New York, July 1931.
Eliza sighed as she sat down in the comfortable chair in her office. This was the time she liked most-when the orphans were in bed asleep and she could think. Sometimes she wondered whether she'd bitten off more than she could chew since the thirty-five orphans currently at the orphanage could sure be a handful. But then when she saw them smile happily at her she realised that what she was doing wasn't just a job, it was something important. Like her, these children had no family, and eventually they would be turned out of the orphanage and ordered to make their own way in the world. So despite the many complaints of the orphans Eliza insisted on teaching them various lessons for at least four hours a day. No doubt they'd be at a distinct disadvantage when they left the orphanage and competed against other people who may have been to school, and had families to help them out, but if Eliza could help it they were going to be at more of an advantage than other orphans in the cities orphanages!
Eliza sighed again and reached for the paper. As she flipped through it a familiar picture caught her eye. Melanie Hockley had wed again in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was planning on making her home in the family estate of her new husband, in the Scottish highlands. Reading the description of the estate and the various homes Hampton Scott Wiltshire the Third owned Eliza couldn't help but feel a little bitter. People like Melanie always seemed to land on their feet.
"Miss Eliza?" A voice at the door asked.
Eliza folded the paper and turned around. "Emma, you should be asleep by now." She said gently.
"I was." Emma said. "But I had a nightmare!" And now her lower lip trembled and tears brightened her eyes. She was one of the prettiest of the orphans, a ten year old with large brown eyes, and shiny black hair. Her mother had been an actress who had fallen pregnant when she was in the middle of her career and had not wanted a child to burden her, so Emma was left in the hands of the state.
Eliza sighed and held out her arms for the small girl to run into. "What was the dream about?"
"Well I was sixteen and they made me leave here and because of the depression I couldn't get a job, and I had to live in a cardboard box and I was hungry and cold..." Emma said, sniffing.
"A cardboard box?" Eliza repeated with a slight frown. "What made you think about of that?" Although she had a fair idea.
"Molly." Emma admitted. "Molly says we'll all live in cardboard boxes, or we could live in a tent thing by the river, but she says the men there are bad and they might take advantage of us. What does that mean?"
"It means nothing." Eliza said. "Molly is just making things up-as usual." Molly was almost fifteen, a rough looking girl, who had spent almost thirteen years in the orphanage. Not only could she be a bully, but she also had a tendency to make things up, which Eliza could imagine would be only natural if you knew absolutely nothing about your own parents! Nonetheless she was constantly having to punish Molly for causing trouble of some kind!
"Molly says that when she gets out of here she is going to go and find her real mother. She thinks that she is a princess in Europe somewhere!" Emma said. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a princess?"
"It would." Eliza replied. Last week Molly had been convinced her mother was a famous singer, this week a princess. What next?
"Miss Eliza when are we getting new clothes? My dress is getting old and Molly says that it is going to fall apart one day. I don't want it to just burst in front of everyone!" Emma asked.
Eliza sighed. With the depression still continuing the orphanage was existing on only the barest of funding. The number of unemployed and homeless went up almost daily, and only the very rich were still able to continue living somewhat according to their standards! Some, like Cal, had made unwise investments and lost a lot, others hadn't. But the majority of the country was suffering. Still, Eliza reasoned, they were a lot better off here in the orphanage than many others. They had some sort of shelter, some sort of heating, and some sort of meals.
"I don't know Emma." Eliza admitted. "Now how about you get back to bed and get some sleep? In the morning I'll have to have another word to Molly about scaring people with her silly tales."
*****
The next day Eliza took Molly out of the dining room whilst the rest of the girls were eating their small portions of porridge.
"Molly, I had Emma in my office last night because she had nightmares about having to live in a cardboard box! I wish you'd stop telling the children these kind of things!" Eliza said.
Molly glared at her. "Why not? It's true ain't it? I saw in the papers, and I've heard on your radio when you don't know I'm listening! The depression is going strong and who knows what's going to happen to us when they make us leave here? We'll probably die! Most people have no jobs and no money. Lot's of people have no homes and no food. If you want them to think life is all rosy fine. But I think they should be prepared for what's going to happen to them once they're out of here!"
Eliza ran a hand through her hair. In a way Molly did have a point, but not when it came to ten year old girls. "Regardless of how you feel Molly I'm in charge here and I've had about as much as I can take of your behavior. Clearly punishing you doesn't work anymore. The next time you act up I am going to speak to the board and ask for you to be moved to another orphanage. So please behave!" She said. She hated being strict on the girls, but sometimes she really had no choice!
Molly frowned, and then turned and walked back into the dining room, and Eliza hesitated before following her. So began another day at New York State's Orphanage on 88th street.
[A/N. I know I haven't updated for awhile because I've been working the last week for ten hour days..yuk! I don't know much about when the depression began to get slightly better, but I am assuming that after two years or so it wouldn't be turning the corner yet? And just a quick question-does anyone know how to have bold, italics or underlines in their stories on here? I've tried doing them in my word document before uploading it, but it doesn't seem to work! ]
Eliza sighed as she sat down in the comfortable chair in her office. This was the time she liked most-when the orphans were in bed asleep and she could think. Sometimes she wondered whether she'd bitten off more than she could chew since the thirty-five orphans currently at the orphanage could sure be a handful. But then when she saw them smile happily at her she realised that what she was doing wasn't just a job, it was something important. Like her, these children had no family, and eventually they would be turned out of the orphanage and ordered to make their own way in the world. So despite the many complaints of the orphans Eliza insisted on teaching them various lessons for at least four hours a day. No doubt they'd be at a distinct disadvantage when they left the orphanage and competed against other people who may have been to school, and had families to help them out, but if Eliza could help it they were going to be at more of an advantage than other orphans in the cities orphanages!
Eliza sighed again and reached for the paper. As she flipped through it a familiar picture caught her eye. Melanie Hockley had wed again in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was planning on making her home in the family estate of her new husband, in the Scottish highlands. Reading the description of the estate and the various homes Hampton Scott Wiltshire the Third owned Eliza couldn't help but feel a little bitter. People like Melanie always seemed to land on their feet.
"Miss Eliza?" A voice at the door asked.
Eliza folded the paper and turned around. "Emma, you should be asleep by now." She said gently.
"I was." Emma said. "But I had a nightmare!" And now her lower lip trembled and tears brightened her eyes. She was one of the prettiest of the orphans, a ten year old with large brown eyes, and shiny black hair. Her mother had been an actress who had fallen pregnant when she was in the middle of her career and had not wanted a child to burden her, so Emma was left in the hands of the state.
Eliza sighed and held out her arms for the small girl to run into. "What was the dream about?"
"Well I was sixteen and they made me leave here and because of the depression I couldn't get a job, and I had to live in a cardboard box and I was hungry and cold..." Emma said, sniffing.
"A cardboard box?" Eliza repeated with a slight frown. "What made you think about of that?" Although she had a fair idea.
"Molly." Emma admitted. "Molly says we'll all live in cardboard boxes, or we could live in a tent thing by the river, but she says the men there are bad and they might take advantage of us. What does that mean?"
"It means nothing." Eliza said. "Molly is just making things up-as usual." Molly was almost fifteen, a rough looking girl, who had spent almost thirteen years in the orphanage. Not only could she be a bully, but she also had a tendency to make things up, which Eliza could imagine would be only natural if you knew absolutely nothing about your own parents! Nonetheless she was constantly having to punish Molly for causing trouble of some kind!
"Molly says that when she gets out of here she is going to go and find her real mother. She thinks that she is a princess in Europe somewhere!" Emma said. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a princess?"
"It would." Eliza replied. Last week Molly had been convinced her mother was a famous singer, this week a princess. What next?
"Miss Eliza when are we getting new clothes? My dress is getting old and Molly says that it is going to fall apart one day. I don't want it to just burst in front of everyone!" Emma asked.
Eliza sighed. With the depression still continuing the orphanage was existing on only the barest of funding. The number of unemployed and homeless went up almost daily, and only the very rich were still able to continue living somewhat according to their standards! Some, like Cal, had made unwise investments and lost a lot, others hadn't. But the majority of the country was suffering. Still, Eliza reasoned, they were a lot better off here in the orphanage than many others. They had some sort of shelter, some sort of heating, and some sort of meals.
"I don't know Emma." Eliza admitted. "Now how about you get back to bed and get some sleep? In the morning I'll have to have another word to Molly about scaring people with her silly tales."
*****
The next day Eliza took Molly out of the dining room whilst the rest of the girls were eating their small portions of porridge.
"Molly, I had Emma in my office last night because she had nightmares about having to live in a cardboard box! I wish you'd stop telling the children these kind of things!" Eliza said.
Molly glared at her. "Why not? It's true ain't it? I saw in the papers, and I've heard on your radio when you don't know I'm listening! The depression is going strong and who knows what's going to happen to us when they make us leave here? We'll probably die! Most people have no jobs and no money. Lot's of people have no homes and no food. If you want them to think life is all rosy fine. But I think they should be prepared for what's going to happen to them once they're out of here!"
Eliza ran a hand through her hair. In a way Molly did have a point, but not when it came to ten year old girls. "Regardless of how you feel Molly I'm in charge here and I've had about as much as I can take of your behavior. Clearly punishing you doesn't work anymore. The next time you act up I am going to speak to the board and ask for you to be moved to another orphanage. So please behave!" She said. She hated being strict on the girls, but sometimes she really had no choice!
Molly frowned, and then turned and walked back into the dining room, and Eliza hesitated before following her. So began another day at New York State's Orphanage on 88th street.
[A/N. I know I haven't updated for awhile because I've been working the last week for ten hour days..yuk! I don't know much about when the depression began to get slightly better, but I am assuming that after two years or so it wouldn't be turning the corner yet? And just a quick question-does anyone know how to have bold, italics or underlines in their stories on here? I've tried doing them in my word document before uploading it, but it doesn't seem to work! ]