Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-09-14
1T FADED LIKE
A DREAM.
LOriginal.]

Young Mrs. Theodore tltcl had Deen
a belle. Her husband when he married
her had misgivings as to whether she
would settle down to the devotion OF
one man or would still need that of a
great number. Mrs. Fitch, for awhile
at least, agreeably disappointed him.
She was very fond of him and seemed
to be satisfied with him alone. The
young men to whose attentions she
had been accustomed took no further
interest in 6ne who was happily mar
ried. This did not disturb her. So
long as her changed life was new she
had no use for them. But when that
life had lost its first freshness and she
realized that her former admirers, buz-
zing about other luminaries, were en-
tirely forgetful of her she felt sink
ing at the heart that surprised her.
From this time forward Mrs. Fitch
began to pine for attention. She could
have had attention, and all she want
ed, provided she chose to jeOpardize her
relations with her husband. Men only
! have use for married women who are
not en- rapport with their spouses. To
! secure attention she would have been
/ obliged at least to make the men sup
pose that she had tired of Mr. Fitch.
/ To hold attention she would have been
obliged to make them believe she cared
| for them. She did neither. but became
dissatisfied, and her dissatisfaction
was manifest.
One morning after her husband had
gone to his office the postman left Mrs.
Fitch Il note. 1t was written in a mas
culine hand and was anonymous. The
writer declared that he had loved her
before she was married and would al
ways love her. Mrs Fitch was fright
ened at the pleasurable excitement the
note gave her She cast it at once into
the fire and, noticing that a corner re
NAMED unconsumed, took the poker
and pushed it into the fame, that it
might not fall into the hands of Mr..
Fitch. The letter had given a ficti-
tiOus name and an address to which
she might send a reply if she chose,
but she did not choose. She would like
to do so, but was too loyal to her hus-
band, besides being too prudent.
At the end of a week the postman at
the same hour as before left another
note from the same unknown. He
blamed himself for having written,
feared he had shocked her and begged
forgiveness. On the whole, he seemed
to be in a specially unpleasant frame
of mind Nothing can be more pleas
ing to a woman than this same I'M
pleasant frame of a lovers mind. 1t is
also very useful to story writer's and
poets. Mrs. Fitch was delighted. She
was so delighted that she pitied the
poor man who loved her so we'll that
he had been tempted to insult her. She
wrote him a note gently Gliding him
and promising to forgive him if he
never did so again. He wrote thank
ing her for her clemency and made the
promise provided she would declare to
him that she in her heart of hearts
wished him to do so. This was i'm
possible, though Mrs Fitch declared
that she loved her husband and could
not love any other man. Apparently
there was no convenient place where
the correspondence might stop.
Mrs. Fitch showed plainly that there
was something on her mind. Her hus-
band said to her one day:
Sweetheart, | always feared you,
who were so attractive as single wo-
man, would find life dull as a married
one. Don't think | want to pen you
up with myself. l wouldn't even OBJ
ject to a mild Irritation"
Mrs. Fitch threw her arms around
his neck with the intention of showing
him her appreciation of his enlarged
views, but the embrace was somewhat
feverish
One day Mrs. Fitch wrote her I'M
known lover that she was going to WIS.,
it a relative in a neighbOring city and
he must send no more letters to the
house while she was away. The truth
is her lover had been resolute on one
point-he would not reveal himself,
averring that so long as he was I'M
known she might accept his love with
purity, but that the moment he became
to her a known person their CORE
spondence must cease.
In her note informing him of her de-
parture she told him by what train
she would travel scarcely acknowl
edging to herself that she was tempt
ing him to take advantage of the OPP
portunity to meet her The temptation
was too strong for him. He wrote that
he would be on the train and should
he find her alone would join her But
he admitted that for this one joy their
correspondence must cease and he
must fade from her like a quickly dis
solving dream. Mrs. Fitch thought
this a beautiful comparison but didn't
intend that the dream should dissolve
On the morning of her departure
Mrs. Fitch was very distract She for
got everything she should have remem-
bered and remembered everything she
should have forgotten. Her husband
feared she would lose her ticket and
get out at the wrong station He In
sisted on going with her, but she