The guardian., 1941-06-21
Bid to Fame
BY BARBARA ANN BENEDICT
9 Associated dNewspapers.-wNU Service.
w HEN Theresa Burdett reached

made her the richest girl in the
state and the most famous The
fame went to her head. She loved
it, reveled in it and continually
thought up new ideas to maintain
it. When the mere fact of owning
thirty millions in her own right be-
came less of an interesting topic
for conversation, she attracted new
attention to herself by marrying
Prince Marco. And when the public
got used to this, she divorced Prince
Marco. Later she married Baron
Ostrand, and still later she divorced
Baron Ostrand. And now she was
on the verge of announcing her en-
gagement to Cary Easton.
Cary Easton was nobody Oh, he
wrote fiction or poetry or something
like that, but no one had ever heard
of him. He wasn't famous or rich or
socially prominent, nor did he have
a title.
Thinking about her ingenuity,
Theresa felt very SNUG and COM
placent. Yet sometimes she pitied
Cary. He was such a sincere, honest
youth. He believed she was actually
in love with him. The poor idiot! Of
course it was too bad to have to
use young man like Cary. But
then-if Cary couldn't take care of
his own interests it was just too bad
Kay Stephen, Theresa's personal
secretary, entered the bedroom.
Kay was young and blonde and blue
eyed and had a freshness about her
that was only too obvious when you
compared her with Theresa.
"The newspaper men are waiting
downstairs, Miss Burdett."
"Well, let them wait!" Theresa's
eyes flashed. "Do they think have
nothing better to do than answer
their silly questions and pose for
their cameras? Besides, who gave
you permission to arrange for an
interview"
"You did. This morning at break
fast" Kay's gaze was level.
II declare, Miss Stephen, some
times you're very exasperating. I
have no memory of giving you any
such permission"
''Shall l tell them to leave?"
mo. Since they're here-has Mr..
Easton called?"
mo"
Theresa rose and rang for her
maid, bidding Miss Stephen to tell
the reporters she would be down
shortly. Dressing, she reflected it
would be best to admit to the news
paper men that before long her en-
gagement to Cary would be public
gossip. In another month, perhaps.
She would tell Cary tonight.
She was smiling when she de-
scended the stairs. Cary hadn't ar
rived. When asked about him by the
reporters she was evasive, secretly
enraged at his absence. But it was
the very fact of his absence that
prompted her to be more informa-
tive than she had at first planned.
The reporters were delighted. They
didn't suspect for a moment that
Theresa's readiness to talk was pro-
voked by vague desperation, a
subconscious uneasiness.
She spent the remainder of the
afternoon indoors, waiting for Cary.
When he didn't come her annoyance
gave way to anxiety. 1t occurred to
her that she might have been a
little too patronizing, might have
abused his honesty and sincerity to
the point where he had sensed the
nature of the role he was playing
and rebelled against it. A cold fear
crept through her body, a sense of
panic.
Impulsively she called Cary's
home and was advised that he was
out. Rose, her maid, brought in a
copy of the evening paper. Con-
servative, inside page headlines
practically announced her engage
ment to "the attractive young Mr..
Easton."
She called Cary's home again, but
without success. She felt nervous
and desperate and wished fervently
that she had adopted some other
plan or been less abusive to Cary
or less selfish in her desires. For
hours she lay awake that night,
miserable, unhappy, tormented by
her thoughts. 1t was mid-morning
when she awoke. Rose, instead of
Miss Stephen, brought in her morn
ing paper. But Theresa's annoyance
at this discrepancy was soon for
gotten as her eye fell upon the
front-page headlines. She sat up
with a start, conscious of sicken-
ing sensation of horror.
"Millionairess Tilted by Author
Lover. Cary Easton Elopes with
Theresa Burdett's Secretary. Once
popular and much sought-after heir
ess left holding the bag. Had an
nounced her engagement to Easton.
Nuptials were expected soon for the
former $30,000,000 bride of Prince
Marco and Baron Ostrand. When
interviewed, the happy Mr.. Easton,
smiling down into his wife's eyes,
admitted he had merely pretended
interest in Miss Burdett to be near
his bride, as the heiress had for
hidden any of her servants to en-
tertain male friends
Theresa let the paper fall to her
Ian Oddly bitterly she was +hipL