Evening star., 1923-02-18

REMEMBER calling her Fannie,
the forlorn. and being rather
pleased with the phrase. ] know
when I passed 1t on to Inez she
chuckled over the name.
II guess you got her right, Trilby
May" says Inez. Looks like shed
. been turned loose from an orphans
home somewhere
Perhaps Fannie wasn't quite SO
torlorn looking as all that. but very
nearly. Much OF it may have been
due to the way her mud-colored hair
struggled in stringy uisps over her
ears and into her eyes Something
lad happened to that hair OF Fan
nie's, but I could never guess just
what She may have started to box
II and quit the job when she was
half through, or II may have been
nibbled by rats while she was asleep.
Anyway, il was hardly a crowninE
glory. And there was no denying
the fact that Fannie was a sloppy
dresser. on and of. or course, COM
ing straight from the country. as she
had, YOU could hardly expect to have
a snappy wardrobe; but even when
got sympathetic and gave her an
almost perfectly good gingham
morning dress she managed to wear
II SO much like meal sack that
was almost ashamed of my gift.
And get, IL Fannie had stood up
straight and could have lifted the
slump Of her shoulders and held her
chin up she wouldn't have been such
comic valentine She had sairiy
good lines, her gray eyes could some
times Iven up with expression and
her features weren't so bad. True.
she did have the snif1ilng habit. she
would shufIle around in old shoes
with runover heels and she had about
the complexion of picked pigs
foot.
Still. she could sweep and dust and
make beds and wash windows, after
fashion, and it wasn't for dec
orative purposes that We had FANNIE
around the studio.
Z 4 = x
WILL admit that when we came
| back from tine country last fai
and decided that we needed a maid
7 had in mind some neat. rather
smart appearing young person In
fact, / think I mentioned those ooaii-
fcstions in the want ad.
Hut Fannie was the first to respond.
Sine came almost before any Of US
was up. and waited until ! could
throw OH q kimono and let her In.
There was pleading look IN her
rray eyes. too, and when she an
nounced that she'd drifted in from
a little New Hampshire town not o
far from where we had been spend
ing the summer she rather cinched
her case.
II wisht you'd give me a chance'
saws she. I'D try awful hard.
How about It, 1nez?' 7 asks.
"oh. maybe she'll do" says 1nez.
So we put a cot bed in the little
room at the end OF the hall and sign
ed her on. She needed lot OF train
ing, but seemed to pick UP our ways
quick enough. and she didn't get
home sick, as had expected. In fact,
for a girl who had always lived In
the hills and had never been away
from home before. she was remark
ably contented. Finally I asked her
abo:.L -
"ara'. you fnow any one at all in
Ne,y York Fannie?" says L
She se,spe4 the floor with one foot
for q minute, i'nked up little in
the ears and then proceeded to spill
her secret Sure says she. Il
know Denny Moran"
"oh" says l. And who is Mr..
Moran7"
Hes workin' in garage two
blocks down." says she. "Car washer"
Il see," says I. "A beau OF yours
from your own home town. eh?'
Part of that was correct. Only
Denny Moran wasn't native son.
He had been imported into New
Hampshire by one OF the summer
cottasers as chauffeur and he'd met
Fannie a. some Of the village dances
From carly in July until late septem-
Der he'd been more or less OF q steady
for Fannie, until his boss had gotten
wise to these moonlight Joy rides
Denny was taking allNon his own and
he'd been handed a ticket back to
town. But he'd been writing to
Fannie and promising to come back
next season if he could land another
job UP In that neighborhood.
But / kinda wanted to see Denny
before that" she explained, so I
came along down"
Even as Ruth the Moabitess,"
says I.
Hey" says Fannie, gawping.
there will ! go also. eh?" says ].
But you've been here more than .
week, Fannie, and I've seen no Mr..
Moran showing up az yet. How's
that?''
II amt let him know l was here
says she. II was gonna When ] got
settled. Couid-could call his UP
On the 'phone?"
II see no reason why you shouldn't"
says T. practically engaged, aren't
your