The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-12-29
A PSYCHOLOGICAL
INTRUSION.

copyright 1908, by American Press Asso-
ciation.1
. No one, excepting the sick restored
to health. has reason TO feel more
thankful for that wonderful advance
science has made within the last ten
or twenty years than |. But right
here in the beginning | must break
away from my subject to tell story.
Margaret May charmed me by what
consider the higher traits. she was
sober girl Of an intellectual type,
with excellent principles and elevated
ideals. am not man to be pleased
with a gay, frollcsome girl, however
kind hearted, however winning. It
was, therefore, natural that l should
yield to the characteristics of Marga-
ret. We became engaged, and every
thing looked well for our future imppi-
ness when my fiancee began TO show n
succession Of singular changes. one
evening when l went TO see her she
bounded into the room like a holden,
threw her arms about my neck, kissed
me several times in rapid succession
and beginning with "You bad boy"
upbraided me for not having come
earlier. When | asked her for what
she had wished me, she said that cir
Gus had come to town, and she was
dying" to attend that evenings per
formance. Astonished, asked her II
the next night would not do as well.
pressed her for "a reason the only one
| she could give was that she couldn't
wait.
II was altogether too late to go to the
circus that evening, 50 spent the rest
of 1t with her In the coZy library where
we had passed so many happy hours,
often taking book after book from the
shelves, rambling in them together and
calling each others attention to favor
lite passages. But, alas, there was no
such enjoyment for US tonight. Mar
garet spoke OF the books as "musty,
dusty things" in which she had no In
terest, and insisted in talking only
upon the most frivolous topics.
1t is needless TO say that / was not
only disappointed, but shocked. Could
this be my steady, well balanced, in
10 doubt 1t. Could II be her twin sister?
knew that she had no twin sister.
endured her prattle as long us | was
able; then, telling her that had some
work to do before going to bed, /
rose to go.
"And you Will take me TO the circus
tomorrow night?" she asked, with "a
pout.
Certainly IL you wish IT," replied
and when / could escape from an ex-
uberance of caresses left her.
That night and the next day my
brain was in turmoil. l was like a
man who had lost his love. / brooded
instead of working till after Office
hours and In the evening called to
take Margaret to the circus The
maid who received me at the door
went upstairs to announce me and, re.
turning, told me that Miss May was
not feeling well and had gone to bed.
There was no message of dlsappOlnt-
ment at missing the performance nor
at not seeing me. Indeed, the maid
told me that she thought her mistress
had not expected me that evening.
This would have been natural had 1t
not been for the engagement, since
1t was an evening l seldom called.
The next of my usual weekly visits
was Sunday, and called, drending 10
again find the holden. / was agree
ably disappointed. Margaret was her
usual self except that she showed
signs OF overstrained nerves. Some
thing told me to refrain from mention
Ing her singular personality when
had last seen her, TO wait and observe
During the visit and the next two
visits she was her own sweet self, bar
ring her altered health. Finally | re-
ferred to her desire TO visit the circus
She seemed surprised nysti6ed, and
when told her the whole story said
with nervous tremor, "Oh, she'll
ruin mep
was some one else than you with
me that EVENING"" 1 asked
"Yes-no. l was with you, but she
dominated me-" And she hurried out
Of the room.
was not admitted TO see Margaret
Indeed, l did not care to see her; |
was dissatisfied month. Then
l called on her What was my sur.
prise to find her different person
from either OF the two | had known.
From the moment we met she talked
Of womep's rights, women's voting,
women's superiority to men and final
ly told me that II interfered with her
In any OF these objects to which she
proposed to devote her life we must
proceed by separate paths.
left her maddened Had | not been
puzzled as Wen | would have broken
my engagement then and there, but
curiosity prevented. Several months
passed I'm which | continued to visit
her, hoping that she would settle down
into her old personality resolutely.
When she was another would turn
away from her; when she was my own
Margaret i loved her still the same