The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-09

1s a $
49, . hears Of the
80 party and comes
without waiting
for an invita-
ton "
was pretty tired Of the worry. but
somehow | couldn't seem to get rid OF
At The buster ! was the buster the
worry was, too: and when friends came
10 see me ! heard the worry's voice
above all that the friends were trying
10 say and life was getting TO be {,
good deal OF a nuisance,
And then | went TO the hills, and the
worry went along of course. Catch a
good sized able bodied worry staying
~ home with the old clothes and the
IDLE furnace and the empty icebox.
every day in the hills / west walk
ing, snort walks at first, then long
ones. over sun-soaked trails that led
higher and ever higher up the red
nils shady paths winding among
cedars that looked thousand
old. Down soft valleys with the green
q benediction TO tired eyes. Along lit
tie streams that laughed and gurgled
At the joke OF life as humn beings live
~ ~ always walking, always out under
clae, now gray. now fiecked with
foamy white, but always remote, al
ways unparalleled, always impersonai
ana one DAY, ali at once the worry
was gone. vanished. disappeared from
view and almost from memory.
Gone down stream with the little
DIS OF brown bark | learned to sail
In the giggiing water. gone up the
CANYON 10 listen to the grooming Of the
WIND In the cedars and the gusty signs
OF the pines. gone TO play with the nut
tering leaves OF the aspen, in the shade
6y the turn OF the trail. gone forever
For the hills will not let a worry stay
with you
| am glad / came to the hills: they
taught me how ittIe aud how foolish
ana how ungrsteful / was.
when the worry bit the deepest.
there stood the eternal hills. smiling at
me from under the scurryins clouds
Walt" they said. be patient take
comfort. see the little squirrel down
ries about his business: Hes worried
for fear he won't have enough TO last
MIN through the bitter winter. He
Will. l know hs will. for have seen
'n,s grandfAther worry the same way,
all for rothsng..
once. when the season was poor, the
squirrels great-grandfather did run
short of food late In the cold snow.
and he died, just az easily as he would
have died while later, anyhow. If ne
had had all the fruit OF the great oak
stored in his cellar under the cedar
roots what difference did It make,
really Why did he worry SO. the
was 1t?
The little striped squirrels there on
the rocks are quarreliug among them
selves; they call each other the most
awful names Why do they do it? Life
10 so short with them. One season We
see them and the next they are gone
Just little season rain. sunshine
wind fun stream, low water, hail,
sleet. lightning, they are all so wonder
ful, and the little striped squirrels
there on the rock do not see any of
these things, they just chatter and
seold and fight. For what? We wonder
and wonder
The great mountain there. the King
OF US all, he never worries. he cannot
There Is so much for him to do.
There are the clouds always getting
lost and wandering around like white
sheep forgotten by the shepherd. ne
has TO call up the wind the singing
shepherd. to whistle them all home
again.
There is the sunrise what would
that he without the great peak and
the waters fall and rise. and the sun
sets. and the moon sails in calm
grandeur through the glorious sky
we wonder among ourselves. We
hills. we laugh together we mountain
streams. Why, even the yellow flow
~rs there on the spur of the mountain.
know enough To smile in the sunshine.
and be happy. What poor things you
are, YOU humans, YOU and the SOUR
Tels. what good does all the chatter
ing. and the hurrying. and the hoard
ing, and the worrying do Tell us
that. we want to know, We hills
And IL was while l listened to them
that the worry disappeared, and my
heart IL light again. for | know that
all ia well In the end. and that all the
worrying in the world win not make
II better
And so | live Ia the sunshine and
walk in the rain and rejoice in a little
weather just because / am alive like
the flower there on the spur of the
great mountain. Alive and part of the
great plan. who am T. to sit and make
the day sac ana tffa night f"fiofft y ttft
my meanings
Come up into the hills the glorious
hills. and learn peace, oh We of troubled
minds The hills that endure, and
smile. and rejoice that they too are
part of the great scheme
Come, forget for a while the little
frets. leave behind YOU the small am
noyances. put care in the stove and
burn II up, and most important OF all.
home with the last years clothes
Pack your f-consciousness In the
garrett with the Paris hat that was
such beauty year or SO ago and is
You are out OF fashion. too. YOU
yourself. You need change, new
point Of view ......
II isn't hslt SO Important as YOU
think. whether YOU make that deal or
not who wifi care ten years from
now whether YOU paid ten dollars
day for your room or nifty cents, you
won't EVER knew yourself
The cut OF your soul Is out of date
It's too small here. and II bags there.
and what a wrinkle right there at the
heart line. Dear dear, that will never
do. Make IL over, that soul of yours
You live in town with thousand
people staring at you whenever you
try TO eat quiet meal HE TO the
mountains. build a shack of boughs,
and let year soul grow
The worry that walked with me at
noon and wept with me at midnight.
has gone with the rain OF YESTERDAY
the hills have frightened il away.
The poet-king of Israel knew all
this. for he sang;
81 will lift up mine eyes TO the hills
from whence cometh my help Psalm
fel:vi