The Washington herald., 1913-07-08
THE NATURE-STAMP
ON TRUE NOBILITY
A Little Incident in the Life Of 4
Western Woman that Was
Very Revealing.
By FRANCES SHAFFxR.

By FRANCES SHAFF.h.
1t happened out in Denver. Colo,
awhile ago, that a woman was enter
tanning at her home when she was sum
moned to the deathbed Of a neighbor to
sign her will as a witness. She quite
readily responded, because it took only
minute or two of time. but when re-
quested to await the arrival OF second
witness, that was too much. and she
calmly announced that she could not
neglect her social duties.
And she hurried home.
A few days later the document was
declared invalid. because the second wit
ness had not signed in the presence of
the first.
But the woman had carried out her
social duties, and presumably was quite
well pleased with herself and her con-
ception of duty.
Possibly it did not occur to her that
the fate of a will, with all that the
will might involve, depended upon her
willingness to wait the little time re-
quired; perhaps If it had. she might have
stretched her notion of duty. But more
likely she thought Of rothing other than
her precious self. her guests. and how
longer absence would affect her standing
as hostess.
For she is a type of the class Of folk.
men and women alike. who never will
take the trouble to turn aside from the
way they are travelling in order to ex-
tend a little favor, which, on its face.
may not seem very important, but which
may have mighty consequences. AND
whether the consequences are great or
small, there is something very revealing
in the way these small problems Of life
are met and solved.
Well 10 Stretch . Point.
For the sake OF the comfort of the
world at large. il is well that there are
many and many big-minded. big-hearted
souls ever ready and willing to put them
selves in the place OF another and 10
guess what it may mean to receive the
benefit of a concession, favor, or a
courtesy, at a time Of special need. And
IT is well that they will stretch point
to grant it
Often, very often. it happens that by
yielding a bit of self, bit of ones plan
ning a little time or little something
else that does not matter very much,
somebody else is sent right up IN the
clouds of contentment. And there is mol
real loss of advantage to the person who
does the yielding.
Some time ago chance pushed open al
d
it pushed so gently and the opening was
so very narrow that it seemed unlikely
she ever could get through to the other
side, because 1t all depended 1t de-
pended upon the viewpoint of another.
a viewpoint which might include the
gracious yielding of a point or might
involve a sickening no." not spoken. but
easily taken for granted, and Just as
hard TO accept.
10, car,,a nj in he
open and very doubtful at best, she did
not formulate a request-just casually |
stated the case, with her hopes carefully |
tucked away. And then-well, the lis |
tener upon whom her fate depended !
CHANGED to be the big-minded kind, the |
kind quite willing to stretch a point for |
the sake of granting a favor. Perhaps |
her hopes were not as carefully tucked |
away as she thought, and perhaps he |
guessed what the favor meant. At any ,
rate, his reply sent her away, with hopes |
happily changed into certainties. Yet, |
with an elastic Interpretation Of the letter |
of the law, the door would have hurried |
tight shut again. He lost nothing. and |
she-why, she went away treading on |
air.
Things She Did Not Guess.
II that woman in the West had been
just a little bigger in her makeup, her /
"Oulu nave SidSPcu bic ~ NC Sitoo-
ton in a flash, and she would have known |
that her friends. If they were worth the
reckoning, would have made allowances
and have counted her all the more a
woman for her readiness to lay aside
social duty with a big bit of self in
volved, for the greater and the real duty 1
to a neighbor. She did not guess it then,
but perchance she has learned it now,
that ripping away beneath the crust Of
prim indifference that many folk wear on
the surface, there is warm undercurrent
of human kindness that makes them
respond in spontaneous admiration OF
one who is brave enough and big enough
to measure her values, then act the
aueenly part. They may not always step
aside themselves, but they have the saw
ing grace to appreciate 1t when others
do; and down in their hearts they more
than half despise themselves when they
refuse.
The kindly things are not always the
pleasant, easy things. not the things we
want to do for the simple sake Of them
selves; yet they stand for the nature
stamp of true nobility, the brand of aris-