Page:A Desk Book on the Etiquette of Social Stationary.djvu/29

 a tear, and excites the broad smile of amusement. It may be just the needed change in the point of view which helps the other woman through a weary day. Try it and see how quickly such a letter is answered.

And speaking of answering, how many of us really do it? We catch up a sheet of paper, cover it with our own absorbing doings, add a hurried line of health inquiry and send it out. Yes, it is worth just about the price of the two-cent stamp, attached with a crooked slant into the envelope corner.

Read over the letter to be answered before you begin to write. It is a notable help and lends many a clue to an interesting line. Bits of news from the doings of mutual friends may be introduced, and the mention or criticism of new books is often an appreciated word to the friend who may not be able to keep in touch with the world's latest accomplishments.

Forms of address are governed by a few well-made laws. In America, My dear is considered more formal than Dear, the opposite being the