Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-04-13
Middle Age
Station


L HAS only recently been dawninl
upon me what's the matter with M
II m hiking along toward middle age.
remarked a rotund man of As or so. VIII,
accomplished a great deal of roaming NJ
and down the world before he dropped
anchor and settled down about a decad,
and half ago. Il hate to believe il
but it's fact.
THE other afternoon | went into a
store to buy hat
Show me some straws,' said to
the salesman.
The salesman brought out a lot of
those narrow-brimmed, soft, high
crowned straw hats that the sedate old
dodgers wear, for comfort more than
! looks.
Not that kind, said, rather impa-
tiently to the salesman-I didn't enjoy
the tmputation he suggested by fetching
out hats of that kind "Wide-brimmed
sailor straws, you kpow-something
stylish-not necessarily jaunty, but-er
stylish and effective
The salesman looked at me rather
doubtfuJly
Very Well he replied, but the kind
I've shown you are the sort that are
mostly worn by settled men,
Settled men!' Me a settled mani
That came as a sort of shock to me. I'm
bound to admit
Say how old dye think | ana
hundred and fourteen !? asked the sales
man.
Oh, no, he replied, smiling, but. you
know, those wide-brimmed sailor straws
are generally worn by-they're more
suitable for the young fellows, y'know
i hadn't entirely got into the habit |
OF CHASING myself as anything else but
one Of the young fellows, but of course |
had to accept the polite salesman's YER
dict that was in the fogy class-I can't
say that | enjoyed it.
But that salesman's opinion wasn't
the first to nudge me along to the some-
what unpleasant realization that I'm
really not one of the young fellows any
more. Last winter went into a shoe
store and said, sort of off-hand. TO the
salesman; Show me some shoes, size
eight, and blamed if he didn't look me
over and then fetch out four or five
square-toed, very sort leather congress
saiters-those shoes with the elastic
ABS at the side, you know. that OLD
'odgers wear SO that they can clip 'em
IN and OF easily. was foolish enough
o depart from that shoe store in a
sort of huff, but when thought II over
ana cooled out, perceived that the shoe
wasn't really to blame-it was
myself that was to blame for getting
mo me middle-age class and taking on
hat congress gallery lookl So / went
,ack TO the shoe store and bought nv
hoes there. Congress CATERS? Not
lueh! | bought pair of buttoned nat
NJ leathers-d'ye think Pm goine ~
ermit them to naturally force me to he
nladie-aged by their Implications that
have reached that stage?
began to notice, too, awhile bacl,
lat great many Of the young fellows :
nth whom ! came into business or 60
lal contact-chaps of from 25 10 10
'ere falling into the habit of calling
le SIR hate toown up how much thar !
istressed me when noticed it. knew I
hat held no exalted station that would :
nuue me TO the sir business from, !
anybody, and then was reluctantIv- =
reat scott! how reluctantly forca5 1
the conclusion-beyond all doubt the +,
'rrect eonclusion-that the only rea. y
IN why these fellows Of 25 and 20 were Il
lGressing me as sir was that thew n
anted to evinoe proper respect toward n
e as middle-aged man, After sir.
ng. me these same fellows would right
my presence. rollickingly address fell
VS. Of their own age by their 6rs, (
lmes. L makes me feel like one ont 2
ne picture-liEe enc dished. had !,
Used that queerly lndeanabIe line ~ 3.
.marcaion between the young fellow y
I'd the settled man without knowinr 8.
OF approaching the significance of fba s.
ange and then when was 3
reed 70 think it over. the knowI- Il
&c Of il came swooping in upon 81
e Ike en- avalanche-I had reached n,
e middle age and Joined tho
sttled' crowd all unawaresi III get
Cd TO 1t in time, no doubtful have to Is