The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-05


book on the rug beside her.
Il didn't know there was ANYTHING
the matter with them more than usuaI,''
said the man in the divan swing
20, yes" the girl replied They're
much more difficult than formerly-that
is to say, they're no longer so easy as
formerly and while hard game is sup
posed to inspire q true sport no one
likes a difficult summer man. But this
year they're almost that and it's all on
account of'-Iole.''
"Iole?" repeated the man in the divan
swing, who is always too busy hunting
trouble to read books.
Yes, Iole. Don't you know Iole-Rob-
ert w. Chambers Iole?"
90, it's a novel, is it? It sounded to
me like a new gusher-not that oils
enough of a factor any more to inter-
fere. with anything. much less the sum-
Iole-
II don't know whether I ought to-"
she said. But if it's safe with anybody
it is with you. I don'4srbelieve you
bulletins? Well, you've missed whole
lot, in the case of Iole and the other
seven. For there are eight of them
regular pippins. But that isn't the
word-it sounds too substantial and
while they're regular health food adj
vertisements they have that delicate,
ethereal, elusive, intangible indescriba.-
Bile charm that just completely-well, If
they were one bit Sweeter or more de-
Jicious one couldn't stand it, So all the
men have been reading about Iole and
Vanassa and CholOfrippe and the others
until they've gone daft on the subject.
Mr.. Chambers perSuaSions are so elo-
uuent and effective that they believe
there really are much adorably impossi-
BILE creatures somewhere in the world,
living daintfly off wild strawberries,
less red than their lips, talking artless-
Iy about their lingerie, making delicate
~ CO. GIxVff Il oe1,5v off Z,
Greek sonnet and wearing pink paja-
mas
ITS been a great thing for the
blondes, though You know, here lately
the blondes had been rather out of it,
but Iole and all her sisters are blondes,
golden blondes with heaven blue eyes
and rose and ivory skins and snowflake
hands and feet, so every man who has
caught a glimpse of yellow hair has
chased off after it hoping to find q
counterpart of the butterfly daughters
of the failing poet. OF course four times
out of ten she's peroxide blonde-but
then so was Richard LIE Gallienne's
Golden Girl YOU know when he finally
finished his Quest"
s'I suppose you know what you're
talking about" yawned the man in the
divan swing, who, by the way, was
out by this time and sprawling on the
Navajo rug with a pile of pillows under
his head Il don't"
But [ don't blame the men," the girl
in the hammock went on, ignoring MINI
And 1 don't blame Mr.. Chambers and
I think it's rather a. good joke on the
girls For years and years we've been
worshipping at the shrine of book he
roes-grand, noble handsome, athletic,
brave, faultless in dress and manner,
who do nothing but think sweet
thoughts and do brave deeds all day
and who make love adorably. The
lady novelists made them, and we made
the lady-novelists' fortunes in return
All the novels have been made for wo-
men. and most of them have been made
by women. The men have had to pay
for them-only to be compared, greatly
to their disadvantage, to the faScinat-
ing heroes. Now and then it was a man
who gave us a prince to keep us awake
O. nights-Anthony Hope for instance,
and we went stark, raving mad over
Rudolph Rassendyll or Rupert of Hent-
Eau according to our natures. But Rob
ert Chambers has turned the tables on
us by giving the men Ideals pesloe
which Rudolph and William Ashe and
all the other Quite Impossible Hes fade
into insignificance and it is our turn
TO be secretly and contemptuouSly COM
pared to eight dear. delicious, madden
ing innocent, bewitching and wonder
full girls with rne1odious butterfly names
who have read all the unexpurgated
dead tongue classics in the original and
yet have no idea of evil.
'.It is no wonder the men are moon
water to think of such ngs-what
must be the effect upon them? OF
course it is rather hard on us-but it
may work out for the best. When the
men come to- after the first delirious
effect of this dangerous book has worn
off, it may help them to realize soma
thing of what the women have had to
endure all these years, reading abour
the plausibly sounding princes of the
fairy tales and closing the book on
to ont inn
husband. I feel sorry for the men
that there aren't any Ioles in real life.
[ feel sorry for the girls that they
aren't Ioles. I'm sure the men are no
more disappointed in us after reading
Mr.. Chambers impossible idyl than
we are in ourselves
but you know I haven't read II"
said the man in the hammock eyes,
the man was in the hammock too, by
this time. Perhaps the girl had neg
lected to read her Edward Box that
month, being so busy with Mr.. Cham
bers.) $50 I'm not bit disappointed
in you. Brown hair still looks good
to me- I'm not chasing after blondes.
delicate little jokes in Sanskrit,' re-
quire a diagram for your jokes, as it
is. I don't know what I should do
if you began springing the dead Ian
guages on me. know the eight but
terhy sisters must be all right if you
say so. but I'll wear the pink pajamas
myself, if it's all the same to you.''
':I'm awfully glad you aren't
'littery,''' she sighed, after a minute,
contentedly cuddling closer. 81 hope
you'll continue to conf1ne your interest
in ideaIistic literature to the sporting
page, because as long as you're u
ouainted with the Iole school of fiction
you may never find out that you've
drawn blank"
after havingsbeen fooled by them
for a long time said a Topeka man