The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-12-24
AN ILLUSION

IOrfginal.1
As a youth l was difident, oversensi-
i've, imaginative, romantic. My moth
er was very much troubled for fear l
YOU marry some girl with nothing to
recommend her but a pretty face. /
used to think that she wished me to
marry Margaret Deane. who knew how
to sew and cool and do a lot of practi-
cal things in which l took no interest.
| rather admired GwendOlin German
Gwendolin was a tender flower, just
such Il girl as a nan likes to take I'M
der his protection. Her cheek vas not
round and rosy, but there was a little
pale red in its cente like a rosebud
painted on a china cup with lips of the
same hue.
The time came when l made up my
mind that unless l could win Gwendo-
lin my life would be a failure. 1 was
but twenty, and that's very young for
q man to feel that his happiness Is
bound up for life in one person. How
ever, l proved my co~nstancy by years
of devotion to the image l had set up
In my heart. Fearing that l could not
express myself with sufficient ,delicacy
to impress one so young, so modest, so
tender, l wrote my proposal in a letter.
/ was several days composing 1t, and
when finished l left it for another day
IN my desk in order to e it once
more before posting it
l was suddenly called away, and
when | returned the letter was gone.
/ ske my mother what had become
of it, and she said that it had been
posted with u batch of letters that had
been sent to the mail while l was
away from home. With this 1 was
content and confident that Gwendolin
had received it and waited ~anxiously
for a reply
When l met my love again l was
much embarrassed. My Imagination
made her seem to me cold, even of
Tended. and as she made no reference
to my letter it occurred to me that for
some reasou-I imagined a dozen-she
was displeased with my proposal. 1 re-
manned with her but a few moments
vainly endeavoring to on trf-
fes, then left her.
1 did not call again, and within a year
her family left the place where I lived.
and she went with them. My heart
went with her. 1 lived on a bachelor.
My mother frequently invited Mar
garet Deane to our house, and l could
see that she was Intentionally placing
her in my way. Margaret accepted
whatever attention l gave her, which
was not much, but when 1 was IN
mindful of her she did not seem to
notice 1t. As the yea passed l made
a friend of her, but it did not occur to
me to make love to her.
Before her death she made me a con-
fession.
My dearest boy" she said, before
I die / wish your forgiveness. Ten
years ago I saw that o were about
to choose a companion for life who
would not make you happy. kept the
letter you wrote to Gwendolin Ger
main. hoping to gain time to direct
your attention to Margaret Deane- Ten
years have passed. and every year I
lave intended to send o letter to
Gwendolin. l have never don SO till
today. By tomorrow morning she will
know for the first UnSe of your pro-
posal, but by that time / shall have
left you free to choose for yourself"
And so my mother. to whom l was
so devoted, had caused me ten years of
misery. l forgave her and did not
utter a word of complaint. Indeed the
pain l suffered at her loss n~eutralized
any feeling OF regret for my long suf