The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-12-20
Fanny's Stranger.
BY HERO STRONG

BY HERO STRONG
q tell you, Fanny Shawmut, you were
made for each otherp
And l tell you, Aunt Hildred, would
sooner die than marry him.
You are fool, Fanny. You are as
headstrong and self willed as your father
was before you!
Please leave my relatives entirely out
of the discussion! l am my own mis-
tress, 21 years old last June, and free to
refuse the emperor of Russia, if choose
to! And l tell you, Aunt Mildred, once
more, that l will not stay here to meet
Earle Rochefort, to be. inspected like a
COW or a horse just up for SALE So
there!"
And Fanny Shawmut left the room,
and shut the door behind her in way
which showed that she had a temper, as
it was right and proper she should have.
For a woman without temper would
be as insipid as broth without salt or
pepper.
Aunt Mildred Ames put her smelling
salts to her nose and took long sniff.
Such contumacy in Niece Fanny was ex-
asperating. If she had dreamed that she
would ever have developed so much OBJ
stinacv, she would have declined to be-
come her guardian, even to please her
dying brother.
A very few words will explain how
matters stood.
Earl Rochefort was young man of %
or 80, native of Mrs. Ames' own town,
and a prime favorite with the good lady.
According to her idea, there was not
another man in all the world worth
naming beside him. His father had been
Aunt Hidred's first love, but treachery
on the part of somebody or other, it
matters not whom, had separated them;
and he had found another woman, and
Aunt Hildred had found another man.
But when Earle's father died, an expla-
nation had taken place, and Aunt Hill
bred had promised to love the son for
the sake of the father And indeed, she
found it not very difficult to love Earl for
his own sake, for he was gentle and
afTectionate, and won the regard of all
with whom he came in contact.
But he did not marry, though a great
many beautiful young girls would glad
Iy have accepted him, and so it happened
that at eight and-twenty he was still a
bachelor; and about that time Aunt
HiIdred's brother John died in Madeira.
and left his daughter Fanny 10 her
aunt's care.
Fanny, pretty, spoiled IAN heiress in
her own right, and accustomed always
to troops of servants to order about,
did not fall readily into the groove her
aunt had prepared for her. She madeup
her mind that she would not love and
marry this Earle Rochefort, of whom
she had heard so much.
As vet, she had not met Mr.. Rochefort.
He was absent in California, where he
owned some mines, and had been there
nearly year, perfecting some arrange
ments for their improved working. But
he was expected home daily, and Aunt
Mildred was continually agitating the
subject nearest her heart. She had like
wise written to Earl, over and over
again. glowing descriptions of Fanny,
and had dwelt largely upon her favorite
plan of union between her two children
as she called Earle and Fanny. Young
Rochefort, with all a mans aversion to
having wife picked out for him, began
also to fairly hate the name of Fanny,
and to feel very much averse to meeting
the paragon
In fact, so strong did this feeling be-
become that he decided not to go to
Elmwood, Aunt Hildred's town, but tc
spend the winter at Derby, place some
hundred and forty miles distant.
He could make business an excuse
for, in addition to his other advantages
Rochefort was wealthy. and a man o.
property is always supposed to have
plenty of business on hand. So he wrote
to Mrs. Ames to that effect. promising
to run down and see her some Saturday
night at the very first opportunity.
Fanny, meanwhile, had packed few
dresses, and as little fnery as it is posi-
BILE for a young lady to exist with, into
a couple of trunks, and, in spite of Aun
Hildred's remonstrances, had departed
to make long visit to her cousin Bent
ley's folks in Derby.
The very dav of Fanny's departure
Mrs. Ames received Earle's letter, ant
when she read it, she executed pas d
seul which would have done credit to 1
French dancing master.
"Glorious.'' she cried; things couldn't
have happened more to my liking II
write to cousin Martha this very day
and get her on my side; and so, Mis-
Fanny we shall see you Mrs. Earl
Rochefort yet, in spite of yourself. Fo
know he will fall in love with you, if b
meets you, and don't believe you ca
help falling in love with him
Aunt Hildred capered around the root
50 gayly that the stad old cat fle
under the sofa to recover her equanim
ty, and the very canary in the Gag
stopped his singing and contemplate
his mistress in silent awe.
The letter to cousin Martha was wri
ten and dispatched, and Aunt Hildre
felt willing to await the course of event
She felt moderately sure that all woul
be Just as she wished it.
Fanny Shawmut looked very pretty