Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1926-09-09
Lady Fanny
Burton
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Bv DOROTHY DOUGLAS

- she was making out anu dTOSc "
greet the rather important looking per
son that had entered her tiny shop
The lady had been there before and
had purchased great assortment OF
chiffon lampshades. cushions and taf-
feta bedspreads.
Mrs. Bradshaw beamed upon Fanny
with her most engaging smile.
my dear" she said, II have come
down to ask you to do something for
me and hope you are going to be nice
about it. You're the only person /
can ask to do it as you're so thorough
ly English and-a-to the manner
born-as 1t were"
A slow smile crept into Fannys
eyes. To Mrs. Bradshaw 1t was en-
tlrely enigmatical. But she went on
with her proposition.
"Miss Burton" continued the so
ciety lady, "lf you will join large
dinner party l am giving Friday eve
ming and pose as lady Of title ana
one Of my closest friends-l Will give
YOU one thousand dollars"
Fanny's eyes opened wide, then
closed slightly in keen mental scru-
tiny. She did not, however, permit
herself an answer to the curious sus-
gestiOn. Instead she cast glance
into a tiny adjoining room In which
soft fame curtains were swaying In
the breeze and from which glorious
odor Of coffee was waited to her.
"How sweet of you," said Mrs. Brad
shaw, accepting the unspoken invita-
tion and she followed the lithsome
Fanny. "rm guilty Of having had a
secret hope that you would give me a
cup of coffee"
When they were seated on opposite
sides of tiny, yellow clad table and
slipping coffee from fame-colored cups
Mrs. Bradshaw told her story.
"This dinner party am giving will
number among the guests four ladies'
from small town near Boston. In
that same town my husband built up
his huge businNss-4n trade. Honest,
clean trade No0. while these ladies'
all accepted ny hospitality and pre-
tended great friendship / knew they
knitted me in their snobby, underhand
way" Mrs. Bradshaw laughed good
humoredly, "And now I just want to
have some fun out Of them and intro
duce them to real lady of title.
They'll talk about 1t to the end Of their
days and have 1t all over the local
news. I won't give the Joke away
either--I only want to feel that have
put one over on them-it may wipe out
a few of the old scars. I felt 1t then,
horribly"
Fanny leaned swiftly near to Mrs.
Bradshaw and slipped cool hand into
her friendly clasp. II know that kind
OF person only too WELL" she said,
"those who are friends during aftu-
ence."
"Then you will-come?"
"Yes. But only If you let me come
as a friend and let me be numbered
among your friends-afterward. ALI
want will be lovely frock-L haven't
one TO suit the part"
"And you must call me Alice and
you are-?"
"Fanny-shall we say Lady Fanny
Burton"
And on the Friday evening follow
ing, the four guests from the small
town arrived and their complete sub
jugation and awe by the simple prefix
Lady, was all that, could be expected.
And when Mrs. Bradshaw, whose hus-
band had been "in trade" was affec-
tionately addressed by Lady Fanny as
"Alice darling they knew that to the
end of their days they, too, would call
her by that intimate term.
But the real surprise of the eve
ming was when a strapping big man
with a slight limp arrived and was
taken in charge straight away by his
aunt, Mrs. Bradshaw, and introduced
to the titled guest.
There was fleeting moment when
the whole world seemed to stand still
and a tremendous silence told Of
great happening.
"Ted Bradshaw ~ in small too
trembling voice.
aLady Fanny--Oh--I can't believe It!
Not really your" in mans voice that
fought for steadiness.
He turned to the ast0nished aunt
"Aunt Alice, you never knew why I
took that trip to England, but 1t was
to try to trace the only woman ever
could care for. She nursed me In
her ancestral home when they sent
me back to England and because I
didn'r have bean and she was
lady of rank--I--left her without tell
ing her r." he stumbled, said the rest
under his breath, looking only into
Fanny's eyes, then added aloud,
"When / went back to get her she had
vanished and failed to get even a
trace of her"
"I-I lost everything -after-the
war;" Lady Fanny told him quietly,
"and slipped quietly over here to for
get, and work out my problem. wish
you had told me"
The butler arrived to announce din
ner and Mr bradshaw turned with a
smile on her face such as 1t had never
known and It erased forever those
other smiles that sometimes had
marred 1t.
81 am going to change arrangements,
Fanny dear. and let my nephew take
YOU init would he barbarous to sepa'
rate two persons who are so gloriously
happy at having found each other"
And all through that memorable
and extraordinarily joyful dinner party
the hostess had half her brain at work
on wedding arrangements, coioi
.a,.,cin and making nlli