The day book. [volume], March 13, 1917, LAST EDITION, Image 18

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
HIS IDEAL
By Jessie Ethel Sherwin
(Copyright, 1917, W. G. Chapman.)"
"Happy man! You've got every
thing worth having in the world ex
cept a wife."
"Oh, that will come along in due
time," chirped Ned Dawson, in his
usual bright, happy-go-lucky way.
"No star in the zenith to date?"
questioner Rodney Blair, drug clerk.
"Not a star!" asserted Ned stanch
ly. "You see, I haven't had my for
tune long enough for maneuvering
mammas and designing daughters to
get on to the fact"
"There'll be a horde when you get
into high society, Ned," warned his
friend.
"Not going to do that at all," as
serted Ned. "I'm for a year of travel.
I've always longed for it, now I can
afford to indulge the ambition. After
that, settling down, maybe. When I
do, I'll not belooking for any high so
cial debutantes. Some sweet, charm
ing, natural, sensible girl is my sort"
"Hard to find in these giddy times."
"Maybe, but I'll search for her.
Going?"
"For an hour. If you'll just keep
store until 8 o'clock it will be an im
mense favor. There will not be many
customers a night like this. If they
come, wait on them if it's show-case
stuff. If it's prescriptions, stack them
up until I arrive."
"Very good," nodded Ned compla
cently, and selected the best cigar
from the case and seated himself
comfortably in the ragged," cush
ioned, but comfortable chair be"hind
.he counter.
It was raining, hard outside and the
quiet air invoked drowsiness. Ned
fell into an aimless, dreamy fit He
mused over the "sort of a girl" he
had described. He pictured her in
fancy and lo and behold!
There she was to order. The door
opened and a lovely creature stepped
within view of the romantic dreamer
Ned was in a fair mood for visionary
conceptions. The girl had stepped in
amid his musings as if purposely fill
ing out the picture framed in his airy
train of thought
She looked animated, her eyes
were sparkling, her cheeks were suf- jjj.
fused with exercise. Her breath came
quick. She wore a waterproof, and
as she threw back its hood and shook
off the gathered raindrops Ned
thought of some beauteous fairy
"We Have an Account Here."
amid a shower of crystal.- The girl
made him out beyond the show case.
"Oh, I've had "such a run!" she
said, and then she drew back
abashed, for Ned had risen to his
feet and the customer, seeing that he
was not her acquaintance, Mr. Blair,
was somewhat embarrassed.
"I am a transient substitute," ex-