South Bend news-times., 1922-09-24
Being Afraid
= EAR-what an awful thing it ST.

~ EAfS@WlAt an aWIQl Lfll4lS IL -
II just had a letter from a
- woman who's we'll and not par
ucularly poor, and she has three
lovely children, one OF them a genius.
and lots Of friends-but she's afraid
oh. she's awfuliy afraid.
First OF ali. she's afraid az night
when the children have gone 20 bed.
She's never been alone with them
IN the house before-and her hus-
band has gone and every time a
chair creaks or a window rattleS.
she thinks it's burglar or a mur-
derer or a crazy man escaped from
an asylum somewhere.
To Break the Spell.
] suppose she's afraid OF mad dogs,
too. and nervous IN an automobile
and doesn't like TO eat in restau-
rants for fear she'll be poisoned
and can't bear 10 powder her nose
in q public dressin groom for fear
she'll catch some green germ some
how, somewhere
And she's afraid she won't be able
TO bring the children up right-ons
OF them is little reckless and every
time he goes out OF the house, she
thinks something's going 70 happen
to him And the girl Is an odd
little thing with ideas" and every
body knows what happens to a girl
with ideas" And then, what II
her health should fail, and She j
have 10 go TO a hospital?
What would become OF the chill
dren-and perhaps her little invest
ments will turn out wrong, and oh.
isn't II terrible to be so worried
Sometimes, she feels as IL she
couldn't stand it another minute.
I'd feel just as she does-I know
that much-if 1 were in her placa,
but the difference between us is that
/ really wouldn't stand 1t another
minute. I'd throw my hat in the
air and throw open the windows
and whoop like a wild Indian. ia
go TO bed and leave all the windows
and doors wide open-I'd pet the
hrst savage-looking dog I saw and
Ia ask the man with the brand new
automobile TO take me out the first
time he goes for a spin. And ia
go TO the cheapest restaurant I could
IND and eat everything could get
yes. 1 would. I'd do any and all
| Of these things. just to break the
spell, and take the halter off from
! around my neck.
WHAT'S the use Of living II you're
going TO go cringing through life
Ike a slave with the overseer's whip
cracking over your shoulders?
What is there to live for, il you're
! going to cloud everything with your
own little foolish, stupid fears?
A burglar is not just exactly the
sort or person you'd invite 70 your
house to give you a pleasant sur
prise. but he's nothing but an or
d1nary man, after all, and not a very
clever one or a very successful one
or he wouldn't have to burgle for
a living
The Ghost OF Fear.
Ten chances to one, the woman
who's so afraid Of him could scare
him half to death if she'd just keep
her wits about her. and only half
try.
She has all the advantage-she
knows the house and he doesn't
she can call the neighbors and he
can't-he's in the wrong and she's
in the right.
/ The only advantage he has is that
she's afraid Of him Now, II she'd
just stop being afraid she'd nave
\ all the cards in the pack in her own
/ hand
I Mad dog-Pve lived a good many
/ years and I never lived an hour with
\ out one or two dogs in the family
and I never saw a mad dog and never
knew but one person who ever did
! really see one.
The only time ever had ptomaine
: poisoning was when I visited an old
| friend and ate some corned beef she
/ put up herself in the cleanest Of
! clean kitchens
Children-they'n bring themselves
up if she'll just begin TO let them
alone once in a while. 1 do hope
she isn't teaching them TO be afr aid
/ Of everything. If she is. they'd be
better off without her. I'm afraid
: And as for the money. the one best
! investment ever made by any man
or any woman is an investment in
good health and good sense and
\ good humor.
Anyone with these qualities never
! has 10 worry about money-money
worries about them.
i Fear-Td rather go through life
with a milestone around my neck
than be haunted by the grisly ghcst
Of Fear