The Real Thing. Originally Published 1956. Author: Rosamond du Jardin. Tobey Heydon and Brose Gilman put their special friendship to the test when they chose colleges a thousand miles apart. To make it worse for Tobey, it seems that Brose can't write more than a ten-line letter! Tobey's plans for a happy summer reunion with Brose are dashed when a Texas heiress gets him a summer job on her father's ranch. Will Brose succumb to Jan Shelby, or is his love for Tobey "the real thing?"