Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-09-24
DOLLY AND THE FOOL

advertisement. I read it with interest;
it ran as follows:
Young and attractive lady If title
most urgently requires f10. No secur-
ity to offer, but word of honor given
that the loan will be repaid within three
weeks Please help.-Address, Flavia,
care Of Sunday Times"
| sat up, all my latest sense of curios-
ity-I mean chivalry- aroused. To think
that a lady Of title, young and attrac-
tive, should he in want of f10 while L
/ mean we--had so much Personally
| don't ever remember not being in want
of f10, but | win say this for Dolly she
always is the soul of generosity. Only
last week on my birthday she gave me a
three figure check as well as-why go
into details?
Dolly" l said, what do you think d
this - and | read it out to her.
Dolly did not quite catch it. | read it
again. Why / should have blushed
hanged if ] know She always looks at
YOU as if she could turn your thoughts
inside out. | felt as if I'd been lending
f10 notes to distressed ladies of title all
my life.
Rubbish" said Dolly.
That's Dolly all over. No romance; no
interesting surmises as to why titled
lady should be in such need. In my own
mind | have woven 1000 theories. sur
rounding the fair Flavia with crippled
fathers or widowed mothers or Younger
sisters depending ON her Flavia as their
sole support-a brave. lion hearted girl
= /. .,1yH I
shell at the rebuff. but | could not dis
miss the subject from my mind The
idea of that poor girl haunted me all
day In the afternoon Dolly went paying
calls. | went to the club. Women |
moralized as l threw myself into an
easy chair, ARE always hard on their
own sex; all the more then ought we
men to stretch helping hand-'Do good
by stealth and blush to find it fame ?
| quoted. / was ever poetical. Poesy
and romance have ever found a friend
in me. ] hesitated no longer Striding
to her writing table 1 indited the fol-
lowing note:
TO Flavial If Flavia will be outside
Piccadilly Tube station at 430 p. m. to-
morrow Monday one who has known
poverty himself will endeavor to help
her in her need. He viii wear a brown
tie and a carnation in his coat, and
trusts Flavia win wear violets.-C Occur
de Lion"
/ liked my pseudonym "When she
knows my name is Richard" | thought,
"she will understand the significance. .
How | got through the intervening time
/ don't know Philanthropy makes one
fidgety. Dolly remarked ON the effect
without knowing the cause In the
morning / went to the bank and drew
two E5 notes. In the afternoon at /
O'Clock precisely / was waiting outside
the Tube station in condition of sup
pressed excitement. A visit to my tailor
and haircut had provided my excuse
to Dolly. In another minute we had
met. | had a vision OF large black
hat, languishing eyes, a pretty face
with a high color, tall. svete figure,
with the most clinging of clingy gowns,
and huge bunch of Parme vioets in
her bosom. took off my hat; she
bowed We mmmured our respective
pseudonyms. and III another minute we
We're strolling up Regent street ON the
way to a tea shop We did not speak
| until we We're seated at the table. |
remember wishing the titled classes were
better linguists | didn't like leon pro-
nounced anglice. But after ali. |
thought, it ~ only the lower classes who
are educated nowadays ! ordered tea.
| We had a pleasant time and dallied
/ over it till nearly 6 o'clock.
BY that time | had heard all the cir.
cumstances which had led up TO her
| financial stress-how devoted she had
been all her life TO art in general and
the theater in particular; what sue
cess she had been in any theatricals in
which she had taken part; how she de-
| termined to 60 on the stage; how her
| father, the noble viseount, had sternly
| forbidden it. threatening to cut her oil
with less than the proverbial shilling.
| how in spite of that she. the Hon. F1ayia
| Forsythe, had run away from home. and
| how in next TO no time leading man
/ ager had offered her an important part
| in his next play at splendid salary
/ how she had run away with quite enough
money to keep her until the plav was
| produced; the only thing was. and here
her eyes filled with tears and her hand
| appealingly touched mine. she had no
money to buy the necessary dresses for
| the part, so she had ventured to appeal
! for Just S1O-she thought $40 would
be enough, although. of course
| At this moment her umbrella fell
down. / picked it up. / pressed her
hand reassuringly. / slipped the two
bank notes into her yielding palm, Over.
whelmed by her agitation l promised her
as much more next day and she could
repay me when she liked But she was
firm ON that point The play would be
produced in ten days time. she pointed
out, and she could repay the SEQ out
of her first two weeks salary. We ar.
ranged to meet the following day.
1t was late when l got back. Dick. .
said Dolly suddenly during the evening.
why, You never had your hair cut after
all
Mo" | said from behind my manor