Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-01
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
HER IDEAL
By Helen Z. Ircrs

A FTER long and boring evening
"A Roy C. finally said Good might,
receiving n very chilly answer on 10,
Ms part. Mrs. Ms Good night,
was said in n plying. apologctic tone
After the door closed, she turned TO JOY.
you don't know when you're wei
off, JOY" she cried. Here you hav
the chance to marry young maj
with good prospects and who love
| YOU, Yet YOU ppurn him. 7 had TO come
IN here tonight, for fear Roy woutd g'
to sleep, your conversation was so In
| tore sting
It was n fine bit OF sarcasm, but 10,
did not nird. lie is not my ideal
must be better looking than he Is, nno
I don't want him 10 have good prospects
he must be enormously rich"
Two weeks later JOY went to New
Hampshire for her usual autumn vaca
tion with her grandmother. She cx
peCted 90 have a better time than eve
this year. because her grandmother haC
written TO tell her that there was ;
house party about half a milo away
The party was chiefly made up of young
| people
They were a jolly crowd and she en-
| ioyed herself Immensely, hut all were
glad TO rest for dinner. While JOY was
dressing, Christina James, one of her
| young nOSlPSStS fdftlt INTO llf IOb1Is
"You look fine. JOY" SHE said after
surveying her guest. 81 want you to
I look your best tonight. because a man
! has just como whom we want you TO
meet. Hos the catch of the season,
dear. and as he doesn't care especially
about any of us we want you to see
what YOU can do"
At dinner therefore. JOY was intro
duced to King W, the aforesaid
Prince Charming Her heart throbbed
suddenly on seeing him. Where had
she ever seen such a man before? He
was tall and light, with sympathetic.
dark-brown eyes. a wonderful smile and
an engaging personality. Throb, throb,
went her heart, and she barely looked
at tho young man when she acknowledge
cd their introduction. Surely this was
her ideal. That lie was wealthy she
found out before the evening was over.
Then her mind was completely at rest.
on the other hand, Joy herself was a
bcwitching little creature. She had
quantities of wavy. chestnut hair, vio-
let eyes and a clear, transparent cont
peNion. King W, who admired
pretty faces exceedingly, Immediately
attached himself TO her and rarely left
her side during the evening, while the
other guests nodded their heads and
smiled knowingly.
tho seventh heaven. Every place that
she won't she was accompanied by King,
who proved to be wonderfully congo
nial. 1t may he added here that Il.
was always thus with every girl he
knew. II was this way that endedrcd
him to all the feminine sex.
Two days before she was to 20 home
JOY went back to her grandmother to
stay there for the remaining time. King
was a constant visitor, and she became
more and more enraptured. Strange to
say, in her letters to her mother she did
V,n coll
to mention him casually along with the
rest of the party. Her grandmother,
however, wrote long and detailed ac-
count OF it, and Mrs. N shook her
head over the news,
At the end Of her vacation Joy came
home, her head completely cnvelopsd in
clouds She did not notice Roys all
sence until her mother, who had waited
for hS to ask where he was, Noluu-
teered the information that he was
away ON business. Even this did not
penetrate very far, and she merely stat
ed that as she was indifferent to his go
ines and comings it didn't make much
difference where he was.
Tile day after her return King called.
lie decoroGSly acknowledged joys in
PRODUCTION to her mother, and after the
latter left ho talked pleasantly for ten
or fifteen minutes. Then he rather hcsi-
tated
Il came to tell YOU something. Miss
JOY" lie said.
joys heart tuttcred Site felt that she
could guess what he wanted to say. lie
went ON.
You know" he said. "it has been in
"Nitable that | marry some day, and my
mother promised that she would help
me in the search for a suitable wife.
may tell YOU now that she lHs succeed
ed" Joy gasped as hc puk ~ picture
out of his pocket aud showed 1t to her.
"a. h, at lar fi,,it
lar, and her judgment IN finally picking
this girl shows her excellent taste. The
Girl is Il dream, is she not, Miss joy?
OF course. It goes without saying that
she is rich Mother wouid never allow
me to marry a poor girl. why, Miss
JOY, are you faint? Your lovely color
has completely disappeared.
"Oh, I'm all right" JOY managed 10
answer Although her eyes were ire
NOrahly opened to the kind of creature
her former idol was, she pulled herself
together and remained calm until the
end of his visit. Finally h" took his
leave and CUurteOusly bade Mrs. y ---
farewell.
Just outside the door he bumped into
a Young man who was evidently in u
hurry. II" indifforeutly watched him go
INTO the hous" and then turned and dl-
re"tcd his footsteps 10 the ear waiting
at III" door, the visit completely effaCed
from his mind
NIfdIlN NV HOY ldSl'lthl uIiSldllS anu
burst into the room where Joy was. To
his surprS" she was lying face down
ward ON the sofa. lie approached and
knoeling beside her gently lifted her
head. She started at seeing HIM but il
was a happy surprise. for Joy had
found that ideals aren't AL they're
cracked up to be"
At Suppcrtin" she cam" down with a
solitaire cleaning on her finger. Her
mother looked at it and smiled rucfully.
Which one, Joy"' she asked. "lIaNe
you found your ideal in Mr. w."
Pooh ~ Joy answered. smiling ra-
dtantlN, w HON do you suppose? ~
present | am engaged 10 Il poor but de-
serving Young man with good prospects.
and some time in the near future he and
! are 10 ho married. Mr.. W, we'll
lie was a ileeting dcluson. that's all"
Tomorrow complete novelette, -