The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-07-17
MYSTERIOUS ROMANCE
BY a. W. BEER.

way to be fitted into any theory Of
spooks.
And yet the whole thing was absurd
on the face Of 1t. No doubt the simple
explanation was that the fever which
mad possessed my body for many weary
weeks still dominated my brain.
Wearying at length of the problem. I
placed the delicate bit OF cambria and
lace beneath my pillow and again re-
signed myself to sleep
"A year later I was In California, os-
tensibly on a vacation. but also win a
view of absorbing color for a o
OF pioneer days which I was planning
to write.
was at dinner one evening In San
Francisco with my friend Maxf1eld, a
newspaper man, when 1 caught sight Of
a familiar face at one Of the restaurant
tables.
That's sigular.- ! exclaimed pres
entity.
What's singular" queried Maxheld.
III you have reference to the fair
creature at whom you are gazing 80
intently, I may say that while she is
certainly single. I do not know that
she Is looked upon as singular
1.-The fact is," I returned. that for
the moment l imagined that 1 had met
the young woman somewhere before,
but am probably mistaken"
you've seen her portrait in somelof
the literary papers, perhape." 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 I.
Then her initials are e. B. Mp"
Correct" replied Maxwell. "You
got It right the very first time. But
why get so excited over. q bunch of
initials? 2" I
"Maxfield," I retorted, "you ought,to
know that the facetious is not your
line, 80 why attempt 1t? What I'd
like to know Is whether or not you
have the honor of Miss Merryweath.
er's acquaintance; If 80, I want you
to present me-"
Nothing easier, old man." he re-
piled promptly.
There are some persons n meets
to whom an introduction seems almost
superf1uous. You somehow feel that
you have know them always. :
Thus II was with Enid and me. We
met, not as stranger, but as old:
friends. who for a time had been sepa.
rated In body, but never in spirit.
But n evening Enid saids
DO you know that / worried about
you a great deal when you were i'll
last winter?"
Foolish girl!"I replied. .You had
never met me-"
And yet l seem always to have
known yon," she murmured.
Enid" I said presently, there. is
something queer I want to tell you in
connection with that illness of mine.
1t seems utterly unreasonable; but
there are some things beyond cur unr
Outstanding,
i had been dwelling for. weeks in a
strange. fantastic world. when one
night I awoke calm and rational, and I
saw bending over me one who seem
ed the very embodiment Of my hearts;
desire. I closed my eyes again for a
second, doubling the reality of what I
saw, and when ]. opened them again
the lovely vision had faded.
I can't explain it, but It was you
who came tome that night; and, more
wonderful still, here is the proof" 1
took from over my heart the handkerA
chief which l had found resting
lightly on the Counterpart after, the
disappearance of my mysteriousj visi.
tor.
She took the handkerchief /and ex.
amined it.
Eyes, it is mine" she saidlpresently.
And then she added:
AS a writer Of romancestyou would,
perhaps prefer the story hft as it IT,,
but l feel bound to tell you just how
this handkerchief came into your
hands. '
i don't know" she continued, chow
or why you came to occupy SO much.
or my thoughts, when I knew you only
through your books, but nevertheless
such was the case.
When last winter 1t was reported
that your life was despaired Of, l could
rest. Some Of my friends guessed
my secret and rallied me accordingly.
l gave out that I intended visiting Los
Angeles for a few weeks, but instead
OF doing 80 I went on by the southern
route to New York.
Il knew that the physician who cor,
Quoted the sanitarium in which you
we're undergoing treatment, DR.. Star.
brook had been an old friend of nv
fathers. and upon arriving in New
York l made myself known to him.
told him that you we're . very dear
friend. but that for personal reasons
I did not want you to know of nv
presence in New York. There was no !
of that, however, as for a long
time you knew no one.
AT length n evening when / had !
called to inquire about you and had /
been admitted to your bedside az us. /
ual, you looked at me with rational 4
eyes. To avoid discovery 1 fed from
the room. and this handkerchief / sun.
pose was dropped in my confusion.
"NOw thonS - uko non.ls 49, 4