The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-11
TIE EVENING Story
Beating the Bryans.
by Lester Corning.1

dared challenge Mrs. PauIding's pre-
tensions .a71,o to social leadership. /
5ney got In last night" said Fred
mlloly. They had three weeks at the
store, two weeks in the mountains and
a month in New York. They brought
back a lot Of things from there
e, na wnere did you get all this in
in icy tones.
Nancy" said Fred promptly. 81 met
neL uown at the postof1ce and walked
part OF the way home with her."
wish you would remember that 1
90 not IKE to have you speak to that
loud person." said Mrs. Paulding fret
ruby. Mrs. Beeman had the audacity
70 ask at the sewing circle the oIner
Nancy"
There doesn't seem to be chance
Tor such luck" said Fred, gloomily, as
ask her, she reminds me how our re,
spective mothers-in-law would love US
Every time?" echoed his astonished
mother. May 1 ask how many times
you have lowered your dignity by pro-
posing to that impudent girl?"
About a hundred" was the easy re-
Spouse. "One of these days I'll catch
her off her guard and she'll say yes.
day. said his mother dolefully.
Il hope you do" he said with a
laugh as he bent and kissed the tight
ly compressed lips You'd like her,
So.''
Fred slipped out of the room. and his
mother could hear the rumble of his
laughter as he crossed the broad hall
For a time she sat with compressed lips
as she pondered the situation. Until
two years before she had queened it
over the Glendale set both by virtue of
her husbands business and pOitica i'm
portance: and because of her own skill
as an entertainer Then the new pulp
mill had been started at the upper dam,
and RenfeW Bryan had brought his
family to live in Glendale.
From the first the two women had
crossed swords Mrs Bryan, who had
humbly followed other leaders in the
city, now asserted her right to the title
in the small town, and by the brilliancy
of her entertainments, she had very
nearly wrested social supremacy from
her esta blished rival before Mrs. Pauld-
ing had realized what was going on.
Her own entertainments became more
ambitious, and for the last year the adj
vantage had lain first with one and
then the other. To have Fred fall a vic
tim to Nancy Bryan was the worst
blow she had sustained, ard, had she
known that Nancy'S mother was as fur
ious as she at the turn affairs had ia
ken, she would have derived small COM
fort from that fact. In blissfui ignor-
ance of Mrs. Bryan's state of mind. she
elected to believe it a move of that de-
signing woman.
To add to the discomfort of the stu
alton, she heard during the day that
Mrs. Bryan was to celebrate her re-
turn by a garden party of unusual pre-
tentiousness.
A number of her city friends were to
make up a house party and there was
to be dancing on the lawn to the music |
of an orchestra famous throughout the
state.
In her calmer moments. Mrs Pauld- |
ing would have waited for revengei but |
Fred's admission of his love angered
her so that she lost her usual caution
and announced a party for the same
afternoon and evening. She engaged a
brass band for the promenade music
and arranged for a troupe of Arabian
acrobats to perform on the lawn.
Glendale society was shaken to its
foundations and as each move was
communicated to the other contestant
through the medium of officious friends
some new feature was added as an Off
set, until it seemed that nothing short
of the engagement of a circus could
definitely settle the honors.
1t was in this frame of mind that
Mrs. Paulding approached her son.
You know that automobile you
wanted, she began at the breakfast
devise some feature that Mrs. Bryan
cannot possibly get for her party. That
woman has copied every idea I have
originated so far"
do you give me carte blanche?" he
demanded.
Spend as much as you like" she
murmured.
''And you won't ask what it is until
spring it?' he stipulated
II promise" she said. st may rely
upon you, Fred?"
For the sensation of the season." he
assured: Take heart of grace. mother
mine. l am planning to shake Glen
dale to its very foundations"
Much relieved, Mrs. Paulding hurried
to confide to her dearest friends that
she would have a sensation that could
communicated to Mrs. Bryan, who
worried much; but, since Mrs. Pauld-
ing did not herself know the nature
of the surprise, she could not betray
Freds plans.
The day of the double header" as
Paulding irreverently referred to it,
dawned bright and beautiful, and by 2
o. clock the festivities were under way.
There We're circus performances on both
lawns and honors seemed fairly even
Mrs Paulding went about with smile
of confidence upon her face, and, with
skillful reference to her surprise, kept
passed without the appearance of the
surprise, and the dusk had gathered be-
fore Fred disappeared and word was
passed that he had gone to engineer the
great event An hour later the Pauld-
ing butler sought his mistress and she
vanished into the house.
She found Fred in the library and
with him was Nancy Bryan.
'1 want to introduce you to the
sensation" said Fred, with a laugh,
as he led the girl forward. Nancy
and 1 were married half an hour ago."
"And this is your surprise?" she
gasped.
could you have a greater one?"
he asked. Every one knows of the
rivalry between you and Mrs. Bryan.
If you turn your party into a wedding
reception you'll beat Mrs. Bryan to a
standstill. You've been Dragging !
about your surprise. You pretend you
knew it was coming all along and the
laugh is on Mr.. Bryan"
For a moment Mrs. Paulding hest |