Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-10-29
EMBODIMENT OF SUNSHINE.
George 7. Hargraves SympatheticalIy
Describes a Radiant Personality.

Beyond the dotted field of golden rod.
whose brilliant nodding tops calendar the
approach of autumn, lives Sunshine.
Sunshine IS not haXen-haired.
laughing girl nor a boisterous. romDing
boy, but a little woman from whose
chestnut hair peep strands of silver and
across whose gentle face afflicti0n, not
age, has scanned its wrinkled way. Yet
neighbors for blocks about call her Sun
shine"
Her ways have not lain iii pleasant
places. Within the past four years she
has lost by death a baby boz. girl inst
bossoming into the teens and husband
to whom she was devoted. Since that
last death need has pressed her to toll
and scrimp and scheme in supplying the
requirements of two young children both
Of whom are still on the care-free side
Of ten. She has assumed a mans as
well as a woman's work, for long i'll
nesses had depleted thoroughly the
meager family nest egg.
Why do | always smiley' she said
70 neighbors who crayed her secret
Necessity Mostly
W onder grew that necessity, breeder
Of discomfort and drudgery, could cause
their antithesis.
1T was a matter Of education. stern
and, at the start, almost heartbreaking. ;"
she went on. MY little son. aged <
taught me the lesson. When my grief
was deepest, after my husbands death.
and 1t seemed that tears just could not
I be stayed, he said TO me, Mamma, why
do YOU cry so much and always look so
sad :! 1t makes me and sister feel
dreadful
That opened my eyes to myself. To
live so that | made the two dear children
left to me unhappy was a complete sub
version OF the remaining purpose of my
life, for they were all l had to live and
work for. | wanted to see them happy
always. Many long. silent nights | de-
bated the problem. Then came the reso-
luton that my children hereafter should
hear me in song instead of seeing me in
tears; that my face should wear smile
as often as possible; that when | could
not smile l would look only serious, but
never m0urnful.
Difficult? Indeed it was Many a
might, after tucking my little ones in bed.
the struggle to look happy seemed almost
unbearable. Try as | would, in the ST.
lence the sad lines crept into my face
and the tears moistened my eyes until
finally hit upon the expedent of calm
ing myself by always reading just before
retiring something light and humorous.
From this developed the habit of dis
ciplining my mind to occupy itself in its
last moments awake with a recollection
of some witticism or mirthful quip
The result soon followed that my
face as / dropped asleep always bore
trace of smile. Nor did it take long to
discover that when / awakened in the
porning the smile and the pleasant
frame Of mind were still with me. | have
followed the practice for over a year.
'sThe experiment was worth while IT
has helped me, / am sure to view life in
more cheerful mood, but. most of all. it
has dspelled from my children's lives the
cloud that threatened to make their days
gloomy and their nights fearsome."
And the neighbors, recognizing the hui
MANNING, cheering influence of oDe
brave woman's gentle, kindly, ever-smil-
ing face, have become valiant supporters
of 'Sunshine's" philosophy.