Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-02-04
CASE OF MIND CURE.
Tho Christian Scientists Ought to En-
Joy This Story.

The Christian ScisntIsts Ought to En-
Joy This Story.
They were two women and they were
going to visit a winter resort, but for
di-erent reasons, says the Philadel-
phia Times One of them was Ill, and
she was going away to get well; the
other was we'll, and she was going
away to take care Of the invalid.
"Oh, dear" said the invalid, IF any
body finds out that I'm i'll and begins
to pity and poor me, and above all
to recommend what I ought to do and
to take, I shall come home feeling
twice as i'll as l do now. just simply
couldn't stand it." 81 tell you what"
said the other. "Let me pose as the
invalid. It'll be the easiest thing in
the world, for you don't look bit
i'll; as matter of fact, you look bet
ter than do. 1t can't do me any harm;
1t may do you a lot of good, and in
such good cause it won't be 50 very
wicked" The invalid consented and
the two arrived at the winter resort
with their plans well laid. There was
no need openly to fib about the thing.
All that the other woman had to do
was to draw her mouth down a bit at
the corners and now and then to pass
her hand across her forehead, and
when things were passed her at the
table to say: "Oh, dear, do you sup
pose I ought to eat that? And the
other guests at the winter resort at
once pounced upon her as the invalid.
The only entertainment that guests at
such places have consists in wondering
about each other, and as most such
guests are there for their health they
soon learn to know the earmarks Of
the invalid. The woman who was not
Ill accordingly became the heroine Of
such condition-"the latest invalid"
She was condoled with and advised
and criticised for not doing this and
extolled for doing the other. Every
variety of preventive and remedy was
recommended to her and in some in
stances thrust upon her. Each guest
had known or had heard of some doc
tor who would be infallible in her par
ticular case. The only time that table
talk wandered from the subject of all
ments and their cures was when it
took up the topic of doctors. The we'll
woman couldn't stir a peg without
some solicitous guest calling after her
to be sure to Tor not to) do this, that
or the other. Still, it was all directed
at the we'll woman. She was the OBJ
ject of all the care and anxiety. Mean
while the real invalid throve apace
under such wholesome neglect She
knew that the other guests must con-
denim her for taking so little interest
in the health of the supposed invalid,
but. so far as possible, she kept aloof
from all that would remind her of i'll
ness. Not only her own mind but the
minds. of others had been side-tracked
from the fact that she was an invalid
and her recuperation was rapid. Long
before she had expected to be able to
do so she was ready to depart. But
as the two set out upon the homeward
Journey the one-time invalid noticed
that change had come over her COM
panion. She was pale, dull-eyed and
tired-looking. Her voice was languid,
her movements hstless. She looked i'll.
What could it mean? Can you guess?"
said the one-time well woman; "Im
no longer make-believe invalid; I'm
the real thing. Such an ordeal as I've
been through would undermine the
constitution of Hebe herself"