Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-02-03
Immortal Love.
[Original.l

of human nature, remarked the anat-
omist, lis the breaking up of love be-
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"
Ceases of actual love between the
sexes are very rare-one in q thou
sand. They are not mere memory aft
er death; they are immortal"
"Can you give me such case?"
Eyes, one 1t is the only one that
has ever come to my knowledge. Lis
ten and 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 La Cour
recognized the fact at the same in
slant. Bissell was young northerner
who, after being graduated at college,
went to New Orleans as a teacher
Miss La COur was a creole. Their
love came as q child Is born-that is,
perfect thing. though 1t grew as the
child grows. 1t cannot be said that
1t was case Of that turbulent evanes.
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 unaherable from
its inception.
at was the woman who was taken
away. She died during one Of the
epidemics 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-are
terrible. Miss La 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 a companion 1t was
his wife. He told others that there
was such a companionship, though
when he attempted to explain it he
failed signally. He could say rather
what it was not than what 1t was. For
instance. she did not visit him. 1t was
not one Of those cases where one
broods over grave. The mortal part
Of his love was placed in tomb pro-
vided for II, and Bissel went there
but seldom. He did not consider what
was there as being any more part Of
his love than one Of her gowns. She
H was elsewhere.
But one day when he made one of his
periodical visits to the tomb to see
that the premises were in condition he
met with a surprise. He found a man
weeping before II.
"'Pardon me- said Bissell, we have
common sorrow. You must be the
brother. l. often heard my love speak
Of him-he who was living in South
America"
"T was not her brother. 1 am her
lover
| "For few moments there was ST.
lence, during which the two men re-
garded each other with a strange ex-
preston on the face Of each. Then
Bissell spoke:
"'You say you are her lover. That
is my position
"'Pardon me, 1t Is mine
"'Do you mean to assert that she
ever loved your
"'She did. We met in Paris. She
was but eighteen. I offered her my
love. and 1t was accepted Circum-
stances which l do not care to reveal
parted u.s.
Strange replied Bissell, half to
himself, that she never told me of
| this-affair.'
"There was no affair. 1t was IN
undying love-
"'On your part, not on hers
az believed she loved me always.
believe she loves me now
"Bissell carried a 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 IN
armed
"'You mistake; am armed And
the stranger drew from his own walk
ing stick a 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, II fall she is still
mine
There was fervor in the last four
words that could scarcely have been
equaled had the object been a living
being.
"Tt seems to me- said the stranger
redectively, that we are about to fight
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 it to
me, though perhaps she may have con-
sidered your preference for her as
sacred
"The words anpered tho str.poar