Wichita eagle., 1888-10-30
WITS GO WOOL GATHERING.
Absent Mindcdness of business Men whcE
They Lunch Down Town.

Absent Mindcdness of business Men When
They Lunch Down Town.
do you know that many business men
are half crazy when they enter a res;au-
rant at noon for lunch or dinners" This
was said 10 a reporter by the owner OF d
well known restaurant, who continued
Their minds are not upon what they arc
doing. their brains are busy a. can be
figuring and planning. Their bodies left
their counting rooms, but their heads re
NAMED They. as = rule. eat hurriedly.
and any number OF them do so nechan-
ically. | have seen them do the most alb
surd things possible. Often 1t happens
that one will throw down one cent ~ the
cashiers desk with q seventy five cent
or fifty cent check, and wait for u minute
or two for the change. And these are
sharp. shrewd, calculating business men.
who. IL you entered their places Of basi
ness. you would find alert enough. and
who would never make a mistake in CIV
ing out or receiving money.
They show their mental abstraction
IN various WAYS One will come in. and
with elaboration place his hat beneath
his chair. yet when he has done eating lie
win rush TO the rack. and, seiLing some
body else's hat. go cut. probably not dis
covering his error for a day OF two. Il is
n positive fact that not long ago a man
with "a head wore out Of nay place q
Ct hat, which would scarcely stay on the
top of his head Nor did he discover his
mistake until he reached his office.
''One day "a man stepped up TO my desk
and complained that be had lost his hat, q
very fine one which had cost him 81 or IS.
His hat had been stolen, he charged. and
he was excited and angry. Would you
believe it, IL was he who had stolen one.
| discovered "a few minutes later that two
days before he had taken the hat Of an
other. leaving his own. The one he took
was of the same material, but had been
worn an entire season. being greasy and
soiled; still, he wore IL without discover
ing the fact until the time he made tho
complaint, although his own hat was
fine. brand new one.
1T is truly odd how men will behave
about hats. Frequently one viii come
holding one in his hand and tell me he did
not wear that when he came in ] look at
the faces of these, and If they have but
just been shaved. tell them they made the
exchange at the BARRIERS and did not dis
cover their error until they came in here
One man made "a great ado because a. ho
said, some one had carried OF his hat
when investigation showed that lac had
worn another mans hat to the restaurant.
picking 1t up as he left the Office, but not
detecting il until he had eaten. Going
ont To eat at noon Is not an interval ~
rest to most business men. because there
Is no rest. They uust supply the wants
of their inner man. but they do it without
any rest Of the brain Their occupation
is before them ali the while. as their far
away looks show They say and do things
in the most mechanical manner. and viii
skip from twenty four 70 forty eight hours
in their computations A Level headed
man Of business insisted up and down.
while holding his own hat In his hand-a
nice silk one-that it did not belong 20
him. He knew what he bad worn down
town-it was white one. he declared
He probably had done 80 the DAY before
but would not be convinced Of MS error
until the name on the inside Of shs inner
band revealed Il 20 him A man picks up
heap Of human nature IL our business.
because ali sorts o. things occur. particg-
iarly at the noon rush when men Do sons
of the most absurd things Ia tho world
and are often most unreasonable because
Of their self absorption. Chicago Hsr=ld