The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-10-07
Fanny's Title
By BUD OVERMAN
ASSOCIATED Newspapers-WNU Service.l

dium-priced apartment. She had
studied music and art and elocution
(called expression, which was too
strong a word entirely for the in
struction she hadD and had been
prepared hopefully by her aunt for
legacy that had been long looked
for.
And now the legacy had come!
Uncle Regal quickly bought in Fan
ny's name a beautiful country es-
tate some thirty miles out of the
city, according to the genial realtor
who closed the deal.
"And now, Fanny" said Aunt
Regal, your estate is much, much
larger than we hoped it might be,
and there is no use in letting your
self be married off to some COM
moner. You will marry title. You
can well afford it, dear. And I'll
get you the title, see?"
And, sure enough, they hadn't
been in the new house two weeks
before a prince was invited to visit
them for the weekend.
$50 lucky you've been trained to
sing little and play little and
speak nice pieces" said her aunt
to Fanny. at will stand you in
good stead now that you are to
marry into royalty, my dear"
"Oh, but, aunty!" expostulated
Fanny with pretty blush. Moth
ing is settled yet, you know. Why,
I haven't even seen this prince of
yours and he hasn't seen me-"
'Well, I must say" admitted her
aunt, che certainly isn't much for
looks. Skinny old thing, to tell the
truth. But when he sees you, my
dear-you're remarkably pretty,
you know-and then with the pen
MES you have ."
cts a pity that the head garden
er isn't a prince" unused Fanny.
She looked at the gardener wist-
fully. She found occasion to ask
him how hollyhocks were planted
and taken care Of.
''You like hollyhocks?" asked the
gardener gravely.
ooh, yes" said Fanny. 'When I
was little girl, Sims, we had a
book at home showing English gar
dens, and they always seemed to
have tall hollyhocks nodding in such
a gracious manner. Of course, that
sounds silly-but they did look like
that-really!"
at doesn't seem a bit silly to
me-" he replied, as he bent over
some very fine bulbs he was plant
ing himself. weston! Wheel the
barrow over fifty yards west there
to that bed I've been having
smoothed."
Don't talk to these gardeners,
child" scolded her aunt. "They
charge us an incredible sum for the
work anyhow. Why that head
gardener has a college degree, if
you'll believe it."
And so Fanny found that Sims
would talk little about college and
hollyhocks and the bugs that bother
rose bushes.
The night that the prince arrived
found Fanny weeping stormily in
the garden pergola. Skinny old
thing!" she walled between sobs.
"Who?" demanded voice at her
elbow.
And then she was telling Sims
all about it, and some way or
other his arms went around her to
comfort her and pretty soon-well,
well-these things will happen-he
kissed her! And Fanny, having
been brought up very strictly by
her watchful aunt, considered them
selves engaged Immediately and
Sims willingly agreed to hustle right
off after a wedding license. In fact,
he was more than willing.
And when they came back next
morning to the estate Fanny expect
ed her aunt to marvel at the ro-
nance of it all. Instead her uncle
told Winfield Sims that he was a
rascally fortune hunter.
GAS far as that doggoned prince
was concerned" said Uncle Regal
to Fanny, quite as if her hus-
band were not there at all, "you
didn't miss a thing. 1t seems he
gave his real name all right, but
/ had some detectives look him
up, and, say! He didn't have a
title any more'n have-the fakerl
Why, he'd served time in. a peniten-
tiary-and he"
ooh, oh, OIL" laughed Fanny. II
believe I'm going to be character
reader or whatever they're called.
1 didn't like his looks at all and
Win didn't like him either. Did
you, VIM"
Winfield Sims did not hear his
new wife. He was staring with hor-
ror-stricken eyes at a telegram that
a servant had just put into his hands.
"My-my brother has been killed
hunting. They cabled the New York
lawyer and he telegraphed that IL
must go home at once"
"Did you think so much of this
brother?" asked Aunt Regal uneas-
lily as she looked at his suddenly
deep-lined face.
81 haven't seen him for eight
years." confessed Winfield. ''But,
you see, it will take Fanny away
from you-I-I'll inherit the title
,,o,,, ard I'll met about have IN live