Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-08-14
Hurry-Uppers.
BY ELINOR BROOKS.

BY ELINOR BROOKS
| HAVE just been reading Olive Thorne's
trials with a put-offer and | cannot resist
putting in word on the other side of the
question, and telling something of the
life of hurry-upper.
If the "habit Of putting off is frightfully
common" the other extreme is fright
fully dangerous. For while slow, easy
person usually enjoys long life, one of
those go-head drivers will hurry himself
into the grave, and drive his friends there
before him. For the last eight years l
have been daily, yes, hourly, prompted
by such precepts as Take time by the
forelock,' "Procrastination is the thief of
time," Delays are dangerous" "Time is
money" etc, etc, by husband who is a
model IN every respect, except that he is
always IN hurry. Some Of you may
sigh with envy, perhaps, at the thought
OF husband with only one fault; but if
there is anything else so wearing to both
body and soul as being constantly hurried,
| do not know what it is.
Hurry up, hurry up, En-, it's almost
seven O'Clock, time breakfast was ready
is often the first greeting l have in the
morning. But long ago [ learned that
most seven o'clock means from five to
ten minutes after six, and David always
keeps our clock half an hour ahead of
the right time, so l gain still another half
hour, and reckon that the real time is
only halfpast five, do protest against
the idea of gaining time by hav-
ing the clock too fast. When our clock
is ahead of time, | am always thinking,
| Well, the clock is too fast, | need not
| hurry so; and 90 a little slower-and
then, am too late when, if the clock had
been right, | would have planned ac-
! cordingly.
! Now, | hope no one will think I am one
| of the put-otfers, for | am not | never
am late to church, and in my school days
| used to pride myself on my punctuality
| would 90 term after term without get
ting a single tardy mark never used to
miss a train of cars, though | never had
to sit an hour on the hard seats in the
depot waiting for train, as | have some
times done since David the hasty became
my guide.
Shall l ever forget the last time we went
to visit grandma? | am certain the hurry
and worry and excitement of that one trip
must have shortened the span of my earth
ly career by some hours at least
| was in a very happy frame of mind
that morning, thinking how pleased grand
ma would be to see us, and how she would
admire baby Bonnie Cher only grandchild),
and whether she would agree with me in
thinking it best not to cut his gums to let
his little teeth through, etc With great
many such things running through my
mind, was very leisurely getting Bonnie
ready for his bath, stopping to admire his
dimDled shoulders, and give him a hug
and kiss when [ heard the front door open
i I NJ, Il
called up the stairs, Emma how near are
you ready 1t is time we were off"
Now, knew better | knew the train
did not leave for a good hour at least, but
somehow, when David gets into one Of his
hnrrying fits, it is always contagious, and
in few minutes | was flying around the
house at a rate that was caution to all
slow folks.
Bennie's bath, of course, must be omit
ted | would only have time to wipe off
his face and hands little, which, OF
course, he resisted with all his force of fist
and foot A regular bath in his bath-tub
he always enjoys, but a wash-rag! he'll
fight it to his last breath. Under the cir
cumstances | did not wait to put much of
polish on the chubby cheeks, but hur-
ried his clothes on, and, to keep him out
of mischief, seated him in the middle of
INV nice, clean bed He must have some
thing to amuse housekeeping to keep
him still, | thought, as | crowded the
cover tight in the pomade jar, and handed
it to him, greatly to his delight, for it was
new plaything.
Bonnie disposed of, hurried to get my
self ready l had just taken down my
hair, when another call came from below,
Come, EN-, hurry up" Now, nature
has given me switch only yard and a
quarter long, and thick proportionately-
not like chignon, that can be pinned on
at moments notice-but with shaking
fingers (for the hurry was already begin
ming to tell on my nerves. | twisted 1t up
IN about two minutes, AMI was hurrylng
on nv clothes. when again from the lower
REGIONS came a call, "Why, wife, what are
YOU abouts You surely will be left, do
hurrvn Oh, wasn't that exasperating!
When every nerve and muscle possess
ed were strained to their utmost IN my
efforts to move fast, to 10 told to hurry"
Nv emotions were indescrlbable out GER
tainly my strongest desire was 10 get my
fingers around that mans throat, ana, II
possible, choke OIL, tor hve minutes a'
least, that everlasting hurry up
noise from Bonnie attracted my at
tention. and | turned to him to find the
little mischief had taken the cover OFT the
pomade jar, and with his little fingers had
taken out dabs of pomade and spread
them all over the counterpart, pillows,
and everything else within his reach n
Never mind, we must not wait now to fix
things, for just then came another CAL,
'Do hurry, EN-; are you never coming az.
and 7 hurried down stairs, wiplng Ben
MES fingers as went, and we hurried IN
to the carriage the horse hurried to
the depot at a rate that sent people flying
across the street crossings-for David al
ways will keep horse that Will go like
the wind he can't wait tor slow
horse. .,h,oa
When we reached the depot / trembled'
90 that Bennie's heavy weight fairly drag
@ed me down, but we were there in time,
Surely, for no train came for forty five
minutes. Weary minutes they were to me,