The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-07-06
ABSENTMINDED.


minded young man, clerked it in a hard,
ware house on Broadway. He was a hand,
some fellow. His wages enabled him to
live in a good boarding house.
Like most young men of his age, Robert
was madly in love with a pretty girl, the
only child of an old farmer. Love between
the two was well advanced They ex-
changed a regular correspondence and Of
ten made an opportunity to speak to each
other, in spite of the old gentleman, who
would never consent to the match, his
only desire being that of seeing his Char
lotte married to Il rich man.
And so it happened that Robert, while
attending to the correspondence of the
firm, found also time to remember his
beautiful sweetheart. And between one
business letter and another he often wrote
one of love.
A shipment of five kegs of nails having
been made one day to Mrs. Thorne of
Chicago, Colfax wrote that lady a few
lines notifying her of that fact. He then
put the letter in an envelope and sealed it
before writing the address.
A little later ON he found time to drop a
line to his loved one, who had just gone out
Oh IOWn. he WrOUc.
MY DEAREsT-I love you. How much you
cannot even imagine. Far from you life is un-
bearable and tireSome. If you wish. l shall 20
to you at once. long to see you. l send you a
bonbonniere. With love, yours, etc.
And in his absence of mind instead of
writing his own name, he signed the let
ter with that of the firm. He then sealed
the envelope and addressed it: Mrs
ThorDn Ghicapo Ills -
The letter intended for Mrs. Thorne
read as follows:
Please take notice that 1 have shipped you
this day five kegs of nails of the ususl brand.
Kindly credit me with amount of invoice.
Yours truly.
He signed it with a flourish Robert
Colfax" and had 1t mailed to his Char
lotte among the firms correspondence.
Two days afterward Robert received a
letter. He opened it impatiently, and
after reading 1t changed color several
times. 1t was Charlotte who had written:
Mr.. Colfax:
cannot have any feeling toward one who
would send me five kegs of nails! imagine
how he would nail me if he were my husband.
l have found here q wealthy man who will
marry me next week. This is the result of
your absence of mind of which have had am
pie proof. Take care ana be less distraught in
the future. Respectfully,
CHARLOTTE GRILL.
After having read this letter for the
third time Robert struck the desk with
his right fist, causing the inkstand to
empty itself on the books to their utter
ruin.
what the devil are you doing, Colfaxs
Are you crazy?" cried the office manager,
nd PnIN oil
promising to cover at his own expense the
damage done.
Meanwhile he asked permission and
hurriedly left the office.
Robert, what did you write to Mrs.
Thorne of Chicago?" asked the proprietor
of the firm in loud tone u few days after.
THE notice of the effected shipment,
quietly replied Robert.
Its impossible"
How so?'
replied the employer.
Here it Isl
Mrs. Thorne, Chicago:
Please take notice that 1 have shipped You
this day five kegs of nails.
''Ah, ahi'' said Mr.. William. "That
widow evidently has gone crazy. I can't
uuuSTStdlu q
Colfax he left the room.
The letter ran thus:
Mr.. Walter r. Williams:
accept your proposal with great pleasure.
recollect your nice appearance as well as your
marked courtesy to me when you were here.
shall expect to see you soon in order to come to
a speedy agreement. Yours very sincerely,
Mrs. THORNE (nee Back.
Then Robert understood the mistake,
and laughing clumsily left the office hur-
riedly.
The young man started for Chicago the
next day in order to introduce himself to
the widow. Taking advantage of his fash
ionable appearance and refined manners
and proflting by the misunderstanding, at
the same time pretending to be member
of the firm of w. G. Williams, he intro
duced himself to the old and ugly widow.
BY counting her for a few hours he sue
ceeded in making Mrs. Thorne fall in love
with him. Then he put things before her
in their true light, acquainting her as to
his standing and explaining the object of
his visit to Chicago as we'll as how the
misunderstanding had happened.
The old lady was elated and laughed
heartily.
About a month after the departure of
Colfax Mr. Williams, who could not OK
plain the unexpected absence of his clerk,
received the following communication:
Mr.. Robert Colfax now proprietor of the firm
of Thorne, Chicago and Mrs. Helen Thorne
(nee Black take pleasure in announcing their
wedding, which took place in December last.
And so it was that Robert became the
proprietor of one of the most important
houses in Chicago-thanks to his absence
of mind.-New York Press.