The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-03-06
WOMAN AT THE TICKET WINDOW.
This One Took Her Time while Fifteen
M-nIti.,n- nI..,, GnnrAnl tl,n S.,1r,,ds


This One Took Her Time while FIFTEEN
Waiting Men Counted the Seconds.
This is simply another version Of the
old old story Of the woman and tho ticket .
agent and 10 waiting, impatient men with ,
no means of redress. 1t was ut the Cort |
londt street station of the Pennsylvania
railroad one morning last week. Time,
. o'clock, aud the Long Branch train was
to leave in 10 minutes.
Four women rushed into the station, |
brcathless, but chattering away at a lively |
rate
Ono of the quartet, n tall, angular WON
an, with umbrella, last summers hat and
gown made over and rctrimmed, IA parcel |
evidently containing lunch and other In.
cidcntal articles essential to the makeup
of mature spinster of the conventional
type, was conspicuously the leader Of the
party. she surveyed the interior of the
waiting room critically and then spotted
her victim in the window, with the sign
Ticket Agent" over 1t. Flouncing up to
the window, she began the attack
What time is itY' she snapped in
tone that caused the ticket seller to drop
some papers and assume n defensive atti.
tudc.
"Nine-onc exactly, madam" was his re-
ply, delivered in IA firm tone.
Are we in time for the 9:10 train'"
ooh, yls madam "
Thanks Tho reason | asked was be
cause | did not know whether the time
table meant the train left from here or the
other side of the ferry. You know time
tables are SO unreliable unless you get new
ones right along, and tho one we looked
at was one VIC had last year, so we were
not sure, you know. "
The agent simply bowed and smiled sar.
donically. The other women were convers.
ing quietly in n corner, and several men
entered and formed in line behind the
woman at The window.
"Oh, now that think Of it, wish you
would give me a new time table. | may
not use it, but then it's handy thing To
have around if l should happen to want
it,"
The agent handed over one of the pam.
phlets and looked down the line of waiting
men, who were becoming impatient.
There were eight men in the line now,
and they all looked anxiously at the wom-
an. Every moment watches were pulled
out and replaced with increasing anger on
the part of the owners. Tho woman
glanced over the new time table and was
satisfied.
y
want to get that $40 train. It's 9:05
now"
| 'Oh, my, yes. Now l want n ticket"
she said and began n search through her
| pockctbook She finally found "a dollar
| bill and laid it down.
where did you say you were going'"
said the ticket man.
ITO Long Branch"
DO you want single or cxcursionf"
| queried the agent in that peculiar mcchan-
ical manner that school children employ
when coming lessons
Excursion, of course"
"Dollar fifty for excursion, madam"
"That includes II parlor car, doesn't itS"
"Oh, no." was the terso reply.
Now there were 10 men in the line and
very impatient ones at that. Some groan-
ed aloud, and others made sharp remarks
! but the woman had not finished her bust
ness with the ticket seller.
Why they didn't cost that last year. :"
"Thcre has been no change in the rate.
You've only got three minutes for tho
train, madam"
Goodness, yes, and--oh, how stupid.
/ l want three more tickets"
Then began another search through tho
pocketbooll, and So bill came forth. She
got the tickets and examined each as care
fully us she might a piece of muslin on u
bargain counter. She finally moved slow
ly away, and the next moment there was
u series of hoarse shouts, and the limo OF
Is men dashed past the window like n
charge of regiment of cavalry. They
threw their money in and caught their
tickets on the fly.
The woman, having assured herself that
she was all right; summoned her thred
companions, and they hurried along to the
ticket takcr, There was another blockade
here. The icu,.gr at first decided that she
would take charge Of the tickets. Then a
discussion followed, and she changed her
mind and handed each of the others her re.
spective ticket. The line of men mean
while reached the ticket takcr, and they
brushed by the women like streak OF
lightning,
Then Tie women found that they would
have to hustle If they were going to get
the boat, and they ran too. One of them
attempted to get by without having her
ticket punched; and she had to return.
The others stood in the gateway SO the
man could not close it and waited for her.
The quartet reunited and ran down the
gangway and reached the boat just as the
deckhands loosencd the cable chains.
The 10 martyrs who had marshaled W
on the afterdeck with expressions of bliss
full expectancy groaned aloud again rs the
women stepped on the boat. But when the
Jersey shore was reached the quartet did
not prccede them in the race for the train
The 0:1O train was six minutes late IN
starting that morning.-New York Sun.