The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-09-05
MYSTERIOUS ROMANCE
BY A. w. BEER.

was of a tangible nature, and N no
way to be fitted into any theory Of
spooks
And yet the whole thing was absurd
on the face of it. No doubt the simple
explanation was that the fever which
had possessed my body for many weary
weeks still dominated my brain.
Wearying at length of the problem,
placed the delicate bit of cambria and
lace beneath my pillow and again re-
signed myself to sleep.
A year later l was in California, os-
tensibly on a vacation, but also with a
view of absorbing color for novel
of pioneer days which l was planning
to write.
was at dinner one evening in San
Francisco with my friend Maxfield, a
newspaper man, when l caught sight of
a familiar face at one of the restaurant
! tables.
That's sigular!" I exclaimed pres
entity.
Whats singular" queried Maxfeld.
IF you have reference to the fair
creature at whom you are gazing so
intently, l may say that while she is
certainly single, l do not know that
she is looked upon as singular"
1.-The fact is" ] returned, that for
the moment l imagined that had met
the young woman somewhere before,
but 1 am probably mistaken"
you've seen her portrait in some of
the literary papers, perhaps" suggest
ed Maxfield That's Enid B. Merry
weather, who is coming to the front as
a writer of some rather fetching
verse"
Enid B. Merryweather!" said l.
Then her initials are E. B. Mp"
Correct" replied Maxwell. You
got it right the very first time. But
why get so excited over a bunch OF
initials?"
''Maxfeld," I retorted, you ought to
| know that the facetious is not your
line, so why attempt it? What I'd
/ like to know is whether or not you
have the honor of Miss Merryweath
er's acquaintance; if so, I want you
| to present me-"
Nothing easier, old man." he re
| piled promptly.
There are some persons one meets
! to whom an introduction seems almost
superfiuous. You somehow feel that
you have know them always.
Thus it was with Enid and me. We
met, not as stranger, but as old
friends who for time had been sepa
rated in body, but never in spirit.
But one evening Enid said:
| do you know that l worried about
you a great deal when you were Ill
! last winter?"
Foolish girl" replied. You had
| never met me-"
And yet l seem always to have
known YOU" she murmured.
Enid l said presently, there is
something queer l want to tell you in
connection with that illness of mine
! 1t seems utterly unreasonable, but
there are some things beyond our I'm
| Outstanding.
Il had been dwelling for weeks in g
strange, fantastic world, when one
| night l awoke calm and rational, and
saw bending over me one who seem
ed the very embodiment of my hearts
desire. l closed my eyes again for e
second, doubling the reality Of what
saw, and when l opened them agair
the lovely vision had faded.
Il can't explain it, but it was yor
who came to me that night; and, more
wonderful still, here is the proof"
took from over my heart the handker
chief which had found resting
lightly on the counterpart after the
disappearance of my mysterious visi
tor
She took the handkerchief and ex
amined it,
Yes, it is mine" she said presently
And then she added:
"As a writer of romances you would
perhaps prefer the story left as it is
but / feel bound to tell you just how
this handkerchief came into YOU
J hands.
81 don't know" she continued, "hov
or why you came to occupy so much
Of my thoughts, when knew you onl.
through your books, but nevertheless
such was the case.
{ When last winter it was reported
not rest. Some of my friends guessed
my secret and rallied me accordingly
I gave out that intended visiting Lo
Angeles for a few weeks. but instea'
of doing so went on by the southern
route to New York.
II knew that the physician who cor
D, Quoted the sanitarium in which yol
were undergoing treatment, DR.. Star
brook had been an old friend Of m
fathers, and upon arriving in Ney
York l made myself known to him.
told him that you were a very dea
friend, but that for personal reason
). l did not want you to know of N
presence in New York. There was n
t fear of that, however, as for lon
: time you knew no one.
"At length one evening when l ha
called to inquire about you and ha
been admitted to your bedside as u: