The Washington times., 1931-08-19

knew nothing of this other girl,
and they would have been hor-
rified if they had known. The
boys training would not permit
him to stand on his own feet
and marry the girl he loved.
Religion Is Bar
So things being as they were,
the boy began to look about for
a plan. The other girl loved
him enough to become his wife
without the benefit Of a marri-
age ceremony. Thus, if he
could break his engagement to
the girl his people had chosen,
he would find the greatest hap
pineSs that life could give him.
1t wouldn't be quite fair to the
Irish kid-but when they begin
to figure love on a basis Of fair
ness there will be no more love.
The boy decided that he
would pretend to be i'll. He would
> complain of various pains and
aches. He would act listleSs and
dull. He would become a semi
invalid. And then, as time
went by and he failed to i'm
prove, the girl to whom he was
engaged would become discour-
aged. She would break their
engagement, leaving him to be
with the girl of his choice.
A poor plan? I think so.
Yet it was a plan that was born
of desperation. He wracked his
brain, but he could think OF
nothing better. So that night,
when he returned home from
business, he put it into effect.
Doctor Called In
You can imagine his mother.
She used every remedy a mother
ever knew and then called in
the doctor. He, of course, could
find nothing wrong with the
boy. So they called in another
doctor. :,
AS the new doctor examined
him, the boy was smiling TO
himself. Doctors had to live.
This man would probably find
some disease that he didn't
have at all and treat him for
it. That would be laugh.
=, The second doctors diagnosis
was a laugh. He said he wasn't
sure, but he thought he de-
tected some signs of tubercu-
losis. The mother waited and
the father wept. And the boy
felt like taking a punch at the
medico who didn't know any
thing about his business.
The seed, however, had been
planted. The following day,
even though he smiled as he
did it, he bought a book on
tuberculosis. He read it. And
as he read he began to Won
der.
Didn't he have some of those
symptoms? He had been losing
q little weight. He wasn't able
to sleep as soundly as he
always had. His appetite
wasn't quite so good, was it?
The more he thought the more
frightened he became. He went
home and went to bed. He
was now a man who was men,
tally i'll.
Becomes Seriously III
The thing became an obses-
sion with him. Within a week
he was certain that he had
tuberculosis. Other doctors
told him there was nothing
wrong with him. He didn't
believe them. The obSeSsion
was too strong.
He became desperately i'll.
He began to lose weight at a
terrific rate. He aged three
years every month. He was
dying of an ebsession.
My friend, the doctor, took
matters into his own hands.
He visited the boys family and
told them the plain, unvar-
nished truth.
There is but one person
who can help your son." he
asserted simply, "and that is
the little Irish girl he loves.
Let him marry her at once.
Otherwise it will be too late"
The family resented the doc
tors advice. They told him
they would never countenance
such a thing and practically
ordered him from their house.
VERY WE'LL" he said. II have
done my best. You are Sacri-
ficing a human life on the
altar of prejudice. Good day"
A month later the boy was
dead He WAS n mental victim