark. Trying to teach all the orphans all the subjects was quite a hassle. Eventually, they decided to just teach the children to read, write, cook, sew, work, and enough arithmetic to count money. The orphans therefore finished "school" when they were nine, resulting in a decrease in "students." The older children would only attend the classes if they were helping keep the younger students in order.

Adelaide was almost nine, and she already knew how to read and write before she came to the orphanage. Miss Brighton had long since decided that she could advance in her classes until she reached the cutoff age. Adelaide was thrilled to be receiving more challenging schoolwork, but she was disappointed to not be in class with Samantha, Mae Lynn, and Emily.

Adelaide met with Miss Brighton every day before "school" to get her personal schoolwork. While the other orphans did their studies, she worked on her own work in Miss Prinsen's office. The schoolmistress's office was lonely, although Addy took advantage of the time alone to try to find her file.

"A...b...c...d...e...f...g..." she mumbled as she leafed through the folders. "Oh, where is 'Shultz'?"

All of a sudden, Adelaide caught a glimpse of the "s" files. She rummaged through them until she saw what she had been looking for-Shultz: Adelaide, Nellie, and Edward. She opened it up and started to read.

INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SHULTZES:

FATHER: HARLAN DAVID SHULTZ (BORN: February 1866 DIED: May 1901 due to crash)

MOTHER: PAMELA MARY (COLEMAN) SHULTZ (BORN: March 1868 DIED: 1901 due to crash)

CHILDREN: ADELAIDE (BORN: January 1893), NELLIE (BORN: August 1897), and EDWARD (BORN: April 1900)

CHILDREN PLACED IN CARE: May 1901 by DR. JOSEPH MILLER

RELATIVES: UNKNOWN WILL OR TESTAMENT: UNKNOWN

FRIENDS: UNKNOWN

ESTATE: UNKNOWN

Adelaide gaped in astonishment as she read the file over and over again. "I don't have relatives? That's ridiculous! There must be someone who is related to me! What is an estate? I must have Sam ask Lisa tomorrow at her lessons."

She heard footsteps from outside the hall and hurriedly shoved the files back into the drawer. Just as she sat down, the door flew open.