Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-24
EXTREMES MEET.

Early Rapidio was always ahead of time,
usually one hour. When he was a baby he
would awaken from his maps before he
was expected to, not that infants are re-
liable as to the hour of their waking and
sleeping, but, for instance, if he opened
his eyes at 2 the first day it was 1 the day
after, 10 the next, and SO on. From the
time Early went to school he arrived be-
fore the doors were open, and more than
once on cold winter mornings was nearly
frozen while waiting for some one to let
him in.
Early grew up and went to college. His
earliness afforded much amusement for
his fellow students, but after awhile they
became accustomed to his being an hour
ahead Of any one else, and besides they
found him most useful in buying tickets
for ball games. Owing to his eccentric
habit, he was first in line and would get
any number of seats for his friends.
The first time he was asked to a dinner
party the father of his hostess coming
outside. Never having heard of Early GUS
tom, he concluded a mistake had been
made as to the hour Of dinner in his invi-
tation. Papa therefore hurried through his
toilet and entertained his daughters guest
until that young lady made her appear
ance. After that he was asked an hour
later than other people hidden to a feast
or function.
About this time Early swallowed a germ
which produced a disease called love, from
which there was no escape. The cause Of
all his blissful suffering was a young lady
of the name of Lilly Latily. A resume Of
this lady's history will show the unhappy
situation Of young Rapidio. Lilly Iatily
had never been known to be on time. All
her life she had been late to meals, late to
school, and after she had grown up and
taken her place on the society rush line
she had caused her friends much annoy
ance by her tardy appearance at places
where she was invited. People could new
er be seriously provoked with Lilly, for aft
er keeping some one waiting an hour she
would come rushing up and begin to tell
some incident or story in such a charming
way that she who had been wiggling first
one n foot and then on the other would
be laughing gayly after being in her CON-
pany five minutes.
Early met Lily one day at a picnic. As
usual. he was an hour ahead of the party
and they arrived, all but Lily, just in
time to take the boat up the river. The
steamers ran every hour, and as Early was
such a patient waiter some n suggested
that he should stay behind and bring Miss
Latily up on the next boat.
1T will be a case of two extremes meet
ing" II smiling damsel affirmed.
Early was willing to wait, but as the
steamer moved away from the wharf he
remembered he had never seen Miss Latily.
He shouted to the others, but they pre-.
tended not to hear, or thought it an excel
lent joke for Early Rapidio and Lily
Latily to meet in such an unconventional
way.
Early had never heard that Lily Latily
was an hour late wherever she went, SO he
kept his eye out for any young lady who
might be looking anxiously for friends.
At length he saw such a one carrying n
large valise coming around the corner of
the dock.
1T must be she" he said to himself,
and calamity rushed forward to take her
bag.
"Allow me to carry 1t for you, Miss
Latily-we are to join the rest of the party
by the next boat" As Early finished his
little speech he put his hand on the valise.
"Not If I know IT, broke In a stout wo.
man, putting after the girl. She jerked
the bag from him, and that article Of bag
a having a weak lock, burst open and
the contents rolled hither and thither.
Early ~endeavored to mutter apologies for
his mistake and succeeded in running pins
into his fingers and pinching his thumb
with curling tongs while helping to put
the things back into the bag. Seeing 1t
useless to try to mollify the mother of the
girl to whom he had spoken, he jammed
his hat over his eyes and hurried from the
scene of his unfortunate encounter.
On rounding the corner he ran into the
end of something which caused him to
nearly double up. 1t proved to be a para
sol, and the owner displayed a pair of
laughing brown eyes above the rim of her
sunshade and began to explain her haste.
Early forgot the gnawing sensation the
blow had given him, and stretching his
out: .
YOU are MISS Lattlyp'
"Quite correct. But how did you know
mep''
"Oh, never mind that now, only I'm to
take you to the picnic by the next boat!
But for goodness sake don't go that way"
as she started to round the fatal corner,
''or I may be taken up for addressing the
wrong girl"
Then he explained to her how he had
been left to wait for her and Of his mis-
take.
From that day Early and Lily met often,
but If tho meetings were sweet they were
decidedly short. Early would arrive at a
social gathering an hour ahead of time
and Lily got there an hour after everyone
else. As Early was first to come, so he was
first to leave, and could only catch a feet
ing glimpse Of Lily.
As time passed and the meetings con-
tinued to admit Of but a passing word or
two, Early was in despair as to when he
would ever be with her long enough to
propose. Wherever he went he thought Of
how he could say the words quickly
enough:
II love you" or marry me-"
Late one afternoon he boarded a cable
Ar. 1t was crowded, and EARLY was jam
med against the door Just inside. As the
car jerked backward and then forward II
threw a young woman who had got on
violently against him. He looked down
and saw 1t was Lilly Latily. In a breath
less, hurried voice he whispered In the ear
that was pressed against his lips:
~ love you; marry me-"
The next moment abe had righted her.
self and nodded her head. He took her arm
and helped her off the car, then rushed
across the street and into jewelers. store,
where BIO bought her q sparkling solitaire.