The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-05-19
HE co e WRoNe NAMR
the Result WAS 8 Bzt Of Comsternaa
tion That Nearly Elooted
Hlm

Hisn
The man who, while he never forgeta
faces, cannot always remember the
names Of the owners thereof, has some
mournful experiences. He is like 8
chip tossed hither and yon on the bos-
ON Of tempestuous sea. It is a dis
NAL thing to be compelled to make be
heve that you remember the name Of
the person with whom you are talking
on familiar terms, and generally make
a sad hash Of it. A woman, however,
can go on for half an hour or so con-
cealing the fact that she has forgotten
the name Of the person with whom she
is eonversing, and the latter viii never
suspect the nameless niche she occu-
pies in the memory Of the dissembler.
A man with a bad memory for names,
but an acute memory for faces, was sit
ting in a corner of a Fourteenth street
ca the other afternoon, idly wonder
ing why it is that not one woman out
of twenty to-day has her shoes black
ened or polished nicely, no matter how
elaborately she may be gotten up 9TH
erwise, when superb creature swept
into the car, getting on at K street.
She recognized the man in the corner
of the car instantly, and he recognized
her face without being precisely able
for ten seconds or so to place it. But
they exchanged amiable smiles, and
she took the only vacant seat in the
car, which happened to be beside the
mar, vryLr oo,.11y,sA ~, ~ y ~. -,
the instant. BY the time she had sat
down and arranged her skirts, how
ever, the words ''Martha's Vineyard"
flashed through his mind, and he re-
membered all about her-that is.
everything except her name. He had
met her at a Martha's Vineyard hotel
last summer, and they had been real
close to an eye Irritation when the man
was suddenly called away on business.
He remembered that she was in Mar.
thG's Vineyard without her husband,
although he was quit positive that she
was MRS" and ha struggled valiant
| ly as he exchanged commonplaces with
her in the car, ming with. reminis-
Cences of little masters at Martha's
Vineyard during tfe time they were
both there, to RENE ber her name
The embarrassing enre of 1t was
that she had recalled his name as soon
as she bowed to hin, and she had &
huge bulge on him ir consequence.
What a charming ew we had from
that old hotel up 81 the vineyard a,
we not, Nr ilaN la
Surely we did, ah-er Mrs -um--
ta-umph of the finest view
along the Atlantic coast, verify be
ieve."
'By Jove," he was saying to him
self all the time, Il would give a millior
dollars if / could remember this mag
nifcent woman's S name-let's see-Biff
lxins, Bafllins, BufflSins-no, don't be
lievs it begins with B at all -Turley
farley, Tumley-durn the luck, any
how, believe am getting paresis-'
''See, the crocuses are beginning t,
peep forth already" said the ravishinl
creature, whose name the man cOuldn'
remember, pointing to the flower bed
in Thomas Circle.
$50 they are, Mrs.-er-ah-um-
-tum-" all the queer sounds coming
after the 'Mrs." being simply subdue,
vocal spasms and make believes.
Finally, when the car was way VI
Mt. Pleasant, the man suddenl,
thought of her name. A triumphan
light came into his eye, and he said:
"Mrs. Passout, are you thinking o
returning to Martha's Vineyard thi
summer?"
EYES," she said, graciously, "but
trust you will permit me to reques
that you address me by name that
recognize"
The man almost collapsed in his seat
"Isn't Passout right
thought"
"Oh, yes, was Mrs. Passout; but
have got my decree since I met yor
last, and 1 am now Miss Birthrigh
again, and it recalls narrowing mem
ories to be called PassOut."
"The next time I can't recall a nam
instantly" reflected the man, 'I'I
just going to own up to it, and ask hil
or her his or her name. "-W Washingto
Star.