The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-20
Immortal Love.


tween two persons when one dies"
Love does not necessarily break up
In such an event." replied the psychol-
ogist
II don't agree with you. Love after
the death of the being loved is sim
ply memory"
Gases of actual love between the
sexes are very rare-one in thou
sand. They are not mere memory aft
er death; they are immortal"
"Can you give me such caseT
"Yes, one. It is the only one that
has ever come TO my knowledge. Lis.
ten aud l will relate 1t.
douglas Bissell knew the moment
he set eyes on Caroline La Cour that
she and he had been appointed by
Providence TO be lovers. Miss Ia Cour
recognized the fact at the same In.
slant. Bissell was young northerner
who, after being graduated Mt college,
went TO New Orleans as teacher.
Miss La Cour was creole. Their
love came as n child IS born-that is,
a perfect thing, though It grew rs the
child grows. It cannot be said that
It was case of that turbulent evancs.
cent love which comes with extreme
youth, for Bissell was thirty years old
when they met, and Miss La Cour was
twenty-five. 1t was unalterable from
its inception.
ut was the woman who was taken
away. She died during one of the
epidemlcs of yellow fever that occurred
about the middle OF the last century
and but few weeks before they were
TO have been married. Such partings
--partings between beings in whom
there is this real immortal love-arc
terrible. Miss In Cour in all the phys
ical agony of death resulting from that
awful disease did not suffer bodily
as the lover suffered in soul, and when
all was over he fell into stupor from
which his friends despaired of ever
awakening him. He never was again
the same man.
Bissell never married. He lived
alone. If he had Il companion II was
his wife. He told others that there
was such companionship, though
when he attempted to explain It he
failed signally. He could say rather
what It was not than what Il was. For
instance. she did not visit him. 1t was
not one of those cases where one
broods over n grave. The mortal part
of his love was placed in tomb pro-
vided for 1t, and Bissell went there
but seldom. He Old not consider what
was there as being any more part Of
his love than one of her gowns. She
was elsewhere.
But one day when hcmade one OF his
periodical visits to the tomb to sec
that the premises were in condition he
met with surprise. lie found man
weeping before II.
=" Pardon me-. said Blssell, we have
n common sorrow. You must be the
brother. 1 often heard my love speak
of hlm-he who was living in South
America"
"T was not her brother. / am her
inver.'
"For n few moments there was ST..
lcnce, during which the two men re-
garled each other with strange ex.
preston on the face Of each. Then
Bissell spoke:
"'You say you are her lover. That
is my position
Pardon me, it Is mine
"'Do you mean TO assert that she
ever loved your
"'She did. We met I'm Paris, She
was but eighteen. offered her my
love, and 1t was accepted. Clrcum-
stances which do not care to reveal
parted us.
Strange replied Blssell half 10
hlmtelf, that she never told me OF
this-afialr.'
"There was no affair. 1t was an
nndying love-
"'On your part, not on hers
II believed she loved me always. ]
believe she loves me now.
"BisSell carried cane. 1t was one
Of those sword canes very much in use
at that period. Taking 1t In both
hands, he partly drew the blade. then
thrust it back.
Pardon me; forget you are un.
armed
".You mistake; am armed And
the stranger drew from his own walk.
ing stick similar blade.
Fortunate said Bissell, drawing
his steel. She whose mortal part lies
there is mine. You dispute her pos.
session with me. We cannot both have
her. One must give place to the other.
But, mind you, If l fall she is still
mine'
There was a fervor in the last -four
words that could scarcely have been
equaled had the object been living
being.
"'lt seems TO me- said the stranger
renectiyely, that we are about TO Gght
for that which has no real existence.
"'Your words show that this love
you speak of in your case Is not real
love. And she-she never considered
1t worth the while to speak OF 1t to
me, though perhaps she may have con.
sidered your preference for her as
sacred
'The words angered the stranger.
His eyes flashed ominously, and he
laced himself on guard.
"One OF the workmen In the ceme.
fOrv hanrinos tha clash Of ofaoI