The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-23
OoRRrs IDEAL LOVER
BY SHIRLEY CARSON.

you would welcome to the castle OF
your heart" added Eleanor sentiment
ally.
Derry crossed her slim ankles and
clasped her hands around her knees.
Sitting there on the grass in her lit
tie white frock, she looked very young
and very lovely, but Dorothy was past
twenty.
WELL" she began, loking dream
lily into distance, he must be tall; |
six feet anyway, as much more as |
would be in proportion to his per- |
fectly magnificent physique
Mercy" breathed Susan. 1T
would cost heap to feed such a
giant" Her eyes met those Of Peter
Ford and she was conscious Of a
panied look in his honest brown eyes.
Susan WINGED and was sorry that they
had urged Dorothy to express her
opinion concerning heroes. Peter
Ford was so hopelessly in love with
her little sister-and he fell SO far
short of the ideal man! Poor Peter,
with his fine intellectual head and his
hopelessly blunt and commonplace fea-
lures; his slight stature and his hon
est glance beneath a thatch Of straight
black hair! Every careless word OF
Dorothy's was turning the knife in
Peters loyal, loving heart.
So Susan fell very silent, while Dor
othy's voice trickled on, musical rip
pie of words:
with curling, golden hair like
! Greek gods; eyes blue and mystic
as the sea; straight nose; a firmly
modelled mouth and a dimpled chin.
Oh, don't care" pouted Dorothy. at
their laughter Il do think man
with dimpled chin is too alluring!"
my world" cried Jimmy Dean
shrilly.
Don't be silly, dear!' whispered
Susan, warningly, but Dorothy only
shrugged a careless shoulder and with
pink color flying in her cheeks went
on recklessly;
He must be musical-and an ath-
, lete-and fond of all outdoor sports.
He mustn't read anything except the
{ newspapers"
!. I'm afraid he'd be horrid bore, =
! remarked Susan dryly.
Peter Ford was walking away to-
. ward the fish pond.
. The guests scattered to other amuse-
q ments, and after a while Dorothy was
left alone. The sun was sending
:, long, slanting shadows across the
n green turf and there was a fragrance
l. of roses from the garden beyond the
Q fish pond.
d Lazily Dorothy tossed aside her book
and made her way slowly toward the
I rose garden.
+ But the garden was already ten
o anted.
Standing before great bush o.
:. pink roses, his hands grasping the
4 thorny stems and crushing the masses
a of pink blooms against his cheeks, wal
n Peter Ford.
% She went close up to him. and still
It he did not turn to greet her.
Timidly she touched his arm.
Peter" she whispered.
He turned a haggard face AM
: looked down at her from burninl
eyes.
II "Well?" he demanded, almos
" harshly.
II suppose-you think I'm awful
silly she stammered; "a perfec
IN idiot"
=. "You know l never could think any
:, thing like that about you" he said.
2. II mean silly when talking abou
,e castles and ideal lovers and ever,
a thing. was hopelessly silly, I know.
is mo, you are not that" he sale
IN slowly, but you are young and beat
m tiful, Dorothy, and who could blam
you for desiring a mate to mate
SO your own loneliness? Not II"
n 1T couldn't make any difference
,g you, anyway, Peter" half whispere
&c Dorothy, turning her face away frol
az him. You wouldn't want to live
ls- my CASTLE"
Elf Not with that paragon Of perfe
h ton you described"
IN IL wouldn't either!" cried Dor
ds thy, with astonishing inconsistenc
st I'D be bored to death"
ae but you said you described YOU
In IDEAL" protested Peter lamely.
NC "But-but," admitted Dorothy, tea
10 fully, that description was the exa
opposite of my IDEAL There! You''
III made me say it, Peter Ford!"
- Say what?" he demanded, gras
30 ing her hands and looking into b
IT, dropping face. Are you playing wi
ad me, Dorothy"
,.I Il couldn't pley-when--it means
80, much to me-" she confessed, wi
q, sweet humility.
~ There was an eloquent hush in I
No rose garden.
Az. Susan, waiting on the terrace
ia her sister, spied Dorothy conf
hu across the lawn with Peter Fol
=. They were hand in hand like t
&C. happy children. They paused at t
,ss fish pond and Susan saw them beI
IN ing over its telltale surface.
icb Dear old Peter-rm SO glad" nj
noe INJURED sympathetic Susan. 1T
,er naughty child, to describe such
mo popiniay of a man when she adol
Peters ugliness! What are you cl
dren doing?'
Peter and Dorothy lifted tn
flushed faces from the mirrorlike pc
'r1s Dorothy answered with swift W
rse rose flush in her rounded cheeks: