The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-03-13
FREAKS OF THE BRAIN.

~tASASAA4A0 Va I'LL 04Vk14xvs
Confessions of a Woman Who is Worse
than Absent inded-Her
Sisters Woes.
"You look worried said Mrs. Weldon,
as Mrs. Lee came in slowly and sank on
a chair with:a sigh. lie: me give you
some tea at once, and then, if you can,
tell us of your woes"
Il suppose you can guess that they're
not deeply serious" said Mrs. Lee, as a
smile chased away the lines Of care be-
tween her brows. "You're too good TO
talk of my real woes in that way. But
you know me we'll enough 20 surmise that
I've been getting things mixed again."
Then you must tell us!"
1T isn't so very bad, but you know
what Elizabeth Eliza :Peterkin said:
Strange that l should go to town and
forget the very thing 1 went for Well,
that's what l did today! I went to the
city for the very purpose of making a GER
tain important purchase, and, in the ex-
citement of various other errands and an
unexpected meeting with a friend, IL
CAME back without it, and-and-well,
III. confess all! l left my umbrella. in. u
shop, and it's gone! And I have to 20
back: tomorrow and do everything all
over again. Oh, L have such a fellow
feeling with Elizabeth Eliza!!"
hB b. Il, yon ", knoW," said : Miss Meriyale,
was quite natural. Now, 1 agree with
Mr.. Peterkin-I think it's quite natural.
III tell you: what j: did the other day. -,
"Oh!"i exclaimed Mrs. Lee. ARE YOU
absent-minded, too? I'm delighted!"
I'm more than absent minded: I am
at times an utter :mbecile. This is what
I did: I wanted to go up to the next
station in a hurry, but found that l had
missed the 2:14 train, and would have to
wait until the 2:30: It was just 2:17,
so l settled myself to wait, not patient
~, but very impatiently. You must
know that l am never patient: I am re-
signed to Impotence, which is different.
AS I paced up and down the platform,
counting the minutes, I heard a train
coming up. 1t came and stopped, and
l watched the passengers getting in and
out, glad that something had occurred to
amuse me, since I had to wait until 2::33O.
grimly reflected that l should be ten
minutes late for my appointment"
but why didn't you go up Oh the train
"Exactly! Why didn't 1? As it moved
off I suddenly reflected that nothing had
prevented my taking it except a fixed
notion that 1 was to wait there until
2:3O! The train was, in fact. the 2:14
belated. and | deliberately stood there
cause Of a curious mental impression
that I could take no train until the 2:3O
came up, and yet I arm sanew
"Well, l hope I'm sane" said Mrs.
Lee, 'but I'm afraid yeuM doubt it when
you hear what l did a few weeks ago.
I thought at the time l wouldn't tell any
Of you, but I'm in the meod for confess
sion. You know the day our club, The
Rangers met at Mrs. Holiness"
Eyes, you were present."
"Well, it had been suggested that I
should have that meeting, hui after quite
a little discussion it was decided that
Mrs. Holmes should take it, and L should
have the next. When the time came,
however, that decision was temporarily
wiped out of my mind. L refused a pleas
ant invitation for that dag, gave:up. some
other duties, set the house. in order,
brought down all the chairs 1 had, and
several boxes of waters and a los of
cakes and set them out; got ,out my best
cups, ordered the tea made-oh, a hun
dred things. You know what it means
to have a meeting. Then I dressed, and
sat down in the parl0r, among the rows
Of chairs. Three o'clock struck; quarter
past; no one came! l was %dreadfully
if I were shot. The whole thing came
back to me! 1t was not MI day; 1 had
prepared for nOthiNg!r' -
''How utterly dreadful!'
Wasn't it? And then the umbrellas
and handkerchiefs I lose-not to speak of
purses, with money in them!"
Il never carry much money in my
purse" said Miss Merixale. .It's tie
last place in the world to keep money!
Pocketbooks, landkercl9fs and umbrel-
las are all made to be lest; that's the
main purpose OF their existence. Put no
more in your pocketbeok than you can
afford to lose without, shedding .tears."'s :
my goodness, Edithr' cried Mrs. Wei
don; The idea Of Losing your pocket
"Knock on weody' exclaimed several
voices, simultaneously &&2s II
Where do you carry your money!
someone said to Miss Mcrivale.
Pinned in my blouse" she answered
promptly. s"Once I put it there and for
got I had it; and when a sudden need
for money occurred away frem home i.
rowed some Of a family friend, almost
with tears OF embarrassment, only to re-
member later that I had $40 with me.
s''Come, Il fee: encouraged!!'' exclaimed
Mrs. Lee, after a chorus of laughter.
I'm no longer the champion absent
minded woman" y
do you ever forget peeplea'' asked
forget everything else. Only last week
a woman whose face / knew came up
and told me she had lost her son since
I met her. gave her my deepest sym
pathy, hut to this day I don't know who
she was. nor whether her son was a little