The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-09-09
CURED BY A LAUGH
II Was a Hearty One and Better
Than a Dose of Medicine.
A STORY ABOUT A LECTURE.

10 ought 10 rave 6eon FuhnJ sno
Seemed at the Time to Be Funny and
Yet After~srd There Was Grave
Doubt as to Whether II Was or Not.
whats your boOkT' Squire Dumont
asked Of a neIghbor as they sat wait
ing their turn In the village barber
shop.
"Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain" /"
was the reply. 81 just got It out of
the library. / suppose you would call
It pretty light reading"
"You needn't be a bit ashamed of IL.
Mr. Pinkham,' said the squire, heart
fly. ITS a book that has done lot
Of good II has made thousands Of peO-
pie laugh, and a good laugh is often
better than a dose OF medicine"
1--WE seen that proved" said Mr..
Pinkham. 81 went to hear Mark
Twain lecture once" he added, with
a reminiscent chuckle.
"You don't say sor' exclaimed the
squire. 81 never had that pleasure
{ ihHs IL hiuob nave pVCh shS"S
treat"
"Yes. II was. I'm a great admirer
OF Mark Twain and have been for
years. had always wanted to see and
hear him, and when saw in a Port
land paper that he was TO lecture there
on a certain evening II came over me
that that was my time to go and hear
him.
Il had Just lost a lawsuit and my
wife was away from home with sick
sister. was pretty blue and lone
some and felt the need of being cheer
ed up.
IL took the afternoon train. calculat-
ing to get to my cousin Jims In time
for supper and then go to the lecture.
/ But, as luck would have 1t, freight
| train had been wrecked near Bruins
wick, and we never got into Portland
| until o'clock. However, | hurried to
| the hall and paid my way in and got a
good seat right up in front l had
missed some Of the lecture, but was
! thankful to get what was left 1t
wasn't 80 much what he said, though,
as the way he said 1t that tickled me.
/ | laughed more that night than / had
for a year.
well after the lecture was over
made my way to my cousin Jim's. He
| has means, and they live In some style,
but | got cordial welcome, Clara,
his wife, told inc that couldn't see
Jim that night. He was poorly, and
she was good deal worried about him
But while we were talking he found
come to his room. | never saw any
one more in the dumps than he was.
guess he complained steady for as much
as half an hour. He was very sick
man. He didn't relish his victuals, and
what he did eat distressed him. Night
after night he got hardly wink OF
sleep, and nothing interested him any
more. Moreover, what the doctor gave
him didn't do a mite of good 1t was
pitiful to hear him go on. Finally ht
asked me how | happened to be II
Portland.
$50 you came up to hear MARI
Twainp says he, and his face bright
ened up Did you like hlmT says be
and 1 said, or course | did
"'Now tell me honestly says he
: was that lecture as funny as you ex
. pectedT
: "Well,' says |, 1t was funny, o
. course, and | guess when | have ha'
: chance to think 1t over It will seen
. funnier. But there were parts of
: that didn't seem SO dreadful funny
. "Then all at once Jim fell back ii
his chair and began to choke, and 70
a minute was scared, AS soon as h
] could speak he says: That wasn't Mari
!. Twain that you heard. He leCturet
/ here last week What you heard say
| he, was lecture on the poetry o
Robert Browning Dy Professor
| forget now what Jim called his name
i Then he took to laughing again, an
|. thought he'd never stop.
/ After that Jim wanted TO know hoy
|. the people near me took my laughln
/ so much at the lecture, and when | IT
!, membered that some of 'em did scoW
Il little he went Off again.
) "Well, naturally | felt little cheaI
S but afterward | wasn't sorry Tn
; next morning Jim said he had had hi
first good nights rest for month, an
he really made cut quite breakfas
About fortnight after that | got
letter from him saying that he wa
feeling quite like himself again.
: II don't know as my visit had thin
! to do with 1t, but I've always felt as
, It did In that case It goes to prov
what you said. squire, that goo
laugh is sometimes better than a dos
of medicine. Youths Companion.