The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-01-31
WOMAN AT THe lI.N.I wlNpow.
ihls ono rouk Her Time WHHc IInr.i
waiting Men Counted the .cuuda

|
waiting Men Counted the seconds.
This is simply another version OF th,
old, old story Of the woman and the ticket
agent and 10 waiting, impatient mon with
| no means Of redress. IL was nt the Cutt
lnndt street station Of the Pennsylvania
rnilroad one morning last week. Time
y O'Clock, and the Long Branch train was
TO leave In 10 minutes.
-Four women rushed into the station
brcathlcss, hut chattering away at lively
rate.
ono Of the quartet, tall angular WON
an, with umbrella, last summer hat and
| gown made over and rctrmmcd, "A parcel
evidently containing lunch aud other in
Cidcntal articles essential to the makeup
Of n 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 it. Flouncing up to
the window, she began the attack
What time Is IT." she snapped in o
tone that caused tho ticket solSr to drop
some papers and assume n defensive attl
tudc.
"Ninc-one exactly, madam" was his re
ply, delivered in n firm tone.
Are We in time for the 9:iO traint'
"Oh yes, madam
Thanks The reason asked was be.
cause | did not know whether the time
table meant the train left from here or the
other sido of the ferry You know time
tables are so unreliable unless you get new
ones right along, and the one we looked
ut was one we had last year, SO we werc
not sure, you know"
The agent simply bowed and smiled sar.
donically. The other women were convers.
Ing quietly In a corner, and several men
entered and formed in line behind the
| woman at the window.
"Oh, now that l think Of It, wish you
would givc me new time table. | may
not uso 1t, but then it's handy thing to
have around II 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
tho part Of the owners. The woman
glanced over the new time table and was
satisfied.
you'll have to hurry, madam II you
| Naio W RcI that olV truln ~ S'OO
now"
"Oh, my, yes Now I want ticket" "
she said and began a search through her
pocketbook. She finally found n dollar
bill and laid II down.
Where did you say you We're goingy"
said the ticket man.
ITO Long Branch"
do you want n single or excursion
queried the agent In that peculiar mechan-
ical manner that school children employ
when coming lessons.
| Excursion, of course"
''Dollar fifty for excursion, madam"
"That includes parlor car, doesn't it?''
"Oh, no." was the terse reply.
Now there We're 10 men in the line and
very impatient ones at that. Some gruan
cd 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. -
"Therc 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 the
pocketbook, and n So bill came forth. She
got the tickets and examined each as care
: fully as she might piece of muslin on q
bargain counter. She finally moved slow
ly away, and the next moment there wa,
q series of hoarse shouts, and the line o
l5 men dashed past the window like
charge of a regiment of cavalry. They
threw their money in and caught thei
tickets ON the fly.
The woman, having assured herself tha
she was all right, summoned her thrc,
companions, and they hurried along to tn,
ticket taker There was another blockad,
here. The leader at first decided that sh,
would take charge of the tickets. Then
discussion followed, and she changed hel
mind and handed each of the Others her re
spectivc ticket. The line of men mean
while reached the ticket taker, and thel
: brushed by the women like streak o
lightning.
Then the women found that they woul,
have to hustle II they were going to &c
the boat, and they ran too. One of then
. attempted to get by without having he
ticket punched, and she had to return
The others stood in the gateway so tn,
man could not close 1t and waited for her
o The quartet reunited and ran down tn
gangway and reached the boat just as tn
deckhands loosened the cable chains.
The Is martyrs who had marshaled III
on the afterdeck with expressions of bliss
full expectancy groaned aloud again as tn
women stepped ON the boat. But when tn
Jersey shore was reached the quartet di,
not precede them in the race for the train
The 9:l0 train was six minutes late il
starting that morning.-New York Sun.