Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-06-16
his FIRST LOVE


TAX LONEL1 passenger stood on the
ZSN promenade deck of the Deutsch-
Idnd as the great liner cut its
way through the stormy waves of the
Atlantic. He seemed lost i'm thought
as he stood leaning against the rail
ing gazing at the waves which broke
themselves into seething foam against
the side of the vessel.
Suddenly a young girls sweet voice
hroused him from his dreams.
s here you are, doctor! If Miss
Hess knew that you prefer listening
TO the waves instead of to her sing
Ing 1t would be all over between you"
She laughed a delightful silvery
laugh and her pretty little face looked
teasingly at the doctor, who evidently
tried not to meet her eyes. 1t was a
moment before he answered:
You asked me to-day, Miss Lingen,
If it was only longing for my old home
which takes me back to Germany after
SIX years in America. AT hat time |
evaded your questions. Now | feel
INV Va SOu Lu ulANSo hlC DdNh,
If you do not think it will be too tire
some to listen to a story, which is
probably of nc interest to you"
mo, | am sure your story will inter
est me, DOCTOR" she replied softly.
1T was seven years ago. | had just
been graduated from college, and vas
doing hospital service at Berlin. AS |
thought myself the son of a wealthy
father l enjoyed life in full measure,
never thinking Of where the money
was to come from which l so reck-
lessly spent. One evening l accepted
the invitation of a friend to be his
guest at a supper in company with
some chorus girls from the Thalia
Theater.
Zone Of these, a sweet, quiet girl of
16, attracted my attention because of
her digniied behavior, which was in
marked contrast to that Of the others,
who were anything but conventional in
their She seemed to me the
embodiment of all womanly beauty
and virtues. l soon found out that
she had gone on the stage only to sup
port her mother, who was an invalid,
and that she was anything but happy
1t the life behind the footlights.
"To make a long story short, l fell
deeply in love with her with all the
fervor of my "a years. Then my ia
Their died suddenly, and instead of a
fortune left nothing but debts. This
upset all my plans. l saw that from
now on l must rely only upon myself,
and to marry a poor girl under these
circumstances appeared to be wholly
out of the question.
81 would not give up my Paula,
however, but told her that we would
have to postpone our wedding, ard she
promised to wait for me. She had left
the stage when we became engaged,
and now took a position in an office
at a miserable salary, while I went to
America to seek my fortune.
I'm the beginning, we corresponded
every three days, and every steamer
brought me long letters from her, but
In the foreign country my love seemed
to wane, and soon l wrote less regu-
larly and at last stopped entirely,
though her letters to me told me Of
her despair at losing me.
"And at last her letters also ceased.
o She had become convinced Of my
faithlessness, the tie was broken and
! must admit hat l felt it as a great
relief.
"Then, one evening, about IS months
ago., 1 was called to the deathbed of a
Door young girl who had taken poison
because her lover had proved faith
less. Never shall forget the terrible
sufferings Of that poor creature. When
she had died and I went home l felt
like a murderer in my own eyes-I,
who had behaved in the same out
rageous manner to a sweet girl who
loved me with all her heart. The mem
DRY Of Paula followed me everywhere.
1t almost drove mt insane, and now I
am on my way back to try to find
her"
He had finished his story and the