The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-07-29
An INTRICATE PROPOSITION.

AN INTRICATE PROPOSITION.
| lfrom tho San Francisco Chroniclc.l
"Did 1t over occur to you, my dear,
that Il person going overland would
have to mail two letters II day from the
train in order to have ono letter II day
return to San Francisco ?' asked Major
Max the other evening, after the cloth
| was removed from tho table and his
wife was pouring his glass of two
! thirds bcncdictinc and onc-thirtl
| curacao, which the Major contcn,lctl
was the only civilized drink with
which to prepare for tho aftcr-dinner
cigar.
Mrs. Max passed the Major his cor
dial and waited q moment before re-
plying: "Why, no; it seems to mo
that If II person travelling east mailed
letter each day by II westward. bound
train Il letter would arrive here each
day.
Mrs. Max answered cautiously, for
while she knew that the Major pre-
tended to dcplore the fact that shc was
illogical, he really derived much COM
fort from his superior comprehension,
and was somewhat addicted to study
ing out intricate propositions with
| which TO puzzle tho lady.
"You think so, do you?" qucricd the
| Major, as though about to be convinced
by her, while in truth no only wanted
! her to commit herself more decidedly,
that his victory would be the more signal
| "Why, yes" Mrs. Max continued,
somewhat assured, ''if you mailed u
lettor on the first day out, it would get
here the next day If you mailed one
the day following it would arrive here
Il day after the first, and the letters,
being mailed twenty-four hours apart,
would, of course, continue to arrive
here day apart. They couldn't grow
further apart on the road, could they
| Major?"
Mrs. Max wound up this sequence
of feminine logic with Il triumphant
| accent, and fcit sure slie had posed tho
Major for he did not reply until after
lighting cigar. Then he said, slowly,
"YOu post Il letter the first day out"
EYES,
"Thnt letter arrives hero the day
after you lcavc?'
"Ccrtainly. One day gone, ono letter
received"
"Exactiy. Well, the next day-n
little curacoa, strnight, plcasc-thc
next day you post another letter from
the train, and"
"And that arrives here the day after
tho first of course, making two days
out and two letters received, and 80 on
to Now York. Ijh, MnjorW
If Mrs. Max had not been examining
a new pattern of lace she had In her
sleeves She might have noticed the
satisfied smile tho Major had rs he
leaned back in his chair and said HThc
second day out you would bc Il: Ogdcn?"
eyes"
"Wouldn't it take rs long for Il letter
to return to San Francisco as it had
taken you to go TO Og'Icn?'
t'1 suppose so."
'Thcn the second letter would arrive
hero two days after you arrived Mt
Ogden and four days after you left
hcrc?'
Mrs. Max looked up and said, hcsi-
tatingIy:
"Wcll, 1 don't see how you make
that out"
81 did not make it out, Mrs. Max. ]
only asked If l was right"
! "No, you are not; ifyou post lcttc,
on returning train each day J say
that letter must arrive hero cacl, day
and don't carc.''
| "Mrs. Max, how long docs it take tt
go to New York ?''
"Sevcn days, i SUPPOSE
"Thcn Il letter a day would be sever
lcttcra. You would post your sixth
letter on your sixth day out, and i
would take ii six days more to return
being twelve days after you left here
Now, rs you had only mailed five let
tiers before the ono which arrived on
the twelfth day, how could Il letter Il
day have arrived ?'
Mrs. Max thought moment, and
then asked with considerable warmth
/ ado you mean to say. Major Max,
, that if person going to New York
, posts IL letter on q San Francisco bound
train each day that ii takes two weeks
for all those letters to arrive here"
. alt certainly WOULD" replied The
: Major, glowing comfortably behind
I his cigat. He knew Mrs. Max acknow
, lodged her defeat by the way she ran,
= for the tea, but she would not AK 10
} further CXplanntiO ION.