The Cairo bulletin., 1908-02-15
THE night
MAGNIFIES

| t iou nave iMn uWdhc hI hiSHt,
said physician. "and heard mouse
gnawing at the woodwork somewhere
down in kitchen cupboardw
His listener nodded.
How loud did 1t sound to you---as
loud as burglar splintering the door
jambs with jimmy?"
| Another nod.
| You have been awakened at 1880
a. m. by the crying Of teething In
| FAINT next door,"
A shudder.
"And it sounded like the hoarse
murmurs and mingled mutations of a
frenzied mob assembled outside TO de-
mand somebody's blood?"
Partial collapse.
along toward morning you have
listened to the thin, small voice of
a mosquito circulating above your
head?"
An involuntary slap.
Did II sound like the screech OF a
planning min turning out clapboards
for d barn.
Two mods
Would YOU have minded any Of
those sounds in the daytime?"
A shake OF the head
NOW, | have no doubt you think
that the seeming londness Of these
sounds was due TO the contrasting ST
lence Of The night But take another
test You have been In lover
And do you remember how much
softer and warmer and more. thrill
ing WIS the touch of yonr best girls
hand as you strolled With her on the
way home from singingschool at the
witching hour OF half.past D. m. than
II was when YOU called in the forenoon
20 ask ii you might escort her to the
aforesaid vocal exercises"
An unspoken yum yum,
Was It the night silence. then, that
added tho finishing touch?"
Il was not, the physician replied
to bis own qucsticn, noting his listen
er's lock of uncertainty Take an
other instance. You think you know
how to wrife--a little"
4 smile Of qualification.
Well YOU find yourself awake at
night and thinking gem of an idea
suddenly sparkles in the darkness
You surround it with epigrams and
while celebrating the setting you fall
asleep. What does this jewel amount
to in the morning.
A sigh.
There you are You recall the idea
and some of the epigfams and little
Of the setting, and all of 1t is so com
monplaee that you wouldn't think OF
trying to make anything presentable
ont of It,
The fact is" the physician went
on the night magnifes. At night
onr pleasures are more keen. our
Mains more distressing. our small sue
cesscs are triumphs, our little failures
are disasters. our family cherished
hopes appear before us as things re-
allied our small worries as over
whelming calanities.
You find yourself awake In the
night and your thoughts wander back
10 some time in your youth when in
the presence Of those older and wiser
you---as you now see it--were guilty
of soae slight breach in department
or Of some little offense to good taste
In speech, and you dwell upon the
that must have fallen
upon YOU. In the morning If what you
were dwelling upon so seriously oc
ours to your mind at all you smile and
say ~ yourself that If your fault was
noticed by anybody at the time it was
too trivial for any one but you to re
member.
The night magnifies," the physi |
clan repeated Such things as have
mentioned prove 1t. II is partly due |
10 the silence. but more to ourselves.
To account for he latter would keep
nc talking
But take II for granted that what |
ever your cause for worry at night It |
win look smaller by daylight, and re.
fuse to dwell on IL. If your antlcipa.
tons are pleasant. nurse them. and |
You VIII fell asleep. 20 fhc morning |
you w''l NOT br downcaet because your
na .iied hopes ~ the night seem I'M
likely TO be realized"