DEAR ABBY: In your column concerning the late Harry S. Truman, you made a grammatical error. You wrote: Your story about Harry Truman does not surprise me.
Abby, you should have said "astonish," not "surprise." To help you avoid making this mistake in the future, I offer this true story:
Shortly after he published his first dictionary, Noah Webster's wife came home and found Noah in bed with the maid. She shouted, "Noah ... I am surprised!"
He then sat up in bed, shook his head ruefully and said, "No, Madame, YOU are astonished. I am surprised." -- NORMAN M. HULINGS JR., TULSA, OKLA.