Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-08-28
Troubles Of a Godfather.
How The Man Who Could Not Write Got Into
Difficulty.

How The Man Who Could Not Write Got Into
Difficulty.
There are moments" said the
Man, dismally, when ] wish | had
never employed a stenographer. tt
isn't that the young fellow who acts
as secretary to me ism I capable, for
he is; so capable that for months |
haven't touched a pen except tosign
my name.
You wouldn't believe how easy
il is to get out of the way of writing.
The other day, when Willie CIVIL.
lie is my stenographer) had gone off
on his vacation it was absolutely ne
ccssary for me TO indite letter. /
picked up q stub pen and tried IL,
but there was something wrong with
the thing, and it sputtered so that /
gave it up. Next tried one of those
foolish implements known as foun.
tain pen, and it proved it's right to
the name by depositing lake Of ink
on the paper After frantic efforts
of a half hour to get the letter com.
menced, with all the sorts and con
pitions "Opens my office afforded, the
awful truth dawned upon mel had
forgotten how to write.
And this brings me to my story.
Willie and work on the co-opera-
tive plan. He does all the writing,
whether by machine or hand, and |
DO all the debating. II Willie
wishes to write letter to his sweet.
ucart, ! dictate il TO him, for no has
reached that stage where he could
not think an epistIe out to save his
life, hes so used to having me put
The words in his mouth, so to speak.
Well, couple Of months ago met
a charming girl ! had known her
years before, when she was tiny
hing, and was in love with her
Sodmother, but now the godmother
IS dead and the child has grown into
4 gracious young woman.
m almost your adopted god
.ather, said to her, so you must
correspond with me, This was as
we were parting.
Very good; | shall, she res
pended, amiably, and then she went
10 her home, in one Of the counties.
The very next day | dictated an
eloquent letter to Willie. He wrote
b first In short and then IN long
hand, addressed the envelope and
sent 1t of She responded | re.
piled, and all went merry as a mar
rlage bell, until Willie went off on
his vacation. Here was a situation
shat ! hadn't anticipated, and | let
her last letter remain unanswered
long time, while ! thought over what
was best to do.
Finally, | Iaboriously wrote out
the draft Of a letter aud sent it to
Willie, at Atlantic City, that he
might copy il out in his clerky hand
and return it to me, to be mailed To
The young woman. But, alas viii
lie absent mindedly wrote Atlantic
City at the top OF the page, and the
envelope being addressed in a strange
hand (mine), this astute maid instant
ly guessed the circumstances, and
now she $ angry.
Ii seems no woman likes third
person 10 see her epistles. or else
she thinks man ought TO write his
own loye-letters. At any rate, my
adopted godchild has not answered
The letter wrote in reply to hers
telling me that she knew all, so |
suppose we are as strangers.
m going to learn TO writeagain,
said the man, sadly Il know it
will be hard work, but anything is
better than to be wroth with those
we love and not to be able to scratch
a line to them to beg pardon.