Show the I 1 ideal deal man by C N williamson copyright service VEN men read the novels of i jena ena L dean they snatched copies by b y accident 0 or r bought them hastily at at railway bookstalls book stalls but no matter how normal human male obtain obtained ed his a a first ena 1 L lean dean seldom did he put out it down till hed finished the last page wha whatever teve the defects of the story it made a man fe that he knew how bow to be a man as hed never known before As for women they had almost to he be kept back with a stick from library and bookshop counters when dia a first edition of one hundred thousand by ena L dean came out this thi S made it more curious that ena L dean herself remained an unknown quant quantity ty was she young was she beau beautiful ifal none seemed able to say she e never gave interviews neither jim grant nor derrick thurston had ever been curious conc concerning eming miss or mrs dean grant was violently a stockbroker thurston was modestly a poet the two were at dinner and had the dining room of the old fashioned botelao hotel to themselves Durl worth wis never crowded and such season as waked the place each summer had riot not begun the waiter pointed to a light among distant trees where miss ena L dean lives he announced its a cottage in the woods she calls the house dusk 0 dreams she would said grant the lady like A frightful frump I 1 suppose she seems so keen on hiding herself no sir ashes not frightful at all replied the man miss deans as sweet a young lady as ever lived why she shuts herself up nobody knows though there are stories she being so famous like one set thinks ashes had a love disappointment another that ashes afraid of somebody out of her past ive a different idea myself but if you and the other gentleman happen to see the young lady judge for yourselves the other gentleman had held wis Vs peace for he was recalling a book by edna L dean which he had read according to modern standards it was a worthless book things happened in it and they were the things you expected to happen and there was a sincerity of treatment which accounted for popular adoration thurston somehow care to make fun of the lady whose home light shone out like a good deed in a naughty world he listened to grants questions and the waiters replies miss dean literally hide herself it seemed she took long walks well go and have a look round tomorrow proposed grant thurston said neither yes nor no but next day after luncheon he went to the beach of the red rocks with his friend ite wish to annoy miss dean still he rather wished to sie s e what she was like and if a cat may look at a king a man inan may look at a female novelist presently in the shadow of the bi biggest agest rock the two sighted a omans form seated on the golden sand it was a slender form in a white frock and a wide brimmed hat on the bent head hid face and hair but on the drawn up knees rested a writing pad the woman could be no other than miss ena L dean come along goaded grant when thurston hesitated lets make inake her lift that hat brim it would be conspicuous to break away from grant in case miss dean were more awake to the approach of men than she appeared so thurston kept to his compan companions fons side as the latter swaggered along i with a clatter of big boots on little pebbles the one consolation for derricks shyness was that he was small compared to grant and I 1 toight inight pass unnoticed like the others shadow at first it seemed that the hat I 1 did d not intend to lift but at last when the two were within five feet I 1 ol of the seated figure the provocation proved tc a gre great at the woman why she was only a girl looked up she one looked straight into grants eyes es she had to his gaze reached out ut for hers and seized it as the aze of yow how many heroes in her I 1 nooks books ha had compelled compelled was as the e word I 1 that of her shrinking yet fascinated heroines heroin esl A lovely lovely sensitive face blushed red gray ray eyes fell dark lashes cropped dropped the whole scene might have 1 1 beai n a P age torn from almost an t n ay one e oi 01 miss alss deans books pot 1 I bases rases and the rest yet pot 1 i t lough they may be when done t 0 elds wl r ds las i r a gray eyes falling dark lt 4 es ea dropping bopping rop ping are pretty to watch derrick had almost to pull grant away he was a mere power behind the throne on which his mend friend glittered a king apparently miss dean glanced at him gee the girls a peacha said orrant grant who had fought near the americans in france ashes more a shy daisy than an ink slinger ill tell you what im going to get acquaint ec with her and im going to do it now 1 I dont see how you can manage that without being a rude beast object ec thurston ill be a rude beast said grant what shell love you dont seem to realize my good idiot that this young woman has done more than any other in her generation to make her own sex fall down and grovel at the feet of the cave man well du do you suppose the cave man waits for an introduction when he wants to meet a girl no he grabs her by the hair in fear lest grant should do this monstrous thing to miss dean thurston fled realizing his distance from the caveman cave man type he yet sought shelter in a cave mere bas relief that it was on the rock face a cavern mouth without a throat by flattening his body against the wall he could hide from eyes which might turn his way the 1 I 1 cost of thus erasing himself from I 1 the scene however was losing touch with it he could see neither girl nor man and a contrary wind swallowed the sound of voices if such sound there were stil if miss dean had screamed he must have heard her perhaps grant had never meant to carry out that dreadful plan I 1 after an interval of silence it seemed hours thurston peeped out both girl and man had gone derrick stepped forth the worse for t contact with red sandstone grants footprints ar apart and deep showed that he had actually approached pro ached miss dean by leaps and bounds the footprints led in the direction of her cottage in the woods dusk 0 dreams but for nothing on earth would derrick have followed theart he hurried to the hotel and soothed his nerves with cigarettes till grant swaggered back the conquering hero needed no urging to tell his story 1 I pounced on the girl snatched her in my arms shouted that there was a mad dog round the corner there was a yellow puppy he may have been mad tore along toward her house and before she could breathe set her down at he gate did she believe in the dog derrick inquired dont know she believed in me ill bet the first time shed met the ideal chap who swept her off her feet forced her to play heroine to one of her own heroes alter after id saved her life in common decency she had to ask me in she gave ms me tea I 1 talk much her sort of men dont I 1 held her with my eyes they drank hers as she puts the stunt in print im going back to repeat my success to morrow did she invite you to come again 1 I invited myself she say no derrick envied grant for the next three days the friends saw little of one another each afternoon grant was busy playing the strong silent man to miss deans eternal feminine while lerrick derrick strolled off by himself to think of her he have been strong and silent hirn himself shyness was his curse but if he could overcome the curse instead of being silent he would have wished to talk with ena every moment talk taa in an exquisite language which only he and she and the stars and the sunlight would understand he knew by instinct that miss dean suffered also from the curse of shyness that shyness not any secret of the past had driven her into seclusion cl he knew that their two souls were kin but of course she care for kinship of soul with a man like him it be exciting altogether derrick was miserable especially when he passed along the beach underneath the miniature cliff which ended miss deans garden glancing up then he would I 1 see her leaning on the bic gate gaic with ami see bic gaic ami leaning grant he hoped that grant told her he was a poet on the fourth day toward evening grant lurched home with a different look on his face derrick had seen such a look on the face of a child who had had its ears boxed happened his heart missed a beat oh nothing much said grant then being at bottom a creature capable of he threw off relie the mask forever with a sigh of manhood miss of his strong silent dean has explained why shet been its because well because nice to me from the first firs t minute on the beach when she cau caught sight of you she wanted to know you ashes asked if ill bring you up to call tomorrow |