The Detroit times., 1916-06-05
The Secret.
~ On. FRANK CRANE
(Copyrtght. 1915. BY rrark Crane)

"A very snatterlng letter has come to
me from some woman do not know. It
relates one of those pregnant incidents
that befall some souls in this strange
life of ours. / give II with only q few
alterations and those made only for the
sake Of felicity of expression.
II did not want to tell any one but God,
and l have talked and talked to Him
about it, but ! get no relief. Perhaps
He directed me to you. II you are not
too busy, will you write me what to do?
Help me find my way again and I will
be grateful
| II married very young. ! have been
happy. as happiness goes. But for .
good many years believed was capable
Of more intense love than had ever
given, but there was no one else, and
! was full of joy and life.
"And now when l am thirty years old
this strange thing comes. A year ago
l saw stranger on the car and never
felt so irresistibly drawn to any one in
my life. saw him often, and never
looked at him without feeling as if intox-
icated or hynotized. He compelled me
like a magnet.
After had known him few months
all my being seemed to collapse. 1t came
like storm. The world changed and
he became the most precious thing in it.
| II am always affected so peculiarly
after see him. have been fighting
this for eight months. but he grows
dearer. ! cannot put him out of my
mind.
/ 81 don't understand it. l was not even
thinking of such thing. Why should
my life be ruined? And knowing love
like this, how can go on?
1.-THE man himself knows nothing of
all this. He has never made any ad-
vances toward me. He is in no way re-
sponsible.
II thought was a good woman, with
high ideals. / have suffered until my
face is haggard, and am growing thin
so rapidly it is alarming
Have you ever heard of anything like
it? A perfectly well and sensible woman
reduced to such pass!
What shall do?"
1t is easy to say to this woman, For
get it! Do not see the man any more.
Put the matter out of your mind and
you will get over it," And perhaps that
is all that can be said, that is all she
can try to do.
But there are two kinds of people in
this world; those who love like this, and
those who cannot understand it, And it
behooves the latter class to be still and
take off the hat when they speak of the
former. For that which has happened
the unfortunate or blessed victims is one
Of those mysterious events that make
our earth spiritual wonderland and not
beer garden or vegetable patch.
/ can give to this beloved woman-for
who can read that letter and not have
his heart warmed and his reverence
stirred within him mo word save such
as this:
BE of good cheer! To you has come
that weird fire that makes brutes men,
and men divine That you cannot con-
summate your love, that it must ever
be wild and wondrous flower to wither
and never ripen to fruit, does not really
matter. Michael Angelo never married
the Vittoria Colonna he adored, nor
Dante his Beatrice, but their loves were
as TRANSPORTING light none the less. We
somehow feel they were not tragedies.
They were too spiritually potent. To
the heroic soul there is no defeat. II
one can be divine enough his crucifxion
shall redeem the world.
ut means, woman, you are one Of the
elect. know you will not soil this rare
experience, nor trample it in the miro Of
vulgar weakness. You will have forever
your beautiful secret, that will, IL you
are noble minded, make you a great
woman; though you may have to say: