Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-06-28
MAKING OVER ONESELF A THANK,
LESS JOB.
CHAPTER CXYI.

! N1AI L LII VA W.
We all know how hard it is to get
gced results when we try to make over
mi old garment. 1 found it infinitely
harder to get good results in my attempt
to make myself over according to the
pattern l thought my husband approx
Ell had days when it seemed that 1
surely had made progress, other days
WREN l felt that not only had I made
10 progress, but that had slipped back
fwazd.
Sometimes | used to think that if
could make George over little too
it would make things easier. 1t was all
very well for me to try to make my
self over to suit his ideas, or what I
thought to be his ideas; but how in
finitely easier it would be if he, too,
could have been altered in some ways.
His quiet taking for granted that 7
did the wrong thing before he even
knew my version often angered me as
well as discouraged me. For days /
would not try to please him particular
ly, then I would pull myself together
and begin again.
Marriage is difficult / believe. But
marriage with handicap such as mine
was nearly impossible. 1t was such an
! UP and down affair-my hopes up one
day, depressed the next. 1t wore upon
me too. / was not as strong-a as was.
] wcrrled too much 1 suppose.
Once when George had corrected me
abruptly and I thought unnecessarily,
/ said:
"you knew that I was like this be-
fore you married me.''
~ trusted your common sense as you
grew older would teach you something, ~
he had replied. 1t was such little
speeches as that, nothing really in them,
that hurt, and ranked constantly.
Dignity Can Be Acquired.
i talked often to Mrs. Sexton. Since
! had confided in her she had seemed
very near to me. One day l had done
something to displease George, some
thing he called undignified. / told Mrs.
Sexton, and aRe agreed with him.
"Dignity can be acquired, my dear," VI
she said when | declared l hadn't any.
but is it worth whiles All seem tO
do is to try to acquire something I
hadn't when he married me" said
half humorously, half tearfully.
"Dear, anything that makes life be-
tween husband and wife the happy
thing it should be is worth while. Moth
ing should be too small, nothing too
hard Or too big to attempt if by 50 do
ing your lives can be made to run hap
PLY and smoothly. You must be more
patient dear. You are vastly improved
in many ways Rome It built in
a day, you know. Then, too, dear Mrs.
Howard, you must not in building up
your character to please your husband
make the mistake of tearing down what
was sweet and noble in it before you
attempted this reconstructing process.
l am beginning to be afraid that win
result if you are not careful.'
81 don't think there ever was any
thing in me worth saving" I replied.
cat least I haven t heard George men.
tiOn any single attribute he admired.
Yet he must or he wouldn It have ask
ed me to marry him. | finished, more
to myself than to her.
"You have many loveable traits,
many l should hate to see you lose
That you still lack dignity is not to
be perhaps wondered at. But there are
certain things that you must break
yourself of doing. Do not gossip with
your servants. Be kind but firm with
them. They will respect you far more.
Speak of your husband, his affairs, to
no one, not even to Evelyn Reeves no
matter how intimate you are with her.
AT is so easy to give wrong impress
sion, so hard to correct it. Come to me
whenever you viii; talk as freely as
you like. will help you all I can. But
with everyone else remember not to
tell either your own or your husband IS
affairs. This has been a real lecture,
hasn / it7 Now tell of your music, how
you are getting on"
Helen Is Enthusiastic over Her Music
900, wonderfully And liked your
lecture. George spares no expense, moth
lug that will help Ae. The professor
saws | am equal to many professionals
in my technique, and in my understand
ing of the soul of music. l love il so
that it is no credit to me; always have
loved music ever since I was old enough
to know what the word meant, perhaps
before. Mother says that when I was a
tiny little girl l would practice until
she lifted me off the piano stool, and
forbade me to do any more that day.
And it was the one thing in which I
never obeyed. That most of the pun
ishments / had when small were due
70 my disobedienee on that score. She
siad her back wouldn I be turned before
I would be back on the stool, using the /
soft pedal so she wouldn t hear me-"
ono wonder you play so delightfully."- |
If you were as keen as that.''
81 used to sing too until think the
reighbors must have been annoyed. I
sang as easily as a bird sings when I
was little, before I became self-con-
scious. Sometimes think it is wrong
to train child S singing voice. know
now am often thinking of how am
singing. Then just sang"
"You are a rarity in that you sense
II. r L. T. -