Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-04

I'm calling your mistress," he said, with dignity. "Where i, she?"
 "An' shure, why should I be telling the likes of ye?" came the rather un- civil answer as Marie's red head and arms akimbo appeared at the top of the steps.
 '.Who let you in?' she shouted, with rising fury. s'An' state your business, quick"
 MT. Thotless began to grow angry. ssWhere do you come from?" he shouted back.
 'sWhere do come from, indeed! An what business is it of yours where I come from? I come from the County Cork, if ye must know. an I'm an honest woman as has had her place for IA years and knows an honest face whin she sees it, which is not yours, sir, a-coming into the houses of dacent people like the sneak thief which ye are!" and she paused, not from lack of words, but from lack of breath. "Ef ye don't git out of here in double-quick time I'll throw ye out meself. I'll have the whole perlice force down on ye," she added, threateningly, and looked quite equal to the purpose.
 Isn't this No. 77?' asked Mir. Thot- less, beginning to feel horrible mis- giving.
 ssYis.''
 s'Isn't it Sixtieth street?" with more assurance.
 .'lndade it is not. It's Sixty-frst street you're in, and Ireckon ye knows it pritty well, too. But mark ye, if be hearing of ye breaking into any houses on Sixtieth street."
 But she got 10 further. Mr. Thotless made bold dash for the door and was down the street as the faint echo of the threat sounded in his ears.
 That was why the. very next, day when young man came into his office with book giving rules on how to strengthen the memory, Mir. Thot.ess dropped his work at once and gave four dollars for the volume.
 You see," said the young man, in explanation, 'saE you have to do is to follow the rules and memorize these numbers. Why, sir, at the end of the week you'll find you can remember whole lectures if you want to-"
 "How delightful" said MT. Tn hotless. 'sI don't care so much about the lee lures; the practical things are what Pm looking for.''
 ''Oh, that's al right" said the young man, glibly. Naturally, if you can remember one thing you can remem- Der another" he explained, vaguely. Then he departed, leaving MT. Thot- less in blissful possession of his mem ory strengthener.
 All day he forgot things--forgot to write letter, forgot to send 8 tel egram, forgot to send over to the bank in time before it closed-forgot in short, pretty much everything he had wanted to remember, but he was buoyed up with the hope that soon all this would be changed. He was even cheerful after he had gone into a shop, and, putting his cane on the counter, took up the feather dusteI which was lying near it and jauntily carried it for. block before he dis covered his error.
 At last the day was over. He tool his book in one hand and his over coat on his arm and boarded the l homeward train. And really that bool l was splendid. Before he had reached l Fifty-ninth street he had mastered whole page of intricate numbers l He was jubilant, and walked home 1 with the elastic tread of a boy.
 Marie" he said, showing his treas ure to his wife, ''I have the fnest memory strengthener you ever saw All you have to do is to study ,sc ! cording to this method and you car remember anything you want in fiv' l minutes. No more forgetting of let ters, eh, my loye?" he queried, play I fully.
 But Marie was not listening at tentively. She was looking him ovel critically and he felt instinctively that something was wrong.
 s.William," she asked, reproachful ly, sswhere is your new overcoat?"
 And then William dropped his bool and set up great cry. T left it or the train,'' he said, sadly. 'I wa reading this fool book and forgot i completely"
 Since that day Mir. Thotless has le- bad enough alone, and he is willing to give that memory strengthener tc anyone who wants it. But Marie find sI it useful when she has letters to mail for she just shows it to her husband and somehow he never forgets hel letters N Y Times.