The Ghost of a Mouse

American author Fannie Caldwell used the alias Frances Little (November 22, 1863 - January 6, 1941). Her first and most successful book, The Lady of the Decoration, was based on her experiences in Hiroshima, Japan, between 1902 and 1907. Judge James Lafayette and Mary Lettia (Middleton) Caldwell gave birth to Fannie Caldwell on November 22, 1863, in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Fannie earned her education at Science Hill Academy. Fannie and her husband, businessman James D. Macaulay, lived at South Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky. Before becoming a writer, she taught kindergarten in Louisville from 1899 to 1902, but following her divorce, she traveled abroad and became the "supervisor of normal classes, kindergartens, at Hiroshima, Japan, from 1902 to 1907." During her stay in Japan, Caldwell wrote letters to her niece, Alice Hegan Rice. Rice decided to convert the letters into a book after eliminating any personal information. Caldwell's most successful book, The Lady of the Decoration, was released in New York City in 1906. Rice invented the alias Frances Little by reversing Caldwell's nickname "Little Fan." Caldwell's students inspired the title, referring to her as the "Lady of the Decoration" whenever she "pinned on her little enameled watch." The work takes place between 1901 and 1905 and is written in the form of letters home to a female friend or sister; it is unclear which.