Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-08-25
HIS CHOCOLATE
GIRL
By B. CRITTENDON LYLE.
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

THAT is the most singular thing l
ever saw. Can | believe my eyes?
There is The Chocolate Girl the pic
ture ] have seen a hundred times, car
rying the tray with a pot Of chocolate
and cups and saucers on it. But in
stead of standing still, as any respect
able figure in a picture should do and
as all picture figures did until the in
vention of the viatiscope. she is walk
ing across the floor. There. She has
put her tray on a table. turned and
walked deliberately out of the room.
AN l in a moving picture show?
l am not. | am in bed. a strange bed,
a strange room-everything strange.
There is a picture on the wall, a pic
ture Of a man stealing upon a deer to
shoot him. III watch to see If the man
moves. No; he doesn't. He continues
to crouch with his thumb on the ham,
mer Of his gun. his forefnger on the
trigger. The deer is nipping the grass.
Perhaps If be gets the mans wind he'll
toss his head and be off toward cover
over in that wood. No; the deer still
nibbles, and the man still keeps watch
ing him. They are making me tired.
l wish one or the other would show
signs of life, or, rather, l wish the
chocolate girl would come back.
II wonder how l came to be In this
room. believe I'll get up and go
out and find out about it."
l tried to rise. but fell back on my
pillow.
There must be something wrong
about me. 1t seems that the chimes of
fifty cathedrals are ringing at once in
my head. If one would ring at a time
l fancy the sound would be very mu-
sical. l see colors, too, as if the light
were broken by a prism.
Here comes the chocolate girl"
She came in softly, advanced to the
bed. looked down at me. placed her
hand on my forehead-oh, how soft
and cool it felt!-then walked away.
Now that she is nearer or there's
more light or l can see her better, or
something. | presume that she wears
a white dress. a white apron with a
bib and straps over her shoulders. Her
cap isn't exactly like the picture after
all. l wonder If it is really chocolate
in the pitcher. Those things on the
tray are not the little cups and saucers
of the picture at all. There are one cup
and saucer. 4 covered dish, a plate, a
knife and fork
Come here" I said to the chocolate
girl.
She turned quickly. as if surprised,
and came to the bed. looking at me,crit-
ically.
What l wish to know is whether or
not you are the chocolate girl"
She put her hand on my forehead
again soothingly. but made no reply.
Indeed. the question didn't seem to sur
prise her very much.
Because if you are the chocolate
girl want to say to you that | have
loved you for years in the picture and
now you have stepped out of it and
into the flesh l shall love you the
same"
The door opened and a man with a
bald head and mutton chop whiskers
came in. The girl turned to meet him.
and they conversed in low tones. |
heard her say. He is still delirious."
went away.
$50 I am delirious! That's all non
sense. Pm Ill or have been. And this
person whom I at first mistook for the
girl in the picture is my nurse. I'm
glad | told her what I did before I
realized the conditions. When a man
is i'll and is ministered to by a pretty
woman he's bound to fall in love with
her. l wonder if it wouldn't be a good
scheme to go IN making love to her
as the chocolate girl. 1t doesn't scare
her a bit. whereas if I were to give
her the real thing it might spoil the
game. She's pretty enough 10 kiss
Delirious I might try it on: in my
senses it would be a very different
matter. l shall continue in delirium."
This was the beginning Of my con-
valescence. | talked to my nurse. call
ing her my chocolate girl. sweetheart,
dear love-everything a man might ap-
ply to his ladylove. She suspected
nothing. so she gave me free rein. I
could see that this being called endear-
ing names by a young man even in
delirium was pleasant to her.
A couple of weeks passed in this
way, when the doctor called one morn
ing and. coming up to my bed. felt my
pulse. rammed his thermometer into
nv mouth. look it out. looked Mt II
and said:
"This is the strangest case l ever
heard Of. This mans pulse and TEN.
perature are both normal, and yet you
say he is still delirious."
I burst into a laugh.
The doctor looked somewhat sur
prised. while the nurse blushed a rosy
red.
Doctor" said. you're right. I
woke up this morning feeling all right,
recognized that I'm in a hospital and