The Washington times., 1914-09-03
PEERS
AGUentweS
in
MatylmOnY
BylEONA DAARYMPIE
Author Of rhs nsw novel. Diane Il
the 0resn Van" awarded . prlss
Of 30, 900 by Ida II. Tsr6SlI and
q 8 Mcclure A. jDdgsa
Byl.EONA DMRYMPLE
LSIV.
INSISTEET SYMPATHY.

| bSlN.
INSISTEET SYMPATHY.
IVY ITHOET doubt. tho most try
w inG sort OF ailment In the
| w universe IN the sort that
| grants YOU complete health
outside Of q disability 10 move about.
Recently ] sat boIsteref Up for days in
a morris chair by the window. frown-
Ing at a lame foot and taking an In
| orGfnsta intorcst In IN. most trivial
! happenings In the neigEborhood. I
knew that little Billy Riggs could
| thrash anything in the street and
! gloried IN IL. still. with certain in
Consistent irrtability. / greatly desired
to see some ono come ong and take
1t out Of Billy!
| 1t frequently irritates men with their
opportunity for bigger interest in big
Ser things to hear women give an ex-
lESgerated importance to neighborhood
| incidents. incidents that would seem 70
| man too utterly futile and snaemic
In their appeal to mention. But after
a number of days at home. felt that
| came sense of values myself. There's
something about four walls and quietude
] broken only by the whistle Of a grocer
or a baker that develops It.
| I admit that | wac cranky and ir-
| ritable. But I must say that a we'll
woman who insists upon being over
| sympathetic is the most irritating in
| fuence in the universe. Mary nearly
drove me med. Something like this
| happened nearly every hour.
Can you think Of anything you'd
| like for your dinner
No. ! don't feel much like think
Ing"
rs your foot any WORSE"
No. shouldn't say it was any
rs it any better"
NO, ! shouldn't say it was any bet
ter. either"
We'll, how is it. them
"Confound il. Mary it's scarcely five
minutes ago that you put me through
| exactly this sort of invalid catechism
My foot doesn't change every minute"
Silence.
For heaven't sake Mary. don't ask
me Again"
going to ask you II you'd taken your
| Medicine"
Yes"
| have to take ii anyway. My health's
Well don't forget that you take the
ether medicine on the half.h0ur The
to give you a tonic and fix up your
nervous system. And you must need
it. Peter: or you wouldn't be so
grouchy."
Now. if had to answer that series
of questions once in an hour. had to
! answer ii from six TO eight times.
: There were times when l thought I'd
go mad and fling cushion at Mary
when she began. Usually when fixed
! her with a warning stare. however.
she'd glide over and adjust something
about my foot, fuss A little, look at
! my medicine and look at the clock
and sigh. II always stirred me into
| quite as much secret irritability as
/ the questions
! What terrible bores women can be,
How they fuss and question. largely
| through a very real and affectionate
solicitude-none the less trying. how
ever. for the commendable ground
from which il springs.
a woman always has a charitable
desire TO help: she'd lots rather be i'll
herself than have any one about her
ailing: but-her sympathy. l think,
is sentimentally exaggerated and NOR
bid II isn't the breezy, wholesome
sympathy of man.
Women are too insistent in sym
pathy-men at times a little too cas-
ual but surely there is a middle
course that would he most gratifying
TO an invalid