The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-19
Result of Absent Mindedness.

cape from DEATH
Result of Absent AIindedness.
The time-honored story of the absent
minded man who indited a fervent love
letter to each of the two women with
whom he was carrying on a violent fir
ia ton and afterward carelessly trans
posed the notes and envelopes has been
surpassed by the actual experience Of
an unhappy Chicago woman during the
past week.
This woman is a professional writer,
and she had been making carbon cop
les upon her typewriter of some work
which was to be sent out. Growing
weary Of the tiresome task, she decided
to rest her heart and mind If not her
fingers by writing some personal letters
to dear and intimate friends. Among
the people to whom she resolved to
write were a. couple of men, both Of
whom she liked very cordially, and
both of whom liked her as heartily and
thoroughly as they disliked each other.
In fact, the woman writing to them
had long since determined to suppress
the fact that she was friends with both;
the concomitant fact that each one
fancied himself secure in her dislike of
the other rendered the unfortunate
mistake herein related more unfortu-
nate than ever.
She began matters, woman-fashion,
by addressing half score of envelopes.
Then she settled down to write to No.
l of the two masculine favorites, who
may be called Charlie. And in Charles
letter she said a number Of nice things
a bout him which she wouldn't have had
No. 2, whose name might have been
Jim. but wasn't, know of for the world,
as we'll as several amusing things con-
corning Jim himself. Then, being called
1,nfr 1otA
menced or even Charles finished, she
proceeded upon her return to put her
foot into the irrevocaby.
All morning she had been duplicating
her work seven times. Unconsciously.
and merely from force of habit, she had
made seven copies of Charles letter.
Rushing back to her work in a perfect
frenzy of haste she once more yielded
to the automatic inclination to go on
as she had begun. Hurriedly finishing
the letter in the machine she added
Charles full name and address, took it
out separated the copies, signed her
name to each, slipped them into the
envelopes which lay temptingly near
and FASTENED blissfully down to the
lunch table-and her doom.
The inevita BILE consequences followed.
Charlie was pleased with the nice long
letter received, as a matter of course,
but he wasn't pleased long. Almost be-
fore he had finished reading it two cop
les of the loving words it contained
reached him, one from a. merry girl
friend and the other from Jim. Two
more copies, from a grave married lady
of his acquaintance and a wag of
clubman this time, followed before long.
Two more came to hand shortly. Only
one of the seven copies sent out he did
not receive. This copy went to the
young woman's rector instead of the
formal reply to an epistle asking for
aid for deserving charity which she
had intended writing, and the rector
after considering the matter seriously
for a day or two, decided to send it
back to the writer, whom he liked rath-
err than to the addressee, whom he
didn't like. The brief note of explana-
tlon and apology which accompanied
this letter was the first intimation
which the unfortunate writer of it re-
ceved of the awful situation in which
she had unwittingly placed herself.
At first she was greatly mystified and
at utter loss to understand just how
matters had come about, but by and by,
as she slowly realized that the dreadful
letter was evidently a carbon copy and
recalled the circumstances under which
the original letter had been transcribed
she also realized that the other letters
planned for that morning had never
been written at ALL but that carbon
copies of Charles letter had been sent
to six out of those 10 people to whom
she had intended writing.
Since that time the miserable woman
has suffered much, despite the keen
sense of humor which conpels her to
laugh heartily every time she thinks
| of her own unpleasant predicament. Jim
utterly refuses to speak to her; Charlie
incensed that Jim should have enjoyed
the warm words meant only for his
eyes, and at being made ridiculous in
the eyes of so many others, has also
rendered himself conspicuous by his alb
sence and silence. The rector evidently
regards her as a young person of un-
! bridled epistolary inclinations and as
for the other people who read those
tell-tale copies-well, the unfortunate
maker of them has taken to studying
a huge tome entitled How to Over
come the Habit of Absent Mindedness''
or something like it, and she is reported
as having become so uncompromisingly
honest that she doesn't even deny the
soft impeachment when accused of
using a little powder to vanquish the
shine on her nose Or return ina ginative
| answers when questioned concerning
her age.-Chicago Chronicle.