Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-03-30


hero's having any faults.
"Finis. the end, the close, the period"
exclaimed Evalyn, giving the papers a
little wave. 'Well?" breathlessly turn
ing to Allen.
He aroused himself and looked at her
glowing face. After all 1t would be
fair to say the nice things first
ITS rich. Evalyn, and see herel You
have the advantage of me. You have
pictured your heroine SO | can see her
the way she does her hail and her
dress and all that. Now, all | could do
with her appearance was to wrap a
piece of black stuff around her and
twist her hair up any old way"
Evalyn's face beamed, and her eyes
danced. "Oh, I'm so glad you have not
hit the hero! The others l just dashed
off, but I tell you 1 spent days over
the hero"
Allen gave a start of dismay and said
nothing.
How do you like him?" suddenly
suspicious of the others silence.
Observation-Disclosures then In sudden
IFS dllOhs 4 dbh ElAd 1Ou DhlLtu Ills
hair on one side"
Evalyn flushed slightly and moved
uneasily.
Allen took advantage OF the momen-
tary confusion which his remark SEEM
ed to cause her to say eagerly: "Now,
before we go any further with this
hear mine and then we can take both
/ IN tNnofhnr D,,4 hof1uo 49, +
want you to promise me something"
"Well?"
IF there is anything In this you
don't like l want you TO say so at
once. VIII you"
why, of course, we agreed on that
weeks ago." replied Evalyn in aston
ishment. otherwise we can never get
the stories ~collaborated. Haven't you
said just what you think about mine? ?"
"Oh, yes, so far" glibly. perhaps l
shall think of other things to say,
though. when mine is torn to tatters.
That's what | want you to do with it"
impressively.
He read.
Evalyn did not listen quietly as he
had done. She became unaffectedly
excited. She nodded and exclaimed
and got Allen so enthused that he for
got he was reading his own production,
and it began to sound fairS well in his
own ears. When he finished two pairs
of very bright eyes looked across the
table.
Evalyn clapped her hands enthusiast
ffoonu "a Hon horn 1V41aoz 0,,-
self. That is fine. And you have al
ways pretended you could not write
conversation. It's the best part of your
story"
mot so good as yours" Allen has
tened to interrupt.
Indeed it is. Now, that third person
says much brighter things for you than
for me. Otherwise how exactly alike
we have made him"
THAT comes of our both knowing
him and sketching him true to life"
Allen began, intent on opening a way
for his criticism of her hero. Don't
you think our characters ought to be
real people-true to life as we have
seen them?"
Evalyn hesitated a little over her re-
ply. Indeed, l do. Now, we were to
be frank about the faults as well as the
virtues, were we not?'
Eyes. yes" eagerly, land so I'll be
obliged to- Allen checked himself
hastily. Excuse me. You had not
finished"
He was so anxious now to have that
hero disposed of.
Evalyn hesitated. She tore bits off
the corner of her pages.
"Why, yes, l had not much more to
say, eXcept-well, l might as well say
it so long as l promised to be frank
we promised to be frank" she correct
ed herself. REALLY, Allen, your story
outdoes what | believed you capable Of
1.-THE heroine" said Allen, taken
aback. why, my heroine"-he paused.
Your heroine is not a real girl"
Allen stared ixedly across the table.
The light faded from his eyes. He
stammered. MY MISUNDERSTANDING
the matter with her?'
Evalyn spoke firmly. "She is unnat-
ural from the heart OUT
Exactly the fault with your hero"
Allen interrupted bluntly.
my hero?" in tones Of wonder. 81
thought you liked my hero" Evalyn
stiffened visibly.
"Oh, mol l said l liked his hair, but
the cut of a mans hair doesn't index
his disposition, and it's his disposition
that 1 take exception to. No man on
earth ever had his disposition"-here,
fortunately, Allen stopped. He hardly
knew what he had said because his
thoughts were more on his own hero
inc, whom Evalyn wanted to demolish.
Evalyn had grown very stiff and very
cold. Her tone was frigid. Your hero
inc is evidently a match for my hero,
as those are the very criticisms 1 had
to offer on her, although"-her tone, if
OosSihla was q shade moro ipv-"T