The Washington herald., 1913-03-28
By FRANCES sHAFFER.

1t is mighty nice to go through life
without a single. weIl-denned grievance
against friends. kindred or the world
at large.
But IL the time comes when one really
thinks that injustice has been done. that
one is being imposed upon or that there
is something radically wrong at the heart
OF things, it does not pay to nurse the
grievance in silence and to let the busy
mind work upon 1t until II assumes
overwhelming proportions.
For ii is not tair to oneselr or quite
fair to others.
One is not overfond OF folk who are
very tussy about their rights and al
ways concerned lest they fail to be given
their share OF everything tnat Is gong
around, hurt at little things, ana grieved
over big things. But they are vastly
more comfortable TO have about than
those men and women VINO proudly nloe
their wrongs, fancied or real. and let
them grow ana grow until Inere Is a
small volcano inside. wnicn some DAY
comes to life and then never ceases Its
activity.
For when a man or woman begins TO
brood over things that go wrong, II
marks the beginning OF trouble.
perfect. not one who does not some time
or other do something that is not deemed
Just fair or right. And It is very COM
Portable TO have folk tolerantiy overlook
1t, remembering that quite likely they
offend. too.
And in our homes we sometimes lapse
from our better selves, say things We
would like to forget, and do things We
would like 10 undo. But it is nice when
1aNE -, With
perfectly clean slate to know that the
little wrongs and hurts OF yesterday were
forgotten when yesterday was over. and
that nothing serious is carried over to
rankle in the mind.
Should Have Told Him.
It happened a long while ago down in
a Southern home that a young woman
who always had been used to the luxury
OF well-flled purse, supplied from her
fathers bounty, married a man with a
very good salary and fair amount of
money ahead. He was quite generous. in
his way, rarely faltered at the payment
of bill, and seldom questioned her what
it was for when she falteringly pro-
claimed her need of money.
But she chanced to be rather sensitive
on that particular point and felt that
she ought not to be obliged to ask for
every penny she wanted. She thought
his income warranted an apportionment
whereby she would have the handling of
some of the money, and thought he ought
TO guess that it took much Of the dignity
and satisfaction from her position as
housewife for him to dispose Of all the
bills and for her to be expected to stand
on the sotuskirts. She generally was
given what she asked for. but was al
ways expected TO ask. and there's where
the trouble began. For it hurt. 1t ram |
ked, il worried, and never failed TO dis |
turb.
But she did not go to him in straight
forward. womanly way and tell him just
how she felt on that matter and exactly
what she deemed ought to be done. His
way was to let her buy. to pay the bills,
and IL She needed any ready money, why,
let her ask him. and il he felt that he
could. he would willingly hand it over.
And it never occurred to him that she
might not like his way.
He ought to have thought. and he did |
not; but she took him for better, for |
worse shortcomings and all: and if at |
the very beginning she had talked things |
over and talked them out, the little |
cloud no bigger than a mans hand |
would not have developed into a mighty |
grievance which wore her temper and |
played upon her nerves whenever she |
asked for money or even thought about it.
Affected Her Regard.
As for him. for years he never knew
the difference; at least, he never realized
1t. But as for her. 1t affected the quality
of her regard. And when the time came
that he finally understood what her at
titude was it was complete and a very
unwelcome surprise. Because. you see.
when she really did make known her
grievance. it had become so big and SO
out of proportion to what it ought to
have been that he bitterly felt how the
thing had grown. And no doubt if he
had known what the trouble was he
would have changed his course at the