The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-20
BY ADA PATTERSON.

What bad bargains we make! What
prices we pay
The woman who said this was not
a pessimist ON the contrary, We who
know and love her. and 10 know her
Sunshine because she habitually ra-
dates hope and happiness. But she
WAS facing one Of the grimmest and
ugliest realities Of life, and the shock
and surprise had rung these excls-
nations from her. We were seated
in the orchestra chairs in one OF the
playhouses OF New York. The cur
tain had fallen upon the second act
OF play and our eyes followed those
Of many OF the audience who started
at n man in the stage box, a man dis
tinguished in the life work he had
adopted, a successful man. enc who
had achieved the power Ii had been
his ambition to compass. He had
risen from a sick bed to come to the
play. But his stout battle with Ill
ness had failed. He tried three times
10 rise from his chair. Each time ne
slipped back in very weakness. The
third time his companion, a man VINO
worked in his offices. offred him
his arm The man whom many call
The CHIEF waved it away. At last,
leaning unwillingly upon his unac-
eustomed cane, he struggled to his
feet and dragged himself out Of Ahe
box. conscious that many eyes were
upon him, furious that his weakness
had thus been displayed in public,
ashamed and abashed by his impo-
tence The dark velvet curtains set
tied back into their straight, rich
folds when he had gone, but the paie
face and beaten figure remained, WIZ
always remain in the memories OF
those who saw, silhouetted against
the velvet background. He was feS-
ing the weight of the chill hand OF
death. This man. rich, powerful with
a name as magic working In his lit
lie world as Napoleans was in
greater. was poor indeed. and would
soon be far poorer poorer than any
psuper OF the streets in whose pulses
life throbbed.
/ what bad bargains we make.
What poor shoppers we are what
prices we pay. exclaimed my com
RAMON. while staring at the memory
outlined against the curtains OF the
box. she knew the man well, ana
sh. talked OF him while the orchestra
PLAYED a gay little waltz.
He was very kind to his employees.
very thoughtful when they were III
or In trouble, bur he never rested him
self. and he never could guess that
they needed rest He ate great deal
of food at irregular times Now he Is
dying at middle age, because ne mas
paid TOO high price for success
When we are young We want some
thing tremendously and We buy II al
x,s;..a ~ tUanty wears
later we realize that we overcharged
ourselves for IT, We know We have
made a bad bargain. We md out
what poor shoppers we are
/ That pretty little woman. with the
moist. sympathetic eyes and the gray
ing hair. wrapped in her blue opera
cloak. uttered a great truth.
Fifteen or twenty years afterwards
We rue bad bargain. We see the
object of q former tumultuous, roman
tta ,atsaehuaens, and think. how high
:, ,rice for this commonplace creature
" re The doubts and torments and
agonies which we endured for MS
ar her very ordinary sake.
We view the business We build ana
wonder how much Of the heaitn.
strength and time the mental concen-
tration expended on It. 1t is worth.
We think OF the so-called amusements
and pleasures OF our lives. and are
sure that two-thirds Of them were
| not worth the time We spent for
them.
shopped badly, have paid too high
price for all these. comes the new
and true sense Of values. We see
success in the sense Of having develop
/ ed our talents to the uttermost. and
given the world such sarvice through