The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-01-17
The Man Who Talks too Long.

Lime is SnOrG. MOInenGS are pfec-
ious. Business is pressing. The Man
Who Talks too Long does not know
these things. His conversation is like
the playing of tune, on a barrel
organ. When the handle begins to
turn it must keep on turning until
the tune is finished, whether people
desire to listen or not. As the organ
ist sitting on a street corner is not
deeply concerned as to whether the
bystanders give attention to the
strains of his instrument or forbear
to do so, in like manner the Man Who
Talks too Long delivers himself of
his discourse without regard to
whether his auditors are interested
or not. To be within earshot of him
is to gain the idea that the chief de-
side of his heart is to hear his own
voice. He is ready to deliver a free
lecture whenever he can get an audi
ence. Instead of keeping his audience
happy and letting them depart is such
peace as to hope for their coming
again he wearies and bores all who
hear him aud makes them feel like
slipping away unobserved. It is his
specially not to digest his thoughts.
Thought which is undigested is very
seldom condensed. Uncondensed
thought is not generally worth listen
ing to. Sometimes it is a verbose
argument in which the long -winded
man indulges, and sometimes it is
the narration of a tedious story. In
either case his habit is to interject
these unwelcome things into a bust
ness hour of somebody whose time
is of value and whose mind is busy
on other subjects. When he is busy
with hic own affairs he is annoyed by
the effort of anybody else to talk to
him. 1t is when he has done his
work and when other people have not
done theirs that his talk is longest,
loudest and most tedious.
There are times when the Man Who
Talks too Long comes into his vic
TINS Office. A very slight excuse
serves to bring him and to interrupt
the victim. Having once made the
interruption and received the answer
to the query which was his excuse
for calling, he thinks it would be a
waste of a golden opportunity for talk
if he should depart without freeing
his mind OF what happens to be on it.
Perhaps he opens fire with weather
report. He declares that the weather
is extraordinary and without prece-
dent and that the present season is in
six or seven~respects dissimilar from
any season experienced since William
Penn made his treaty with the abo-
rigines. In order to stop him off his
victim takes no especial notice of the
declaration. He takes silence for as
sent and proceeds with rambling
essay on the state Of the crops. From
this he wanders into politics, and as
his victim, rather han take time and
trouble to argue with him, simply
makes an occasional nod or grunt to
intimate that he hears what is said,
the speaker takes advantage of this
to go on and on and on. 1t is not
always practicable to go from the
presence Of such man without pos
itively insulting him. If the wearied
victim pleads an errand out of doors
the long-winded man says he is going
too, and as their errands probably lie
in the same direction he will go along.
And the discourse goes on.
The acquaintance who succeeds in
dodging past the long-winded man is
indeed happy. But alas for the man
who attempts it in vain! The perse-
cutor corners him and inficts upor
him an harangue which is as tedious
as it is uninteresting. The wearied
| nvrrnsaion If his victim 10 M hint r.