The Western news., 1903-07-15
How William
Strengthened His
Memory

lvl pleasant, amiable, ra her absent
minded man, with a chronic tendency
toward forgetting to mail his wife's
letters. If that was as far as his for
getfulness extended he might have
borne it with humility. But when it
reached the degree of ma king him ridi-
'culous he began to despair.
1t was such an insane thing t o have
a man ask him where his hat was, only
to discover he had ben walking for
blocks without it, or to take his wife
to the races and then drive home with
out her-forgetting, in fact, all about
her That was a dreadful day for Mr..
Thotless, and it took him weeks to
hive it down.
But the crisis came all in one even
ing. They had pretty, comfortable
home on Sixtieth street, about three
blocks from the elevated 1t was rain
ing, and Mr.. Thotless conceived the
happy idea of pleasing his wife by in
vesting in some fine hot rolls at the
bakery, few blocks from his home.
He smiled as he lowered his UNI
brella to climb the elevated steps, and
continued to smile as he bought his
ticket. When the train came to a
7standstill he gallantly allowed lady
precedence and then politely boarded
the train, first trying to raise his um,
brella, with the absent-minded smile
still on his face. But instead of rails,
ing the umbrella he knocked off the
hat of a stout German, poked an elder.
ly lady in the ribs, and got all tangled
up in the blonde hair of the lady stand
ing just ahead of him.
There was general look of asst on.
ishment on the faces of the other pas.
sengers, which turned into laugh.
and Mr.. Thotless suddenly awoke TIC
the fact that he was making himself
ridiculous.
But the rolls were still uppermost in
his mind. On the corner stood drug
store and beside it the bakery shop he
sought He marched cheerfully into
the first door he came to, and, ad-
dressing superior-looking young
man behind soda water counter,
said:
.Give me half dozen fresh rolls,
please, and I want them very hot"
The young man looked puzzled. He
had heard Of a good many drinks in
his day, but this one was entirely new
to him.
"Would you mind repeating your or
der?" he asked. II didn't quite catch
It,"
"Rolls, man, rolls!" shouted Mr..
Thotless testify. "Don't you know
what rolls are? Bread! Hot bread!'
The young man resumed his superior
attitude. "Oh," he said. airily, 1--WE
don't make them here. We leave that
to the bakery next door,"
Then Mr.. Thotless awoke from his
trance to realize for the first time tha
he was in the drug store. He meekly
apologized and went out. But when
did his misfortunes ever come singly? =?
He walked in the next door and again
gave his order for rolls, this time to
a pert young woman behind wire
screen.
Say, mister, this is drug store
she giggled. eve don't sell hot rolls
VIC SSA4 VIC cure 1OT tUc lnul2eSIIOu
you get after eating them," and she
laughed again joyfully at her own
wit.
AS Mr.. Thotless made his hasty
egress he heard the voice of the su.
perior young man say: "That dern
fool has just been in this door ask.
ing for those same rolls" and their
jeering laughter followed him all the
way home.
But his troubles were not yet over
Armed with the rolls at last, he
walked peacefully on until he reached
Sixty-first street. There was one
thing he never forgot to do; that was
to look at the number of the house
In order to avert any tendency to-
ward mistakes, for he was well
aware of his weakness. It was the
right number, so he pulled out his
key and thought of the rolls so hot
and snug under his arm and of Ma
ria's pleasure, and chuekled indul-
gently to himself.
II occurred to him that the hall