The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-12

diness a door opened and my lost love
came into the room. At first she look
ed anxious. then smiled
For a moment l was in doubt if l.
were really She 1t did not appear thn
she was changed. but that | looked ii
her through different eyes from before
Her figure did not face me- but She
was looking at me sidewise wa
troubled. | longed for her. she was
with me, but | was not sure she WI
the same person. While gaZcd il
perpleXity she turned, and saw the
birthmark on her neck. Then Sh,
came to me, seemingly wading through
water, and took my hand. ! drew her
down beside me and said reproach
fully:
"Why did you leave me!'
II couldn't help it, 1t was fate. Ev
erything changes in this world"
1t did not occur to me that this was
satisfied with it.
"Are you going away again?' asked
mo, not now; some day"
when will that be?"
"a long, long while from now"
"And will you love me until this sep
| aration comes?"
II will love you always, here and
where 60"
II will go with you. You shall not
60 without me-"
Then hand in hand we were climb
ing the mountain | had seen from the
window. We seemed to be ascending
| as If buoyed by wings. Eager to reach
that clOudlike summit l had seen. We
pressed on and on but whenever
looked up to see il we neared it we
were as far below as before. Turning
to look back, the houses beneath ap-
peared like ant hills Then l felt the
| snow slowly moving beneath me.
1T is an avalanchew exclaimed.
We were turned toward the valley
and hand in hand slid down the noun
tain. Though we moved with accel-
Grated pace. we kept our feet We
were like two gulls soaring then, turn
ing their wings aslant, sailing down an
! aerial incline. Suddenly the Snow be-
fore us began to pile up against the
base Of cliff. We lost our balance.
and, head downward, l felt tons Of
snow piling on top of me.
mo bones broken" heard a voice
say close beside me. III there's no In
ternal injury he will be all right"
opened my eyes. l was lying on
hard snow, while people stood about
me, all looking very anxious. One Of
them, a girl, stood gazing down upon
me with q pair Of mild eyes in which
there was world of sympathy. There
must have been something in my
glance to affect her, for she lowered
her eyes, blushed and turned away. As
she did so she exposed one side Of her
neck. 1t bore birthipark shaped like
! a rose leaf.
whats the matterT l asked.
Matter! Why. you have fallen twen-
ty feet from the ledge up there"
remembered passing over ledge,
but didn't remember anything else.
How long have been uncon.
! scious?' l asked.
"You fell this very minute. Here;
take little of this"
A party Of tourists happened to be
passing when l fell and among them a
doctor From where lay could see
the Alpine peak Jungfrau. l had been
looking at it during the period Of my
Inconsistencies, which might have
been an infinitesimally small fraction
of time. l had seen the girl with a
birthmark only during the same space
of time.
They wished to assist me to the no
tel just below, at Sheidtg, but l con
cluded to try my legs. The doctor
gave me his hand, and | got on my
feet. One of the tourists who stood
about me volunteered to go with me
but l got on fairly well without his
assistance.
What / have recorded is the begin
ming of love story; but, though
have no objection to telling a dream
shrink from giving the thoughts ant
feelings Of myself and the lady of my
love. l was less interested In dis
covering whether had displaced an,
Of my internal parts than getting OIL
the track of the girl with a birth
mark. missed her at Sheidig, bu
saw her the next evening at the kur
saal tcasino) at Interlaken, slipping a
lemonade. dogged her footsteps foi
days before l succeeded in corrallins
her-that is, before l could find heI
lighted. SO to speak, and l could ge
mutual acquaintance to introduc,
me. l finally cornered her on the Rigi
near Lucerne, and, as luck would hav,
1t, my friend Jim Thompson was there
too, and was acquainted with her.
l expected under the influence Of m,
dream that | should have as easy .
time getting her as had during thai
long drawn out infinitesimally shor
period. Instead. l had a real woman
to deal with and not creation of N.
| own fancy