The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-04-02
Tho Man who stays Late.

One of the compliments paid by men
to the women they admire is the evening
call, which is pleasantly different from
the short afternoon visit, says the Illus
is over haste and annoyance take them
selves to the untried regions of tomor.
row. and one Is in q mood to please and
be pleased.
Perhaps because of the charm of the
woman, or an inward protest against dis
turbing harmonious conditions, the man
forgets or disregards the number or the
flying hours, and thus causes an unhappy
problem to present itself to his hostess,
that the conventional time for going
home has arrived? Or how, in general,
can men be taught finer instinct in
such matters?
There are unnistakable signs about the
house at bedtime. Servants perform
their final offices. for the night, some
times member of the family trudges Oh.
viously upstairs to bed; there is a gradual
cessation of vigorous sound-all of
which, to sensitive ear and mind, con.
veys very definite impression that it is
time to go home.
The man who outstays these uncon-
scious protests against his presence can
have no excuse for so doing save the ex-
ecutiOn of some immediate and important
business. This failing, he must not be
offended if some slight intimation is Civ
en- that his visit should not be further
prolonged.
One ingenious girl afflicted with an
habitually late caller whose pride rem.
dered him sensitive ingeniously resorted
to smothered yawns gotten up for the oc
cAsion, each one followed by an Elaborate
notice. 1t Is needless to say her plan
worked.
There are some men gOod-naturedly
thoughtless who can be rallied in jocu
lar way Oh the matter of latc-staying
and who will probably themselves con
tinue the subject by quoting jokes OIL
this topic so fruitful to the humorist.
AT best it is trying position for O
woman, who must have always before
her the .proprieties, and one into which
a man should be too thoughtful to force
her. All her tact and knowledge of the
world and society are needed to enable
her to gracefully dismiss the late slayer
without injury to his vanity, and be-
fore she shall have called upon herself
the apprehension of her guardians.
Rules in the matter scarcely apply
Orders below stairs may be to close the
| house at 10 o'clock, and all servants
must be in and their guests must be out
at that hour. The impossibility of 6
time rule for society is manifest.
If men appreciated the amount of an
noyance given to various members of the
household by the careless trick of late
staying there would be less of it done
Apart from any considerations of thu
| lady called upon, there is her chaperon
| who must await her return upstairs, ant
who, although fatigued, is deprived o.
| the privilege of going to bed.
No book of etiquette is going to reform
the late-staying man, for he never reads
such, but it must be left to the tact ant
| firm kindness of the woman he admire
to administer to him his lesson in an!
form she considers fitting to his DISPOSE
ton, although it is an injustice to he
that she should be obliged to keep al
eye on the clock during hours of enjoy
| ment and relentlessly end them with tn
stroke of a bell, as, the Fates snap of
| the thread with the memorable shears
Philadelphia Inquirer.