Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-12-27
---A A.
TRANSITION
By ARTHUR w. PATTERSON
Good morning. sir"

Il am. How can l lie OF service "a
you?'
An elderly man received Il much
younger one IN his office. Instead OF
ut once replying to the last questios
the latter produced Il card bearing the
name "Alonzo Ericsson" then. aftee
being offered chair. said:
"Aly visit will doubtless seem strange
to You at first. hui I trust that | shaH
be able IN time to secure your concur
renee with its object fon have q
daughter whose life has recently beea
blighed 10y the loss of her tiance"
Il have" replied Mr.. Margrave some
what coldiy.
There are remedies for such blightS
and come to propose one for this
case"
Mr.. Margrave looked mt the stranges.
wondering at his inputlence.
Marriage Is the remedy | refer to-
hut yoii are we'll aware that marriage
is simply the final act. 1t being neces
sary to withdraw the concentration Il
the feelings from the one who IL ksx
and unite them on a living object"
THAT in my daughters case would
be impossible"
but desirable"'
"Certainiy: do not wish her to pase
a lifetime in mourning"
II am an artist by profession. though,
being cursed with fortune in ing own
right of $2W.0OO. do not expect b
make any great success"
well. sir. will you kindly inform
me what your profession or your for
tune Is to mei"
II will as proceed. One evening
several years ago ! saw your daughter
ut a ball The moment ! looked at taee
] knew that saw the woman | want
ed for life partner. made Inquiries
about her and was told that she was
engaged to a gentleman also present C
the ball. The troubles that invariably
accompany love were upon me. Ny
first act was to seek the man who had
been SD fortunate. and | was surprised
to see n slight resemblance to myself"
You are something like him. uO&
you speak OF it."
1T is this slight resemblance Which
Is the key provided win your cor
currence- to the situation"
Mr.. Margrave had by this time b.
come Interested
Il will give you references rs to my
social position and as man among
men. As to my fortune. refer you to
my lawyers. Peters Il Waters. IL aft
or examination you are satisfied to
give me an opportunity to win your
daughter thnt In aiI | ask"
ny what process do you propose u
make the attack upon her heart? But
no: will make the Inquiries. Thea
1t will be time to explain your plaA,
or. rather to crafty my curiosity
which ! admit has been excited"
MIR. Ericsson bowed himself out and
in fortnight received q note from
MIR. Margravp stating that the reports
ne had received had been emineatie
satisfactory aud II he could resur1ede
buried heart he was at liberty-iA.
deed. welc0me-tO do so. In reply the
applicant merely asked for photo
graph OF the man whose place ~
hoped to take.
One afternoon when Mr.. Margrava
went home from business he carried
with him present for his daughtet.
1t was portrait In oils Of her iose
lover. She was delighted with II and
pronounced 1t speaking likeness. A
month from that day while looking at
1t she discovered something about Il
that was slightly unlike the original
or. rather. 1t was like another picture
OF the original. Another month went
by. aud still another difference was
noticeable. These changes kept oc>
curing from time to time. She began
to wonder II her memory Of her lover
was slipping away from her. II the
picture was really defective. though
she had not ut frst recognized its de-
fects. She mentioned the matter to
her father. who looked ut her curious
~. thoughtfuily, and suggested that It
the portrait was destroying her remenf.
brance Of the dead and substituting 4
painted image perhaps she would bet
ter Danish it. But to this she returned
a decided negative. declaring that she
was growing to love the portrait more
and more every day.
A year after young Ericsson had CALI
I'd OIL Mr.. Margrave he dropped into
he latters Office one morning with
IN oil painting.
''rhe successive portraits forming a
slow transition between another and
myself Is ended In this picture. which
painted from my reflection in a mir
or. You have been very fortunate In
the pictures and substituting
'thers without your daughters tiscov-
ring what you have done. Hang this
portrait In the place OF the last; then
ne"
When one evening Mr.. Margrave
,rought home with him friend to din
Ter Ethel Margrave. on being intro.
luced to him. caught at the back Of 4
hair for support. 1t seemed to her
hat her lover had arisen from the
lead and stood before her. Later,
when she mentioned the resemblance
~ Afr EpipSou n tha man chn nod