worse than to seem to scratch helplessly around in the air
for an idea that will effect your escape.

"Well, I guess I must stop now," "Well, I must close," or, "You are
probably bored with this long epistle, so I had better close."

All of these are as bad as they can be, and suggest the untutored man who
stands first on one foot and then on the other, running his finger around
the brim of his hat, or the country girl twisting the corner of her apron.

=HOW TO END A LETTER=

An intimate letter has no end at all. When you leave the house of a member
of your family, you don't have to think up an especial sentence in order
to say good-by.

Leave-taking in a letter is the same:

"Good-by, dearest, for to-day.
Devotedly,
Kate."

Or:

"Best love to you all,
Martin."

Or:

"Will write again in a day or two.
Lovingly,
Mary."

Or:

"Luncheon was announced half a page ago! So good-by, dear Mary,
for to-day."

The close of a less intimate letter, like taking leave of a visitor in
your drawing-room, is necessarily more ceremonious. And the "ceremonious
close" presents to most people the greatest difficulty in letter-writing.

It is really quite simple, if you realize that the aim of the closing
paragraph is merely to bring in a personal hyphen between the person
writing and the person written to.

"The mountains were beautiful at sunset." It is a bad closing sentence
because "the mountains" have nothing personal to either of you. But if you
can add "--they reminded me of the time we were in Colorado together," or
"--how different from our wide prairies at home," you have crossed a
bridge, as it were.

Or:

"We have had a wonderful trip, but I do miss you all at home, and long to
hear from you soon again."

Or (from one at home):

"Your closed house makes me very lonely to pass. I do hope you are coming
back soon."

Sometimes an ending falls naturally into a sentence that ends with your
signature. "If I could look up now and see you coming into the room, there
would be no happier woman in the whole State than

Your devoted mother."

=LETTERS NO ONE CARES TO READ=

=LETTERS OF CALAMITY=

First and foremost in the category of letters that no one can possibly
receive with pleasu