The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-24

Love
By OSCAR COX

=, 'hes sometmeS fall into
N"i's ol quacks who make money |!
Out OF them by practicing them ON The
credullty of the public. Years apo co
N"'Vu phrehologists charged fees to |
'e" persons by feeling the bumps on
'helr skulls what occupation they
we're ntted for. Since that period real
o.'en'ists have taken up this question
Vi 'he protuberance of the brain and ,
n"'e formed certain conclusions which !
'nough less sweeping than the former
phrehoiogy, are at least based on sci.
ehtlhc investigations.
When Clochette Chatteroux said good
ny 10 AlphonSe Brsson on his depar.
lure lor the war of the nations he
seemed almost broken hearted at part.
ing with her.
" hen Alphonse and Clochette met
again he was in hospital recovering
from wound in the head Clochette
nearihg OF his condition, went to him
mat sile might assist In his recovery
py nursing him and that it might NOT
pe retarded by his pining for her Be
iore entering the ward where he was
, she asked his surgeon of his condition
lie told her that Alphonse was doing
very We'll. lie had been brought In
unconscious. having received a shrap-
mel wound i'll the head After a bit of
Done had been removed from the skull
he mad recovered consciousness and
had begun to improve at once. Clio
chette asked If he had seemed depress.
ed and was told that on the contrary.
he was in very good spirits. Then she
entered the ward and. passing down an
aisle formed by cots containing sick
and wounded soldiers, stood before the
one ON which her lover lay, expecting
the moment he saw her that his eyes
would light with JOY
What was her disappointment to see
only friendly recognition Neverthe-
less she advanced. bent over him and
kissed him. He received her caresses
with Indifference
ClOchette was not a girl to reproach
Alphonse for having become cold to
her. She repressed her feelings Of dis
appointment as well as the exuberance
natural to her reunion with the man
she loved. AlphOnse inquired about
those at home. talked to her Of the
hardships and the excitement Of sol
dier's life at the 'front.' but made no
reference to the tender relationship
that had existed and was supposed
still to exist between them.
Clochette soon ended the interview.
leaving Alphonse without even a kiss.
But as she passed out Of the ward she
gave vent to her feelings in tears. The
surgeon in charge of the ward, seeing
her come from the man she had visit
ed weeping. was surprised, for the pa
tient was in a fair way to recovery.
He asked her the cause of her distress.
The poor girl told him that the
since he had been absent from her his
love for her had evidently died. The
doctor seemed much interested in the
matter and when he next visited Al
phonse questioned him as to his treat
ment of his iiancee. Alphonse told him
that up to the very moment OF his
wound Clochette had been constantly
on his mind and he had been SO dis
tressed at his separation from her that
at times he had been almost tempted
10 desert and go to her. AS soon as
he had recovered consciousness, after
the operation on his head, naturally
his first thought was Of her. But he
was SURPRISED to find that all yearning
for her had vanished.
When the surgeon left Alphonse he
sought Clochette and said to her:
"Do not blame your lover for having
become Indifferent to you. | perform
cd the operation of removing bit OF
bone that was pressing on the brain.
The bone had become embedded In
rttle protuberance OF the brain, and
was Obliged to cut into this protuber-
ance Our bodies are mechanical con-
tnvances. The patients love for you
had its seat doubtless in this little pro
tuherance. and when | removed the
nrotuherance [ removed the love that
you had inspired
Cloehette looked at the speaker In
horror
"Do YOU mean. Doctor she said,
that Alphonse's love for me was moth
ing but n lump Of fesh?'
Enthusiastically considered, that is
a fact.
Clochette was not competent to un'
derstand a distinction between the
words material and spiritual. All she
knew about the change in Alphonses
love for her was that 1t was que 10
nothing more than a little lump OF
brain matter; that it had been removed
and that the love had perished with It
Sbe stood before the surgeon turning
the matter over in his mind.
"There is no reason" said the doctor
"whv YOU may not win him again.
Won have every opportunity. A man
e. nrone TO fall in love with his nurse.
have little doubt that by kindiy
attention you may bring him back 10