South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-14
HOW DICKY GAVE MADGE
LOVELY SURPRISE.

L hours LhIntuAdbcAS SUNSCCN4Ab INC
accident through which 1 was SO
painfully burned.
The kindly old physician from
Cresthaven had left a sedatiye with
Lillian to be given to me, but 1
might as well have swallowed sweet
ened water for any effect it had on
me.
The location of my visions was al
most the same, a dreary, dark for
est, with parasite vines twining
around the massive tree trunks,
trailing from the limbs, with green
scummed pools Slittering eyilly
whenever stray sunbeams, rare
enough in that dark place. struck
them. Never in my life have l seen
anything like the place that haunted
my visions, but it will live in my
memory forever.
And in the dreams hat came to
me that night, widely diverting as
they were. I was always conscious
that somewhere ahead Of me Dicky
fled. hiding from me. And 1. follow
lowing. was calling vainly TO him,
pleading pitifully that something
could not understand myself what
was not my fault. But all the answer
l received was his hooking laugh.
Dicky-AINays Dicky.
Dicky's flight and my pursuit Of
him was the thorough-basis of the
composition. Above it thrummed
varying strains, in which the people
l had known and loved or feared
Enthusiastically.
once 1 saw myself as a tiny child.
walking between two shadowy fig
ureS, one of whom l recognized as
my mother. But not the little
mother of my womanhoOd, the
mother 1 lost before L met Dicky.
This was the yOung. happy mother
Of whom dim, ileeting remen-
brances come to me from time to
time, the mother 1 had known as d
child.
With the uncanny -prescience of
Deans | knew that the other figure
was that of the father 1 had never
known, the father who had broken
my mothers heart. And yet-there
was something strangely familiar
about him, something strongly REM
iniscent of some one else / knew. In
my dream l struggled for remem-
brance OF the man of whom the
dream father reminded me. but no
recollection came.
And then the figures shifted:
changed. and, close beside me was
the mother of my later years, silver
! haired. worn with suffering. In her
I -hnAnwF 90 -1o-n % e, Inr-a 81, 81
feet of clinging TO her, yet Sinking
from me, was the same masculine
figure 1 had seen before. only older.
gray-haired, but with the elusive.
haunting aspect of one known to
me.
My mother held out her arms to
me, and with a joyful cry of Moth
er. mother" 1 stumbled into them.
But even as l closed around me I
awoke with a despairing little cry to
find Lillian's face bent close to mine.
TO feel her strong, firm hands sooth-
ing me.
Where did my mother go?' I
demanded wildly. She came back,
YOU know, just now-in the Dr.
est"
Yes, dear. 1 know" Lillian answ-
cred.
But where is she?"
she will come again shortly.
Drink this now, and go to sleep
again until she comes"
\ Fantastic Ring.
But before my lips had fairly
touched the draught she proffered
me I was back again in the dismal
forest l had seen before. This time
1 had no vision, felt. no want of my
mother. All around me were fan
tastic shapes which terrified me and
constantly hindered me in the pur-
suit of Dicky.
Chattering. laughing. they sur
rounded me, and / recognized the
faces of many people l had known.
But high above the voices OF the
others rose the clear, bell-like
laugh of a woman. L shivered as 1
heard it. for it vas the voice Of
Grace Draper, the beautiful girl
whose mad ~infatuation for Dicky
had led her TO attempts on Dicky's
life and mine as we'll as her own.
The fantastic ring around me
parted, and at last l saw Dicky look
ing at me with such horror in his
gaze that 1 cried out:
'Oh. Dickyi What is it?"
But he would not answer ne. only
turned away and the next moment
I Grace Draper floated down an aisle
of the forest in the same sinuous
movement that had characterized
the daring dance she had once given
in our Marvin home. and put her
arm around his neck.
"She laughs best who LAUGHS
last" Her hooking tones came back
10 me as she and my husband hur-
ried away. l felt myself sinking to
the ground with everything turning
black before my eyes.
Dicky's voice. strained. fearful.
was the next thing / heard.
'She must be delirious. Isn't
there danger?"
Lulian's voice, calm, firm. nswer
ed:
No. she isn't delirious. and there
isn't any danger. She's experience
ing the awful, fantastic dreams that
come sometimes after "A nervous
shock. But I'd like 10 get her quiet.
when n wakes the next time let
her see YOU"