The Washington times., 1911-05-15

In the meanwhile Ruth was just abou
the busiest little woman in the city
md YET strangely enough this instead
Of dragging her down, built her I'D
She took on weight, her cheeks grew
| roster than / had seen them for five
years and she seemed altogether hap
pier.
l watched her closely because | made
up my mind that ginger jar or no ging.
ger jar the moment l saw trace OF
| heaNiness in her eyes, she would have
10 quit some Of her bargain hunting.
| l didn't mean to barter her good
! health for a few hundred dollars even
! II l had to remain a day laborer the
/ rest of NV life.
That possibility didn't seem to me
now half so terrifying as did the old
! bogeY OF not getting raise. I suppose
i for one thing this was because we
, spOnsibility of the boy.
In the old days we had both thought
that he was doomed If we didn't save
enough to send him through college and
tai enough to start in business for him
self. In other words, Dick Seemed
then utterly dependent upon us. II was
as terrible thought to think Of leaving
him penniless at twenty-one as leaving
him an orphan at five months.
The burden of his whole career rest
ed an our shoulders.
But now as l saw him take his place
among fellows who were born depcn-
dent upon themselves, as learned
about Youngsters at the school who at
ten earned their own living selling
newspapers, and even went through
college on their earnings, as I watched
him grow strong physically and tackle
his work aggressiVely, | realized that
even If anything should happen to
either Ruth or myself the boy would be
able to stand on his own feet
He had the whole world before him
=.
could easily support himself daytimes
and at night learn either a trade or a
profession. This was not a dream on
my part: / saw men who were ac-
tuaIiy doing It. l was doing 1t myself
Personally, felt as easy about Dicks
future by the middle Of that first win
ter as though I had established an an
nlity for him which would assure him
all the advantages | had ever hoped he
| remember some horrible hours I
passed in that little suburban house
toward the end of my life there. Ruth
would SIT huddled up in a chair and try
but ] could only pace the floor when 7 |
thought what would happen to her and
the boy of anything should happen 10 |
me: or what would happen to the boy |
alone If anything should happen to the !
both of us.
The case Of Mrs. bennington hung
over me like a nightmare and the pos
Slblllty was even worse. Why, when |
cummings came down with pneumonia
ana II looked for a while as though he
might die, | guess | suffered, bv applv-
ing ms case to mine, as much US ever
ne himself did on his sick bed.
used TO inquire for his temperature
soe[E ~ Gi, night as though it were my own.
80 did every man in the neighborhood.
SICKNESS was wicked misfortune To
NAT little crowd. When death did pick
2ne of us, the whole structure Of that
amy amalLy came tumbling down like
If. by the grace Of God, the man es-
,,aped, he was left hopelessly in debt by
ioCtors bills, if in the meanwhile hc
ladn lost his job. Sickness meant dis
lster, swift and terrible whatever Its
outcome.
We ourselves escaped it, to be sure.
,,ut We sweat blood over the mere
hOught of it, ,
RIM turn, We could speak quite calm ,
ABOUT II. 1t was impossible for me
Yer TO think of Ruth as sick. My~min,i s
GuIdn,t grasp that But occasionally. i
as said something about my getting I
neumonia If | didn't look out, I've ask. /
d myself what, this would mean. !
! IN mi me f1rst place, ! now could secure
ountry free of cost. l had only to re
ort my case to the city physician, and /
were sick enough to warrant it. he t
'ou!d notify the hospital and thev t
'ould send down an ambulance for m. $
would be carried to a clean bed in = I
lean room, and would receive such :
ledical attention as before l could hav.. {
ad only as millionaire. 9
Physicians of national reputattun
'ould attend me. medicines would he E
uppied me, and I'd have a night and :
ay nurse, for whom outside l would q
ave had to pay some forty dollars a +
Not only this. but If recovered I Z .
Ould he supplied the most nourishing
1ods in the market, and. after thai, =
ent out Of town to one of the quiet cor,
alesCent hospitals II my condition war g
tnted it.
I don't suppose thousand dollars ,
ould cover what here would be given :
e for nothing. And I wouldn't either :,
ltient. This was all my due as a citi- I
.n-as toiler. o
or course, this would be done also for [
lex as well as for Ruth.
| don't mean to say that such \
loughts took up much of my time I'm \
IT morbid, and we never did have any n
ckness-we lived too sanely for that. b
ut just as our new viewpoint on Dick Il
lieved us of tension which before ?
Id sapped our strength. so it was a
eat relief TO have such insurance as 7
is in the background of our minds.
It took all the curse off sickness that
s possible to take off. In three or -four e
ch ways as these a load Of RESPONSE "
lity was removed from us and we :,
ere left free to apply all our energy L
the task of upbuilding which we had h
hand. X
This may account somewhat for the T.
serve strength which Ruth, as we'll as II
rself, seemed to tap. Then, Of course, | w
e situation as whole was such as to II
AXE any woman with imagination X
oyant. Ruth had an active part in ",
iking a big rosy dream come true. n,
She was now not merely passive | "
ent. She wasn't economizing merely y,
make the salary cover the current -,
penses. Her task was really the vital "
e of the whole undertaking.; she was !,
capital. ~ ~
OntinuatIon of This Story Will Be u
Found I'm Tomorrow Issue !.
of The Times.) ~ ~