SOLITUDE AND INSANITY

       It was almost a half day's drive from one of the far western communitie! even with a model T, so we knew he must have been on the way since the middle of the night when he appeared at our door early one morning. He was a farmer who said that his wife had suddenly gone out of her mind on his farm in an isolated part of the county. Would Father go with him and Doc to bring her in?
       That night after she was safe in the town hospital, converted from one of the larger homes, the husband stayed over at our house. He sat there in the parlor in his old bib overalls after supper and my father talking to him:

"Confound it, man, what have you done to that good woman?"
       Of course, I don't recall the exact words but they were impressive enough as they came from that distressed and confused soul that part of the drawl, the sound, the pathos, is still in my ears.
"I don't know whut come over her; she aint been exposed to nothin really.
       There aint been no one around she coulda got a touch a mind fever frum.
       Come to think of it she aint been off the place in years. I can't figger it out.

       "Pshaw, you mean to tell me you've kept that woman confined to the farm house. No wonder she's befuddled. That's enough to drive anyone off balance."
"Well now we been to church a few times, but it's right troublesome ta drive all that fur and back come a Sunday."
       "Confound it, can't you see past the end of your nose? She's got to
have a bit of social connection now and then. If the doctor gets her straightened out you'd better plan to drive over to meeting every Sunday. I can give you
as good a prescription as any the doctor will write here and now. If you don't want her to sink into this state of despair allover again bring her into the motion pictures or a social gathering of some kind at least once a month."
       "She aint never set much store fur such things, but I'd do it anyhow if that's whut's wantin fur her to be fit."
        "Well give her a blessing when we go up there in the morning and you tell her you want her to get well. And that won't be enough either. You tell her why. For some women it's enough to tell them they're needed, but if that
means being needed to take care of the things that need to be done around the house, a hired girl could do that. No, by George, your wife needs to know
that she's wanted and that you especially want her, not just anyone. She's
a fine woman and she's going to be alright if you'll just be mindful of her. Say a little prayer with her so she can hear you promise the Lord what you're going to do about it from now on."
       A few evenings later he pulled up in the Ford with his wife beside him.  Doc had released her with the assurance she was going to be better. They wanted to know if it would be alright if they both stayed overnight at our place, but they'd be coming in for the night later on. Before turning in they thought they'd take in the picture show for the first time in their lives.