Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-08-06
Ills Imaginary
Love
She Haunted Him. but He
Finally Got Rid OF Her.
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

time he would seem like a lover; at
another he would not During these
latter periods he appeared to be In a
dream; there would be a faraway look
In bis eyes, and there would be no
warmth In bis manner for her.
He had spoken no word of love to
Miss Fisher; otherwise she might have
asked him why his bearing toward her
was 80 different at times. AS it was,
she could only take no outward notice
of his moods and wait for him to ex-
plain them. But after having endured
them a long while they began to wear
upon her, and she resolved to bring
the matter to a crisis. She treated him
coldly.
This brought him to. terms. He
made a confession. He told her that
some time before he first met her he
had received a letter from q girl, who
wrote that she had seer him and had
given him her heart Her maidenly
modesty would not permit her to make
this confession were it not that she
would conceal her identity. To tell
him that she loved him was a comfort
to her which she could not deny her.
self. He need not endeavor to find
her because she had taken special
pains to prevent his doing so.
Mr.. Hart added to his confession
that he had ever since the receipt of
this letter been haunted by an image
of the writer that he had conjured up
In his Imagination. He confessed his
love for Miss Fisher, but declared that
he could not Danish permanently this
being who loved him In secret and was
deferred from revealing herself. giving
modesty as the reason, though 1t SEEM
ed that there must be some additional
reason which she had not made known.
This revelation could not fail to
place Miss Fisher in a trying position.
1t was the same as IL Mr.. Hart had
told her that he loved two girls, the
one flesh and blood, the other part real
and part imaginary. But since he had
never seen the writer of the note she
was to him all imaginary. Miss Fisher
had expected a proposal from Mr..
Hart and had made up her mind to
accept II when 1t came. To lose him
on account of a mythical creature who
ence would be a disappointment to
her-Ehe-a ttemhted-ta reason Mr..
Hart out of his fancy. The writer
might he old and ugly; the letter
might have been written by a man
for a hoax. There were many by
potheses any one of which would shat
ter the romance.
This view of the case commended
itself to Mr.. Hart, and he told Miss
Fisher that he would dismiss the mat
ter from his mind. He asked her to
be his wife and felt sure that he had
given her his whole heart. She &C.
cepted him, but resolved that she
would not marry him until what she
considered a hallucination had been
permanently overcome.
For some time after the engagement
Hart seemed to have but one love,
Miss Fisher. Then came a relapse
which he had no the power to conceal
from his 6ancee. He was no less af-
fectionare In his manner, but showed
by a dreamy expression Of counte-
nance that he was with his imaginary
love. Instead of reproaching him
Miss Fisher made no reference to his
condition, thinking only of effecting
a cure. Fancying the matter might
be a case for a doctor. she consulted
her family physician.
To her relief he told her that the
trouble was not directly due to an alb
normal condition of the brain, but the
brain was probably Influenced by
what was a normal external condition.
The Imagination is a feeder of love.
Indeed, incipient love is largely a crea.
ture of the Imagination. The doctor
promised to think the matter over
with a view TO forming a plan for an
Initiating this imaginary object But
Miss Fisher did not need the doctors
inventive faculties, for, having receiv'
ed the hint, she was quite equal to the
task herself. She put her mind to the
subject and worked out a plan.
One day Andrew Hart received an
other note from his incognita. She said
that she had heard he was engaged to
be married. She would not for the
world do anything to break in upon his
happiness or that of his hancee. But
she desired one Interview before his
marriage. though only with the assent
of the girl who was to be his wife. If
he could secure this assent and would
write her at an address she gave him
she would appoint a meeting.
. n. a~AAs.,A - Ah4. lnkkAa Ina RaaAIr7
ed not to mention it to Margaret and
to pay no attention to it. but he found
that the trouble had taken a fresh hold
on him and he was unable to Danish It
After struggling with himself for some
time he resolved to show this second
note to Margaret
To his surprise. she gave her consent
TO the interview and advised him to
grant it. If this girl was to win him
--o R-1w. Aou "a r-o1 IoAA1r fhok che