The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-03-31
THE LOST WORDS OF LOVE.
By cAruLLE MENDEs.

grass ready to spring upon you, re
solved to avenge herself upon all the
people of a great country. Where
was this country situated? In the
mountain or in the plain, at the shore
of a river or by the scar This the
story does not tell. Perhaps it was
near the kingdom where the dress.
makers were very skillful in adorn.
ing the robes of the princesses with
moons and with stars. And what
was the ofense from which the fairy
had suffered? With regard to this
also the story is silent. Perhaps they
had omitted to offer up prayers to
her at the baptism of the kings daugh-
ter. However this might be, it is
certain enough tnau tue TaIry was IN
a great rage.
She asked herself at first whether
she should devastate the country by
sending out the thousands of spirits
that served her to set fire to all the
palaces and all the cottagers, or
whether she should cause all the lilacs
and all the roses to fade, or wheth-
er she should turn all the young
girls into ugly old women. She could
have let loose all the four winds upon
the streets, and laid low the houses
and trees. At her command flre-
splitting mountains would have buried
the entire land with burning lava,
and the sun would have turned from
its path so as not to shine upon the
accuTsed city. But she did still worse.
Like thief, who leisurely chooses the
most precious jewels in a case, she
removed from the memory of men
and women the three divine words
II love you !"
And having brought this afliction
she removed herself with light smile
on her lips that would have been more
hideous than the church of the devil
if she had not had the most beautiful
rosy lips in all creation.
IL.
At first the men and women only
half perceived the wrong that was
done them. 1t seemed to them that
they lacked something, but they did
not know what. The sweethearts
that met in the evening in the eglan-
tine lanes, the married couple who
talked con6dingly to each other be-
hind closed windows and drawn cur
tains, suddenly interrupted themselves
and looked at each other or embranc-
ed they felt that they wanted to pro-
nounce certain customary phrase,
but they did not even have an idea
of what that phrase was. They were
astonished, uneasy, for they did not
ask each other any questions, for
they did not know what question to
ask, so complete was their forgetful-
ness of the precious word. But they
did not suffer very much as yet, for
they had the consolation of possess
ing so many other words that they
could whisper to each other, and OF
so many caresses.
Alas 1t was not long before they
were seized with profound melan-
choly. 1t was in vain that they ador-
ed each other, that they called each
other by the tenderest names, and
talked the sweetest language. It was
not enough to declare that all the
bliss lay in their kisses; to swear
that they were ready to die, he fol
her and she for him or call each 9th
er, "My soul my fame my dreamP'
They instinctively felt the need o.
saying and hearing another word
more exquisite than all other words
and with the bitter memory Of the
ecstasy that was contained in thi'
word came the anguish of never being
able to utter or to hear it any more.
Quarreis followed in the wake o
this distress. Judging his happiness
incomplete on account of the avowa
that was henceforth denied to thu
most ardent lips, the lover demanded
from her and she from him just tn
thing which neither the one nor tn,
other could give. without either know
ing what or being able 10 name 1t
They accused each other of coldness
of per6dy, not believing in the tender
ness which was not expressed as the,
desired.
Thus the sweethearts soon cease'
to have their rendezvous in the lane
where the eglantines grew, and evel
after the windows were closed tn
conjugal chambers heard only dr..
conversation in easy chairs that wer
never brought near each other. Cat
there be Joy without lover If tn
country which had incurred the ha
tired of the fairy had been ruined b
war, or devastated by pestilence,
could not have been as desolate, a
mournful, as forlorn, as it had becom
on account of the three forgotte
words.
There lived in this country poe
whose plight was even more pitifu
than that of the rest. It was not be
cause, having a beautiful sweetheai
he was in despair for not being abl
to say and to hear the stolen word:
He had no sweetheart, for he was to
much in love with the muse. But
was because he was unable to fnis
a poem which he had begun the da
before the wicked fairy had accom-
plished her vengeance. And why
Because it just happened that th
poem was to wind up with II lov
you p and it was impossible to en-
it in any way.
The poet struck his brow, took b
head between his hands and aske
himself: "Have gone ma" /" II
was certain, however, that he ha
found the words that were to preced
the last point of exclamation befol
he commenced to write the stanz:
The proof that he had found thes
words was that the rhyme with whic
they were to go, and which was a
ready written, waited for them ma.
called aloud for them, and did NJ