Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1912-01-05
MUST
FEEL
BY PHILIP VANDEVEER
Copyright by American Press Ara!
citation, 1911.

short, sweet and fiery. We bal
after quarrel and never spoke ID
The only things which passed
tween us after the break were)
gifts l had bestowed upon her
OLE letters. When mine came \
TO me | tossed them into a draw@
a writing desk kept for personal
in my home, intending to destroy I
when | had time. But someho|
disliked to touch anything that
minded me of this love turned
hate.
My engagement to Mildred THAI
lowed was a very different affais
resolved that l would write no
twaddle as had written Edith. I
dred was one Of those undemop4
tive girls whose feelings are 6
very strong, but who keep them Z
fearing that some one may detect
Such people rarely make friends.
they meet casually are never d
10 them. but the few who &
through their shells adore them.
Our engagement was long one
l was obliged not only to set
house in order, but first to GEL
house. was satisfied that ME-
was the woman l wanted for
We were companionable. Interest,"
each other and our joint Attain
had complementary tastes. But
was no gush. When we parted
met our kiss was more like CD
tween brother and sister thai
tween lovers. Nevertheless we
wrapped up in each other.
Our engagement had lasted q
and so used had l become to con
ing Mildred as my own personal
erty that gradually dropped
few endearments | had been d
giving her. was away from be-
quently. and so great was my avg
after my experience with Ed
love letters that / never wrote IS
Mildred. Finally, during my abs
/ did not write her at all. Nj
never complained of this in the /
est. Indeed. she never wrote me
in reply to a letter Of mine, and y
usually shorter and less demonstrs
than mine.
Then came a thunderclap. g
from home received q letter FROM
dred's sister Clara informing me
Mildred was intending on my n
to break our engagement. The r.
she would give was that she had g
that she did not love me well Ell
to marry me. The real reason w
unloverlike treatment of her.
have mistaken her" wrote Clara.
is brimful of romance. feeling. g
thing that tends to bring out a
passion. She loves YOU devote
you would have known had you
cd her in way to bring oua.
strength of her passion"
With Il mute blessing upon ClaA
giving me a chance 10 avert the %
fly before it should fall, sat abOl
work Of "e"tifying my mistake.
can 1T once a letter-ignorins
course. the information | posse
which would meet my Mildred's
ardent desires. What was my S
pOiHtm1pt. my chHgrin. my ter. :
discover that could not write 81
required vein. wrote Il dozen u
none Of which satisfied ne. Fhos--
Were eXuhprant Of love seemed h.
lie ne; those in which | eEnresseN
! conceived to be Il full modict1
the tender passion seemed cold II
Every one of them ! destroyed, VI
or It was that the attempt TO W
love letter awakened II rememN
Of my affair with Edith that had
such effuSiOnS repuIsive to me
not conjecture; | only knew that
were now impossible to me.
Then a brilliant thought strucN
had once written such Letters
they were still in my possess
could copy them, or when they d.
enter into any particulars-were
ply love letters-I might use thu
inals. l telegraphed Clara to sn}
once a package marked ITO
stroyed" contained in drawer !
desk at home. Two days later t
ceived it by express.
Nearly all the letters began
est" or Dearest sweetheart
Dearest. sweetest. lOveliest."
name at the end of the string
lected one which | had written
an absence from Edith. and it fit
case exactly. With a little acid
out the date and wrote another.
in a postscript saying that sin
had been engaged / had been lou
put it 'dying"-to write as | IL
her GOODNESS had induced me
frain. Absence. which makes th'
grow fonder. had burst the 4
Then, sealing the epistle, sem
q
received a reply which thrilIda
with delight. The poor girl ~
out her heart as spontaneous
bird singing for its mate. The
was broken. l was enabled to e ~
kind. When l returned we spra1
each others arms. a pair Of real
That was years ago. Now that q
been married twenty years. my "a
If writing love letters to my W
deserted me. Feeling that a col