The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-08-18
THE PUNCTUAL LADY.
She Found That Being Ahead of Time
Was Not Punctuality, But
Foolishness.

Aunt Clara" an excellent woman,
and highly esteemed, is noted among a
large circle of friends and acquaint-
ances for a rather unusual feminine
trait-abhorrence of hardness. Her
associates in church and club, prone to
arrive upon the scene fiurried and
breathless at the last moment-if not
a little later-look up to her with awe;
strangers frequently meet her with the
kindling glance which signifies that her
fame has preceded her; only in her
own family does she suffer the usual
fate of the prophet.
Possibly not without some show of
reason. There are souls so consti-
tuted that they are unable to find Joy
in arriving at railroad stations an hour
before time, reaching church before
the doors are open, and always being
the first arrivals at afternoon teas.
Aunt, Clara's motto is not 'to-m NOR
row., one of her nieces once remarked.
1T is the day before yesterday"
Not long ago Aunt Clara had an ex-
perience. She was invited to spend
the day with some charming women
in neighboring town. She had met
them once only, but the meeting had
proved the three thoroughly congenial,
with large common interests, and Aunt
Clara accepted the invitation with
pleasure
She would arrive, she wrote, upon the
half-past eleven train, as they sug-
gested. There seemed no possibility
OF complication, nor would there have
been with anyone else. But Aunt
Clara reached the station, according to
her custom, an hour early, and when,
soon afterward, a Maplewood train was
called, she stepped on board, and in
due season-after a shorter ride in
fact, than she had expected-reached
her station.
There was no one to meet her. which
seemed little strange, but Aunt Clara
was always equal to any emergency:
she hired cab and drove out to her
friends. There again no one seemed
to be expecting her, although one of
the ladies appeared in a moment and
gave her a cordial welcome Her sis
ter, she said, had gone to meet the
train, and must have passed her on the
way. She would be so sorry to miss her.
and so concerned that she should have
come up alone.
Then the guest caught sight of the
clock; it was five minutes after ten.
She had taken the early morning train,
and an express, and arrived nearly two
hours before she was expected. More
over, it could not be concealed. for all
the hostess lovely courtesy, that kitch-
en- duties were calling.
With one of the sudden flashes of il
Elimination that occurs to us all at
times, Aunt Clara understood that the
sisters did their own work, and one was
to prepare luncheon, to which several
had been invited, while the other en-
tertained the guest
What did you say, Aunt Clara?" her
niece asked, breathlessly, when this part
of the recital was reached.
81 said," she replied. with the direct
ness which endears her to her friends.
':that have niece at home who would
tell me it served me right. That being
two hours ahead of time wasn't pune
tuality; 1t was foolishness and often
inconsiderateness. Then" she added,
81 went out into the kitchen and helped
Miss Barnes make salad. We had a
splendid time. Youths Companion.