The weekly true Democrat., 1907-12-20
DOES IT PAY
TO WORRY AWAY?
The Worrying Habit-SOms Of che
Best Natures Give Way to IL.

as she entered the tea room of a de-
partment store and dropped into the
first chair that presented itself.
''Shopping is hard work, " agreed the
woman who had come in with her, and
who, in spite of sharply contrasting
appearance, was evidently her sister !;
'but you'll feel better after a cup of
tea. 1t always makes a new woman of
me when I'm tired" And she turned
to give her order TO the trim little
waitress at her elbow.
II don't think anything on earth
could make q new woman Of me, the
other said, presently, with a gesture Of
despair. "I'm just worried half to
death, and / feel as IL nothing short Of
cutting loose from everything could
ever do me the slightest good. +"
you ought to take things more
easily, Mary" her sister observed,
/ dropping lump Of sugar into her fra
worry the whole time over everything
9 that happens, or is likely to happen, |
and it's only natural that you're always |
worn to q frazzle. know exactly how |
it H."
your She glanced at the other
woman's plump figure and untroubled
face with an envious sign. "What can
you know about it You haven't any
thing to worry about"
"Well, wen let that pass"-imper-
turbbly-''but what does, your worry
ing amount to? You're nervous and
irratable and tired all the time, and
what thanks do you get ?"
THAT Is the bitter part of it," the
first speaker admitted, dejectedly.
''None of the family seems to realize
that my whole life is spent in minister
ing TO their comfort. Why, Marion
insisted upon her taking her rubbers
and raineoat to school.
.'WeD, don't blame her. Who
nl to lug rubbers and raincoats
nd when IL isn't raining ?" ID
VBut at this time of year you can
never be sure that it ism 'tgoing to rain,
and Marion invariably takes cold if she ]
Is caught in a shower. And there's I
John. I'm always worried about him I
since that siege of pneumonia last win g
ter, and made him put on his heavy g
underwear rather early this season be- i
cause feared the effects of a sudden
cold snap. And | declare he's done q
nothing but grumble ever since, as if g
were res I)i)Il0lblc LOT the illlu j
weather we're having"
"Well, if John isn't old enough by {
this time to take care of himself he r
never will be, and it doesn't follow that a
he's going 10 have pneumonia every a
year simply because he had it last win
ter. The fact is, Mary, your habit of n
worrying is growing on you, and before C.
you know what's happening you'll find
yourself in a sanitarium unless YOU 81
earn to let things go little. o.
81 know you are thinking it S easy for
ne to talk, but I'm talking it out of
ny own experience. Yes, I'm aware
hat you've always considered me one cl
Il the happy go-lucky sort, but for all u
hat I've done my share of fretting OF
LAST year when Robert and took that OF
rip out TO the Pacific coast | was in a 70
air way 70 become nervous wreck 10
'ecause of it. didn't say much about a
t, because the specialist / went TO told w
ne point blank there was nothing on o.
'arth the matter with me but the Wor- M
ying habit, and that he couldn't help W
thought then he was rather brutal, e.
'ut although was mad clear through, tn
had sneaking conviction that he was
ight.
"Well, when Robert had to go west, be
insisted on going with him. and, as co
ou know, we were both in San Fran an
isco when the quake and fire destroyed en-
he city. That cured me. | don't be. VII
eve I've let myself worry since. -
but don't see"
"I'll tell you. | saw for one thing su
he utter uselessness of worrying. an
ou worry about all sorts Of things -
at probably never will happen, and fe,
le things that actually do happen are Is,
|e very things you never once thought on,
Then, somehow, during these bn
'eadful days when there were so many a.,
pund me who had been left desolate rL
b destitute, realized that, no matter -
Vat happened. 50 long as | had my me
lsband / had a lot TO be thanked for I 90
Id It dawned upon me just about then .rC
At ! had been making him pretty a.
fetched with my fdgety ways and my ge.
and my nagRing. For / tbi
mt care who the woman Is. if she iii
oTries she nags. She simply can't bo,
lip IT, to
Then when / saw how courageous mo
ose people were in the face of an aw- no,
1 calamity, even when they hadn't a "
Of over~their heads, or a crust or rea
rment that hadn't been donated BY had
arity, learned a lesson that shall a n
yer forget. Women who had been not
ared in luxury and had lost their ali has
4 ek.f- II L.. |