The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-02-01
--- A.
TRANSITION
BY ARTHUR w. PATTERSON

Mr. Mnrgrave. ! preSume"
II am. How can ! be Of service to
your
An elderly man received a muc b
younger one In his office. Instead OF
at once replying to the last question
the latter produced card bearing the
name "Alonzo EricsOu." then, after
being offered q chair. said:
MY visit will doubtless seem strange
to you at first. but trust that shall
be able In time to secure your concur
renee with Its object You have a
daughter whose life has recently been
blighted by the loss of her fiance?"
III have" replied Mr.. Margrave some.
what coldly.
There are remedies for such blights.
and | come to propose one for this
case"
Mr. Margrave looked at the stranger
wondering at his impudence.
Marriage is the remedy I refer to,
but you are we'll aware that marriage
is simply the final act. 1t being neces
sary to withdraw the concentration of
the feelings from the one who Ia lost
and unite them on living object"
THAT In my daughters case would
be impossible"
But desirable?'
Certainly. do not wish her to pass
a lifetime In mourning"
II am an artist by profession, though
hAinD nnrcaH with 20 T.
right Of 100000. l do not expect to
make any great success"
well. sir. will you kindly inform
me what your profession or your for
tune is to me?"
u will as proceed. One evening
several years ago saw your daughter
at ball. The moment looked at her
! knew that l saw the woman I want.
ed for life partner. made INQUIRIES
about her and was told that she was
engaged to gentleman also present mt
the ball. The troubles that invariably
accompany love were upon me. MY
first act was to seek the man who had
been so fortunate. and l was surprised
to see slight resemblance to myself"
"You are something like him, now
you speak Of It."
III Is this slight resemblance which
Is the key-provided I win your con-
currence-to the situation"
MIR. Margrave had by this time be.
come interested
II Will give you references us to my
social position and as man among
men. AS to my fortune. | refer you to
my lawyers, Peters x Waters. If aft.
er examination you are satisfied To
give me an opportunity to win your
daughter that is all ask"
by what process do you propose tn
make the attack upon her heart? But.
no: ] will make the Inquiries. Then
Ii will be time to explain your plan.
or, rather, to crafty my curiosity.
which | admit has been excited"
MIR. Ericsson bowed himself out and
IN fortnight received note from
Mr.. Margrave stating that the reports
he had received had been eminently
and if he could resurrect
q buried heart he was at liberty--in.
deed. welcome-to do so. In reply the
applicant merely asked for q photo.
graph OF the man whose place he
hoped To take.
One afternoon when Mr.. Margruve
went home rom business he carried
with him n present for mis- daughter
IL was u portrait In oils OF her ioSt
lover. She was delighted with ii und
pronounced Ii speaking likeness a
month from that day while looking al
IL she discovered something about II
that was slightly unlike the original.
or. rather il WAS like another picture
OF the original Another mOath went
by. and still another difference was
noticeable. These changes kept oc-
curing from time to time. She began
to wonder IL her memory of her lover
was slipping away from her. ii the
picture was really defective. though
she had not at first recognized its de
fectS. She mentioned the matter tu
her father, who looked ut her curious.
ly. thoughtfully. and suggested that If
the portrait WAS destroying her remcm.
brance OF the dead and substituting II
painted image perhaps she would bet.
ter baniSh II. But To this she returned
decided negative. declaring that she
was growing to love the portrait more
and more every day.
year after young Ericsson had call
ed on Mr. Margrave he dropped into
the latter'S Office one morning with
an oil painting
The successive portraits forming Il
slow transition between another and
myself Is ended in this picture. which
painted from my reflection in II mir
TOR lou have been very fortunate in
removing the pictures and substituting
others without your daughters diScov.
ering what You have done. Hang this
portrait In the place OF the last: then
Introduce me
la. Nt