Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-09
LIFE'S PROBLEMS
ARE DISCUSSED
By MRS. WILSON WOODROW

Gratitude! We are very prone TO
say as the doubling Thomas did of
the giraffe: There amt no such ami
NAL"
Most of us cherish certain rank
ling memories of benefits forgot
OF loans made in an hour of stress
or need which have never been re-
paid, of sacrifices which seem utter
ly unapprectated, of good which has
actually been requitted by evil.
The truth appears to be that
gratitude is a very peculiar bird
1 trust 1 am not hopelessly mixing
only when you are not looking for or
expecting it, Seek it, and it van
ishes. Demand it, and ingratitude
appears in its place to attack you
with beak and claw.
Two experiences out of the career
of a woman of whom l happened
to hear the other day serve aptly as
an illustration.
AS child, when she was about
ten or eleven years old, say, she
lived within a short distance of q
solitary old man who was known
throughout the neighborhood as an
embittered recluse. He had quar-
relied with all his relatives, he had
no friends or associates and since
his sole interest and occupation in
life was reading he was indeed in a
pitiable case when his sight finally
began to fail him.
His affliction coming to be known
aroused a good deal of sympathy for
him, but he had so persistently re-
buffed any advances that people felt
little chary about Offering their
services. The little girl heard the
matter discussed among her parents
and the older persons, and decided
that it was up to her to do some
thing. She was no especial Polly
anna, but she could read pretty well
except for an occasional big word,
and she felt sorry for the old man.
She never dreamed of any reward
or benefit for herself from the ac-
tion. 1t was pure philanthropy on
her part Indeed she felt grateful
when she timidly presented herself
bed old fellow didn't blow her head
off her shoulders. Perhaps he recog-
nized the genuine quality of her
childish sympathy; possibly he was
so desperate over his loneliness and
approaching blindness that he would
have welcomed any companionship.
At any rate he agreed to let her
come and read to him.
The arrangement continued for
several months, the child coming
Faithfully every day to stumble
through the long paragraphs of
which she only half-understood the
meaning, and never even receiving
so much as a Thank you" for 1t
from her grumpy companion.
Then the old man died. He had
little property and the relatives
he had held at arms length dur
ing his lifetime gathered quickly to
divide thn cnnfIc inf ho ho
cause he was such a confirmed
bookworm the old man had done
the conventional stunt of fiction,
and in an old trunk in his attic was
found a will leaving everything he
possessed to the little girl.
He could have hired a profess
sional reader for much less than
she received, of course, and would
probably have derived more salts
faction from it. But, as he stated.
she was the only person in all his
lifetime who had ever done any
thing for him in a purely unselfish
spirit and without hope of person
al benefit.
The little girl grew up and in time
entered upon the profession of a
nurse. During the last year of her
training course a patient was
brought into the hospital to which
she was attached. a homeless vaga-
bond so surly, cross-grained and
abusive that outside of mere rou-
tine attention every one about the
place was we'll satisfied to leave
him to himself. But not the little
girl who had gone to the rescue of
the old recluse.
With that same proclivity for
helping the friendless dog chiefly
because he was friendless and may
be bit savage, she lavished on that
unregenerate hobo her warmest
smiles and most devoted ministra-
tion. She "mothered" him to the
limit, and although at first she got
nothing but snarls and suspicion for
her efforts, the time came at last
when she penetrated the mans
gruff shell.
'I never thought no man or wom-
an could get me, nurse" he NUT
tered one morning as he caught her
hand appreciably in his own; "but
an angel like you'd soften up stone.
If ever I can do anything for you
just say the word and I'll be there
hook, line and sinker."
The nurse happened to have an
afternoon off that day, and through
a miscalculation overstayed her
time. In the hurry of changing
back to her uniform on her return
to the hospital, she neglected to re-
move from her finger a very valu-
able and beautiful diamond ring,
which was the chief item in the in
heritance she had received from the
old man. Only after she had ar
rived in the ward and was bustling
about getting things ready for a
visit from the staff did she happen
to notice it.
One of the strictest hospital rules
is that no nurse shall wear any jew |
elry on duty, and the girl was at a