The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1912-03-07
ONE MUST
FEEL 1T
BY PHILIP VANDEvEER
Copyright BY American Press Asso-
citation. ISL


tween us after the break were tn
gifts I had bestowed upon her ant
our letters. When mine came bacl
to me tossed them into drawer II
a writing desk kept for personal us'
In my home. intending to destroy then
when l had time. But somehow
disliked to touch anything that re
minded me OF this love turned t
hate
nv engagement 70 Mildred that fol
lowed was very different affair.
resolved that l would write no such
twaddle as l had written Edith. NIL
dred was one OF those undemonstra-
tive girls whose feelings are often
very strong, but who keep them pent,
fearing that some one may detect them
Such people rarely make friends. Those
they meet casually are never drawn
to them. but the few who break
through their shells adore them
Our engagement was a long one. for
I was obliged not only to set my
house in order. but first TO get the
house. / was satisfied that Mildred
was the woman l wanted for a wife
We were companiOnable. interested in
each other and our joint affairs and
had Complementary tastes. But there
was no gush. When we parted and
met our kiss was more ike one be
tween brother and sister than be
tween lovers Nevertheless We were
wrapped up In each other.
Our engagement had lasted a year.
and so used had / become TO consider
ing Mildred as my own personal prop
erty that I gradually dropped what
few endearments had been used TO
giving her. ! was away from her ire
and so great was my aversion
after my experience with Edith-to
love letters that never wrote one to
Mildred. Finally. during my absences
I did not write her at ALL Mildred
never complained Of this in the slight
est. Indeed. she never wrote me except
In reply to a letter Of mine. and it was
usually shorter and less demOnstrative
than mine
Then came a thunderclap- While
.rom home received letter from NIL
ired's sister Clara informing me that
Mildred was intending on my return
o break our engagement The reason
he would give was that she had found
hat she did not love me well enough
o marry me The real reason was my
lnIoverlike treatment Of her You /
lave mistaken her wrote Clara she
8 brimful Of romance. feeling. every I
hing that tends to bring out grand
lassion. She loves you devotely. as
-ou would have known had you treat
d her In a way to bring out the
trength Of her passion
With a mute blessing upon Clara for
living me chance to avert the calam-
b before It should fan. sat about the
FORK Of rectifying my mistake- be-
an at once a letter-ignoring, OF
curse. the information l possessed
rhIch would meet my Mildred's most
rdent desires. What was my disap-
ointment, my chagrin. my terror. to
iscover that could not write in the
equired vein / wrote a dozen letters,
one Of which satisfied me- Those that
Tere exuberant Of love seemed to be
e me; those in which expressed what
conceived to be a full modIcum Of
be tender passion seemed cold to me.
very one Of them destroyed Wheth-
: It was that the attempt TO write
we letter awakened a remembrance
Z my AFFAIR with Edith that had made
1ch effusiOns repulsiye to me ] could
OF conjecture: only knew that they
ere now impossible to me.
Then a brilliant thought struck me
had once written such letters. and
ey were still In my possession /
,uld copy them. or when they did not
tier into any particulars-were sim
y love letters-I might use the orig
ais. telegraphed Clara to send at
ICE a package marked TO be de :
royed" contained in a drawer at my :
SIX at home. Two days later 7 re-
lived It By express. /
Nearly all the letters began Dear
t." or Dearest sweetheart" OF
Dearest, sweetest. loveliest." with no
lme at the end Of the string. I Sc
cted one which / had written during
absence from Edith, and It fitted the
Sc exactly. With a little acid I took
It the date and wrote another. ! put
a postscript saying that since we
ID been engaged had been longing
put Is "dying''-to write as felt, but
II coldness had induced me to re-
ain. Absence. which makes the heart
ow fonder. had burst the bonds
ZEN. sealing the epistle. l sent II to
lldred.
| received a reply which thrilled me :
til delight The poor girl poured -
( her heart as spontaneously as a
I'd singing for its mate. The spell
IS broken. was enabled to reply In
nd. When returned we sprang into
oh others arms. pair Of real lovers.
That was years ago. Now that have
en- married twenty years. my power
writing love letters to my wife has
serted me. Feeling that a cold. IN
Table condition was arising between
. once when on a journey I sent her
e OF the letters had written to my i