Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-04-30
Habit Of Being Late.


Punctuality as an admirable trait OF
character is duly set forth in all well-reg-
ulated copy books, and duly impressed
upon the young idea as ink-soaked
fingers grasp the pen as though 1t were a
slippery eel and laboriously trace the
thread bare maxim.
Everybody recognizes the advisability
of being two minutes ahead OF train time,
even when a train is occasionally late,
instead of reaching the platform just so
many minutes after it has steamed out,
unexpectedly, on schedule time. Never
theless, punctuality is anything but a
prominent Characteristic OF people gen
orally. They are late to mill and to
meetin', invariably so to the latter-not, 1t
is to be hoped, for the sake of escaping as
much OF il as possible, but rather from a
settled habit OF never being early any
where.
The members Of the congregations are
usually about half of them in their seats
when the bells stop tolling, and walk,
tramp, tiptoe and rustic in until close TO
the thirdly OF the minister's discourse,
when undivided attention can perhaps be
secured for the remainder OF the service.
A woman may be ever so rapt In devotion,
but her dropping eyelids will Involuntary
lift when she hears the door squeak, and
a fleeing and hardly perceptible glance
ing the bonnet, cut, style. color and
trimmings of the garments worn by the
last feminine arrival, besides the way she
has her hair combed. To all appearances
the devotee hasn't moved her head and
only winked once, but she has acquired
more general information than the no less
interested masculine observer, who gives
over devotion entirely for a few minutes
turns his head clear around and stares
openly-the utmost in the way OF subtle
movements OF which he is capable.
IL there is a social function on from
three to five in the afternoon, nobody
thinks of going to ii before half past four,
and the hostess sits in solitary grandeur
for an hour and a half waiting for her
guests to appear. If there is an entertain
ment at the hall to commence at O'Clock,
the place is practically empty at that hour,
and the curtain rises at quarter to nine,
or whenever it begins to look as though
the ticket holders hadn't agreed on a
postponement and failed to notify the
company.
Those who hold tickets for seats in the
middle Of the lines always arrive last, and
make quite an impressive entrance, pre-
eeded by an usher, who gets the nrst SIX
or eight people up and herded in the mar
row aisle, where they trampls on trained
skirts and beg each others pardon while
the belated one sails majestically to seat.
Then they all settle down again. hunt up
their programs and find out how far the
entertainment has progressed since the
last they heard OF it.
just as they begin to enjoy themselves
once more, somebody else comes in and
the first performance has TO be gone
through with again, or they sit still and
let the new corners squeeze through the
best way they can, overcoats and wraps
carried high sweeping the partings out OF
two rows Of sticky brushed heads.
Quiet is finally restored, and disarranged
locks surreptitiously smoothed. Another
reference to the program shows that the
entertainment has been going right along
in spite of Interruptions in the audience,
whose individual units are allowed to
listen to all OF the last number-very likely
the only one that has been heard clear
throagh since the thing began.