The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-06-24
"Why 2"
Il cannot keep away"

"WhyT'
Il cannot keep away"
There was silence between us for a
few moments while | wondered. Pres
emily | asked:
"And why can you not keep away?
Something happened If | were to
tell you what it is II would shock you
1t would have shocked me had known
that it was to happen For a brief
space it filed me with horror Them
She paused.
NO she continued II am not here
to increase your burden Of life. l
know that you have been looking for
ward for months to your outing and
now that it has come you are disap-
pointed. You see about you that com
partnership which would enable you to
enjoy every moment Of it. but between
you and me it is that hedge of conven-
tionality which you find impossible. l
know what 1t is, for l was once fet-
tered by it myself Now it is nothing
to me. can go where | like, express
what / feel l am disenthralled. And
to prove 1t | will tell you that tonight
l come here to meet you"
ITO meet mer'
"Yes You do not know me, but l
know you. Often ! have seen you
leaning over the rail looking down into
the chasm. Every thought that passed
through your brain vibrated in my be-
ing. You are nearer the line that di-
vides the finite from the infinite than
one mortal in millions, and when you
look over the cliff down upon that
scene. the sluggish waves following one
another in never ending succession.
you feel within you that which is akin
to the infinite"
She paused While looked at her in
wonder. then added:
"And why have | come to you to-
night who have seen you so often
here? Why have made myself known
to you? will tell you, and am not
ashamed to tell you, for | am abso-
lutely pure 1t is because | love you"
| have dim remembrance Of her
rising and going to the cliff. of my
following her and leaning on the rail
beside her and looking down into the
chasm Then l was alone The scene
below was beautiful as before, and the
red spot was gone.
l stood gazing on the water where
1t had been. now limpid like the rest,
while an awe crept over me. Then
cast glances about me for my com.
panion and shuddered at the vacancy
she had left Then | was seized with
a desire to get away from the place as
quickly as possible.
| walked back to the hotel filed with
emotions of which it would be impos-
sible to afford the slightest inkling
All can say is that they were such as
had never experienced before.
At the hotel | found no one to tell
me anything about the cliff, but on one
Of my walks, stopping at house for a
cup of water, an old man told me
there had been special reason for
placing the rail at the verge of the
abyss. Years ago. when the region
first became a summer resort, farmer
saw girl standing there. He turned
away his glance, and when he looked
again she had disappeared. Going to
the cliff, he looked down and saw what
he at first supposed to be a red shawl
floating on the water. Upon investi-
cation it was discovered that the girl
he had seen had fallen over the cliff.
had struck the rock surface below and
bounded off into the water. 1t was her
blood that appeared to him like a red
garment.
Until writing this | have kept my
secret. First. | have shrunk from re-
vealing it; secondly, | have not dared to
do so for fear of being considered of
unbalanced mind. | have never since
visited the cliff. nor would do so for
the world That which prevents me is
having felt while looking over it when
the apparition led me back to it after
telling that she loved me, an almost
uncomfortable desire to throw myself
down into the chasm.
While | do not pretend to assert that
my experience may not have been the
result of temporary mental aberra
ton, cannot refrain from thinking
that some mortals may have in them
certain leanings toward the infinite to
which the great mass of humanity are
strangers.