How absentminded of me

　　The day before yesterday my wife sent me to a marke t to buy something. I walked to the market, and I bough t a pound of sugar. Then I returned home. Handing the p aper bag containing the sugar to my wife, I said, "Here is the sugar you want."

　　My wife looked in the bag, then looked at me. "I to ld you," she said slowly, "to get me a bottle of milk."

　　Frightened over my absentmindedness, I had to pay a call on my family doctor. He was very kind.

　　"Your problem is a simple one, " said the doctor, " and you should not be concerned about it very much." he added, "If you know you're absentminded, you are okay. It's nothing to worry about. But if you are so far gone you don't know you're absentminded, you may be in troub le."

　　"Many famous people have been absentminded," the do ctor told me. "Thomas Edison was standing in line one d ay to pay his taxes. When he arrived at the window, he found that he had forgotten his own name. He turned to the next man in line and asked, 'Can you tell me what i s my name?' The man told him."

　　Now I felt much better and got up to leave. "Thank you very much, doctor," I said, "How much should I pay you?"

　　"Ten dollars for the check-up," replied the doctor.

　　"But, doctor, I didn't have a check-up." I said.

　　The doctor looked puzzled, "Oh, yes," he said, "It was the patient before you. How absentminded of me!"