The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-09-10
ManneriSms.

Utbs
Now Reggie had been so often compli-
mented for his politeness that, though
only six years old, he was beginning to
observe the formalities in a painful
degree, and his constantly recurring
"'scuse me-" united with a comical
little air of priggishness, annoyed even
his good-natured playfellow.
"Perhaps you will understand better
now," gently said the mother of the
young critic, why reprove you for
beginning so many of your sentences
with say 1t is easy to fall into a
tresome habit of that sort"
The incident set me to thinking (uot
without remembering, however, that
by others faults wise men correct
heir own " of the people l have met
Tho indulge in pet conversational sins
freely as unconsciously.
First to come to mind is a dear old
idy, whose sweet face smiles perpet-
al benediction. She is great reader,
we'll posted on the topics of current in
terest, and would be charming con-
versatonalist if after every remark adj
dressed to her she did not exclaim,
What say?" until you long to be a
typewriter prepared for manifolding.
If she were deaf one would pity her af-
Fiction, but try changing the sentence
and sure proof of sound ear-drums
follows. To nervous person this soon
becomes unbearable, and often the
kind old soul is debarred the pleasure
of a neighborly call or ahalf-hour's chat,
which she dearly enjoys, just by this
unfortunate piece of disagreeabeness
" l am trying hard to think of all the
news" writes a friend, "but Aunt
Jane is sitting on the other side of the
table, and as she always shifts at inter-
walls of twenty-five seconds, 1 can't keep
my mind on anything but the coming
sniff" Yet Aunt Jane could have told
of habit equally annoying of the fair
writer's own-that of beginning her
sentences with ,chy. d" Will you have
tea or coffee?" "Why, tea, if you
please" Shall you 60 downtown to-
day7o Z" Why, yes, l think So" "Are
you fond of angels food?" "Why,
yes, rather" How do you like that
new book?" " Why, pretty well as far
as | have read" ETC., till "the coming
sniff " fades into insignifcance.
Here is young man who constantly
asserts that you are acquainted with
facts you never heard of before, not
even questioning with dOncherknOlC,
but in the most excited manner re-
peatedly accusing you: {" saw Harry
Smith just now, you know, and he said |
that his wife had had lot of money
left her, you know, by rich uncle that
had just dropped off, you know, and |
that they were going to make prompt |
use of it, you know, and would probably |
start for Europe in few weeks, you
know" through all of which he was
not aware he had said "you know"
even once.
A young lady who enters most SYM
pathetically into the spirit of CONVEX
sation would be one of the best of that |
rare class called good listeners had not |
her vocabulary such a monotonous |
fecundity of yeSeS. l heard her
thus disconcert a small boy who had |
been sent with a message: Miss
(Yes) my mother told me to come
over (Yes?) to tell you that our cur
rants were ripe (YeSD and that if you
would like some YEsD, you could
have all you wanted (Yes?) by, yes, by
coming over (Yes), and, yes, by COM
getl" and with a face like peony, he |
turned and fed.
What a bashful little fellow! l
suppose she meant that l was to come
over and help pick them. He's the boy |
who took the prize for recitation at school |
last week. Queer he could recite a
long selection then and yet forget Just
one sentence before an audience of |
three"
He wasn't interrupted there" said
her brother, bluntly.
Peculiar to the genus schoolgirl is |
the habit of making an and sandwich |
of every sentence. Count the dndS |
heard in the course of two minutes of
voluble chatter, and see what ratio the |
necessary ones bear to the superhous
ones. 1t is so convenient to use a long
drawn out and when thinking what to
say next
People not frivolous in the least often
giggle over everything they say, and
use smoker for each mark of punctu-
alton; but this is usually more from
nervousness than any other cause, and
little self-control will remedy it.
What is more tiresome than the per-
sonification of a familiar quotation book,
to whom every triviality suggests line
from some poet, to be given with
flourish, and as if originated then and
there. He can not hand glass of
water without Drink, pretty creature,
drink" or pass the sugar without
" Sweets to the sweet" How he de-
lights to trip the unsuspecting by ask
ing in what book of the Bible occurs
the comforting passage, " God tempers
the wind to the shorn lamb" or Offering
a prize for finding the author of Z" Con- |
sistency, thou art jewel" What but
a quotation can describe such people, |
I" They have been at a great feast of !
languages and stolen [only] the scraps"
Then there is the wearisome punster;
how many times have you lodged into |
a store, or around a corner, to avoid his |
suggestion that it is bad day for the
race, or that tulips would be much worn
this season, when you felt unequal to |
the effort of summoning sickly smile |
in response! Would that we could send |
him and all of his ilk to the asylum that |
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