The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1896-03-27

constantly reiterating for the last hour,
was beginning to tell upon his brain.
The formula. II am about 60 60 to
sleep, am becoming sleepy, I slesp."
was having most magical effect.
DR.. Amsden dropped into the misty
chasm Of slumber less than fifteen MIN
utes after getting to bed. But that flf-
teen minutes had been spent in atron-
uous command, on the part of the OBJ
jective mind. that the subjective mind
should 60. at precisely 8 o'clock. 10 tho
home Of Miss Foote. present itself in
the exact and correct image o. the
lover, and make an ardent appeal to
the affections Of the lady.
In about two hours Amsden awoke,
bathed In perspiration and feeling
thoroughly exhausted. He was not
conscious of having dreamed at all, and
yet 1t seemed to him as II he hal Just
shaken off a most horrible nightmare.
He arose. lit the gas and consulted his
watch. 1t was Just 10 o'clock. "fhank
heaven" he cried, II did not wake be-
fore the time" He went back TO bed
and fell Instantly into the deep slumber
or complete exhaustion, from which he
did not wake until late the next morn
ing.
For two days he did not see Miss
Foote. Then he summoned I'D courage
10 call on her. She came downstairs
looking pale and anxious. and tHe mo-
ment Amsden's eyes fell upon her his
heart began to throb with suffOcating
violence. Undoubtedly his experiment
hao succeeded as far as the proposal
| was concerned-but should his attitude
] be that Of the accepted or rejected
| lover?
Hardly noticing his stammer!ng ex-
pressions OF solicitude for her looks
Miriam led the way to the drawing
room, and, motionlng him to O. chair,
seated herself in dim corner at the
other side of the room. Then, with
her blue eyes lowered and her fingers
twisting nervously, she said:
DR.. Amsden. owe you an spology
When you called two nights ago and
asked me to be your wife I Vas too
much agitated to answer you. To tell
the truth" she continued, reddening q
little, the eloquence of your words,
their poetry and melody, so surprised
and overcame me that I could rot an
swer you as you deserved. when I
lett you and walked to the other side
OF the room 1t was only that | might
gain possession Of myself, and when I
looked up and found you gone"
Gone" exclaimed Amsden, groan-
ing audibly.
yes, gone like spiritr-here Miss
foote paused, while Amsden clutched
at his chair.fe feeling as though his whole
body were turning to sand and drib-
bling down upon the without a
word of good-by, feared that I had
mortally offended you and that you
would never come back to"
linen you were not angry because
my ghost-because I left like a ghost
You wanted me to come back? But
why?"
Il think you ought to know" said
The girl. blushng.
And the next moment DR.. Amsden
was kneeling at her feet.
II did it in a dream-no. I done
mean that mean this is a dream. ]
ought to explain"
mo don't try. 1 understand" saiu
Miriam, softly.
The girls head sank forward on his
shoulder. She was crying little. but
she suffered her lovers arm to sir
around her waist, and into his tremb.
ling hand che pressed her own.
1t was done. the impossible, the in
conceivable! And even Amsden felt in
his heavlng heart that he had never
done anything SO easy end so utterly
delightful IN his whole life.
1t was true that Miriam did not I'm.
derstand, but Amsden felt that at sucn
a juncture any explanation would be
not merely out OF place. but even in.
delicate.
To his credit be 1t said, however. that
on one occasion before his marriage
he attempted to confess to Miriam all
the circumstances of his proposal. but
while he was still struggling with his
introduction she stopped him with g
peremptory gesture.
II don't understand word about
subjective and objective minds" sh.
said, in q wounded voice. "All I know
is that you made me the most beautiful
proposal I had ever heard--I near
imagined-but Of course IL you wan,
to take 1t back by saying that you were
not responsible at the time"
Whereupon Amsden was obliged tc
consume two delightful hours in assur-
ing his sweetheart that he was a blum
dering fool, and that his metaphysical
nonsense, translated, meant that it wa:
his best self that had made that elo.
quent proposal. and that he was only
afraid his everyday self was not one.
tenth good enough for her.
|