The Press., 1919-07-31
Her Dream Hero
 Il
(copyright.)
By EMILY II. 0ALLAwAY

She glanced at the gay throng in the hotel cafe and then back again to the man sitting opposite her. ''It's awfully good and kind of you Jim. to dig me out of that studio and give me a breath of thfs," she mur- 'mured. And I know you grudge every minute from your precious old railroad"
 "Not these minutes," and the look in the mans eyes made the girl glance quickly down at her oysters. Do you know, Jimmie. I've done nothing but work since our last party three weeks ago. l haven't sesh a soul"
 "Whose fault Is it?" asked the man, If you will have a cold-blooded career instead of"
 'Now, Jimmie, dear, don't let's dis agree tonight. You know you prom ised not to ask me agaiR," and the girls brown eyes looked beseeching- ly up.
 The mans face settled into it's ha- bitual speculation. The man hastily changed the sub ject.
 "I wish you wouldn't wear that jewel around" he began. Its too valuable and too well known for girl to keep in a studio" Jimmie, just when was started off on my ideal lover, you have to inter- rupt with some of your practical ad- vice." And the ~petulant curve of the girls lips was most distracting. "I'm awfully interested. I assure you. Do you suppose you'll ever meet this ideal of yours?" The laugh in the mans voice was belied by the grim look in his eyes.
 Every one has an ideal" said the girl.
 "I'm going to tell you something that's happened to mel don't know whether you'll believe me or not-it certainly does sound queer-but it's as true-as this bread and butter!"
 q was so tired" went on the girl, 'T thought I'd never get to sleep when I finally did, I began to dream. I couldn't tell you to save my life what 1t was about. All I remember is the man in it.
 "T saw him just as plainly as Pm seeing you-and I'd never, never in my life seen him before. He was the sort of man you'd turn around and look at-tall and athletic looking, with a face like a-well, like Greek god"
 You'd probably seen him some where before," explained Jim.
 q could never have forgotten that face If I had once seen it," said the girl. "Now comes the queer part. The next morning was going down to the publisher with my Illustration.
 q got out of the subway at Union Square, and as I came up the last step I tripped q little and almost fell into tall man who was starting down the stairs. I looked up at him to apologize and 1t was-the mans I'd been dreaming about"
 "For Heavens sakew ejaculated Jim, "what did you do?"
 "I stood there and stared-and the man stared back-then I realized I didn't know him from Adam and r. I managed to go on."
 "He was sort of gupe not to have done anything-a chance like that" grinned Jim.
 "He wasn't that sort" said Aileen severely. "He raised his hat and went down the steps,"
 "Is that the end?" asked Jim.
 "No, it's not" continued the girl. "I couldn't work all that day-I couldn't get that man out of my thoughts. wonder if you've ever felt that way, Limits awful!"
 And the strains of La Paloma" seemed tO stif1e her.
 "Poor little girl, know" said Jim, and he looked as though he did.
 "That night" the girl went on "I dreamed about him again.
 ''trhe next morning 1t was the same Il couldn't work. By afternoon I was so nervous l put on my things and started to walk down the avenue. Jim, I met him in front of the Hol- land House!"
 "Go on." said the man intensely. "Go on."
 'Tve got to speak to you," he said, and his voice sounded just the way knew 1t would-low-toned and vibrant.
 "'May walk little way with your" he said.
 "Jim, l could no more have pre- vented him than could have stopped breathing-we walked down Fifth ave- nue-and I haven't the remotest idea what he said.
 "I finally managed to gasp that I must go home And he put me in a taxi-and in a sort of daZe I came home Then I began to realize that I didn't even know his name and he didn't know mine!''
 Bad technique on his part" grunt- ed Jim.
 Aileen leaned forward.
 "Jim, don't you understand this wasn't an ordinary filtration? I don't think he'd ever spoken to a girl like that before in his life-and I'm sure I'd never done such thing-it was just that we'd found each other-out of all the world-just we two!"
 "Well. is that the end?" asked Jim.
 "No. This morning the telephone
 
 my name! The instant. picked up the receiver knew who 1t was- When I heard his voice--Oh. Jim ]" and the expression. in >Aileen,s face made Jim look hastily away.
 "All he. said was. May call tonight ?" and said, Yes. at g."
 "But you're going to the theater with me-" said Jim. You promised, you know"
 'H he asked me to marry him." said the girl, "T'd-Pd do it
 Jim's face went white.
 As Jim left her at her studio door his face looked drawn and tense in the semi darkness. ~..<>'
 May drop in later7" he asked. 'Td like to meet him."