The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-22
PERIODICAL
MADNESS
By ROBERT c. BROWN.

Homer Parker had never had an
affaire de occur and the most singular
thing about It was that Homer was
80 years old.
Love had always been somewhat
of a joke to him. He had never
looked the question fairly in the face
and he laughed at the possibility Of
ever doing so.
Love is sort of periodical mad.
"They all get over it after a year or
two and then they look sourly at tho
minister who was responsible for ty-
ing them up, or down, to love"
In other words, Parker was cynic.
He scoffed at love, made light OF 1t,
and boasted his impenetrabilty.
He was welded to his art, and his
art was music. There could never
have been a better match. for Parker
loved his music as himself
One day the bachelor went 20 the
phone TO call up a friend. The line
was busy, he listened moment,
Then he listened a little longer.
A sweet, mellow, musical voice
floated over the wire. He had never
before heard the like. The beauty,
the fullness of that voice held him TO
the instrument.
Surely" he thought, "the woman
who possesses that voice must be diff
ferent." And then he listened some
more--the sweet voice thrilled him,
filled him. and he could not get it out
of his mind the whole day.
That night he patiently held the
receiver to his ear for half an hour,
hoping ever that the same voice
would call again.
But his efforts were unrewarded
and he went to bed, his brain pulsat-
ing with the discovery and his mind
seeking for the owner of that voice.
The next morning he listened at
the phone and again he heard the
same tones. He stood entranced and
listened. There was no other voice
on earth like it, to Parker.
An all consuming desire came over
him as he hung up the receiver. He
determined to seek out and find that
voice
A small suspicion OF love came into
his mind, but he laughed It aside in
his hurry to assure himself tnat II
was solely in the interests of music
that he wished to find the owner OF
that voice.
Hurriedly putting on his hat and
h. 10 ha NAI
There he found the names and ad-
dresses of the three parties on his
limo and then he returned home eager.
ly. They we're all on his street; that
voice lived within a block of him
and yet he did not know its owner.
The thought maddened him, he
brooded over 1t, rushed to the phone
in hope of again hearing it-but the
line was silent.
Suddenly an idea came to him. He
would call up each of the houses on
that line and then he could easily
locate the voice.
His first attempt was unsuccessful; (;
he excused himself by saying that he
had gotten the wrong number.
Then he called up the next on his
list. A sudden thrill shot through
him as he heard the soft Hello" and
realized that It was addressed to him.
He said nothing, he had found 1t, and,
accordingly. he quietly hung up the
receiver with a happy sigh.
Miss Cornelia Courtland," he read
from his list. We'll, that's funny,
she cant live there alone, can she?
But 1t relieves my mind on one score,
anyway. She Is not married"
Again putting on his hat and coat
he went out into the street and saun,
tered past the house which contained
that voice, Then he went into a
corner store and waited.
Finally woman came from the
house. His eyes fairly devoured her
as she came up the street. Her dress
was smart, there was no jarring of
colOrs in what she wore, there was
an artistic air about her that was APP
pealing. To Parker she was divine.
He stood awkwardly looking into
a showcase when she entered the
store.
Good morning, Mrs. Kendall, how
is your aunt Miss Courtland, to-day?"
inquired the affable proprietor of the
store.
Somewhat better, thank you"
warbed that divine voice, which
Parker recognized in a moment.
His head swan, his fingers grew
cold With compressed feeling
about his chest he strobe out into the
open air
Madly he rushed to his room,
packed up his belongings, and moved
far away from that telephone line.
month later he sighed, as he sat
before his bachelor fire, musing to
himself: Love is'a sort of periodical
madness, they all get over It in n
year or two. BY Georgel / hope do"
Just Gentle Hint.
Chief Justice Fuller apparently
wishes IT TO be known that he has