The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-25
TIE EVENING STORY
Following Fanny.
BY Dorothy Douglas. }

! Dorian Brown was bored-unutter-
ably consumed with ennui and ready
| for anything that would tend TO
| break the monotony. His mentality
was at low ebb. otherwise he would
have found much of interest in Pic
cadilly, Pail Mall or the Strand.
Never before, during his motor
trips away from New York, mad ne
felt the consuming desire to be on the
move. on the move continually. For
tunately for his tastes Dorian mad
much in the way of worldly posses
sions, both financially and physlcaliv'
for even in the unbecomlng haplIl-
ments of the motorist Dorian BroWn
was good to look upon. He had been
hopeIessly in love at times as he was
hopeIessIy out of it. at the present
time.
He turned his mean-lookinS gray
motor car off the High street in Ken
sington in order, principally, to get
out of the blockade of traffic with
which that street seemed ever to sui
fer AS he went up Church street,
perhaps because in his subconsclous
mind he was seeking" adventure MS
eyes caught sight of a hatbox in a
secondhand trunk shop. 1t was
covered to the extent of resembling
an old patchwork quilt. with en-
blems of travel.
Reminds one of an old war vet
n,
with medals and scars. 1t sure has
had some trips he added, revertlng
to slang.
He was some distance past the shop
when his whimsical mind suggested
that he purchase the old travel
stained hatbox and follow where it
led him.
Il will go to every place the former
owner has beenrto and stop at the
same hotels Dorian brought his
car to a stop and when he again took
his seat the dilapidated box was
strapped at the back of the motor
beside his own Gladstone bag Its
feminine proportions and various Ia
bells presented unique contrast to
Dorian's circumspect pigskin bag.
One had many tales to tell, while the
other remained secretiVe. Dorian had
always commanded his valet to take
of all labels upon his return from
foreign lands.
Arriving in his chambers off the
Strand Dorian examined the hatboX.
He found initials almost concealed by
the label of a hotel in Dresden.
IF B." he said half aloud, that
must signify either Flora Or Fanny
unless phonetic spelling would make
it Phyllis or Phoebe" He laughed
with a degree of real happiness and
felt already that his boredom was
VANISHING "We-n1y motor, suit
case and hatbox-will follow Fanny
wherever fancy has taken her. And,
we start tonight"
Dorian decided, with whimsical
abandon to amusement. that he would
close his eyes and touch the hatboX.
Whatever label his finger rested on
would indicate his first move.
ITO Paris, via New Haven and
Dieppe, it isl he cried moment
later, and called Parker to book him
through on the Continental Express.
On second thought Dorian decided
to leave his motor in London as his
visits to each and all of the cities
which Fanny had gone to would OF
necessity be short. Parker took him
to the Victoria and left him in a first
class railway carriage with his suit
case. Dorian sighed when Fanny's
hat box went to the baggage coach
II believe it has a personality" he
told himself, and began to weave
fanciful tales around the probable
character of its late owner. He, fig
ured that she was not tourist, nor
even one who took a yearly vacation.
hat and people who can travel on
vacations are limited to time.
Fanny seems to have Travelled at
all times of the year" he decided, re-
membering numerous dates on the
steamer labels. He suddenly realized
that had he looked more carefully he
would have seen the girls name on
those same labels. Also he could
have traced her in the hotel regis
ters. Scotland Yard would prob
ably employ me- he laughed. Il am
one Sherlock Holiness
From Paris Dorian went to Bremen and
then to Dresden After that he spent sew
eral days seeing Holland. and from there
he travelled to Switzerland. seeing
Lucerne, and then to the Austrian
Tyrol
1t seemed as if with each step of the
journey he grew to know Fanny Blake
Perhaps the knowledge that he was stop
ping at each hotel she had visited and
that his suitcase was beginning to wear
the same evidences of travel with which
her hat box was already garbed helped
the illusion. Whatever the reason, Dorian
found the hatbox to be a never-endfng
source of speculation and amusement
Nor did he feel one bit conspicuous that
he was carrying about lady's receptacle
for millinery
Later ne crossed the channel again,
went into Deyonshire and Wales, then
I'D through the English lake district, and
from there up to the 1ochs of Scotland
Before signing his in the
hotel registers Dorian always looked far
back through the book until he had found
the now familiar writing of Fanny Blake.
Sometimes the number of her room gave
him the chance of occupying the same
one 1t pleased him to feel that he was
gazing out over Lcch Lomond through
the identical window that her eyes had
looked through
Then came the day when he sailed back
to New York Fanny had gone back by
the Anchor line; Dorian, too, sailed on the