Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-27
An Early Train


THE course of events has compelled me for
L several months to catch an early train at
Broad street three times a week. l call it
an 'early' train, but, of course, these mat
ters are merely relative. Seven forty -hve
are the figures illuminated over the gateway
not so very precocious, perhaps but quite
rathe enough for one of Haroun al Raschid
temper, one who seldom seeks the oblivion
of repose' (Boswells phrase) before a. m
Nothing is more pathetic in human nature
than its facility of self deception. Winding
up the alarm clock (the night before)
mediate as to the exact time to elect for Its
disturbing buzz. If / set it at $3.50 that
will give me plenty of time to shave and
reach the station with leisure for a pleasur-
able cup of coffee. But ESQ frail is the
human willy when I wake at $3.50 L Will
think to myself, "There is plenty of time,
and probably turn over for "another hVe
minutes" This will mean hdeous spasm
of awakening conscience about :lO-an un-
bathed and unshaven tumult of preparation,
malisons on the shoe manufacturers who IN
vented boots with eyelets all the way up,
frantic sprint to Sixteenth street and one
of those horrid intervals that shake the very
citadel of human reason when L ponder
whether it is safer to wait for possible car
or must start hotfoot for the station at once.
All this is generally decided by setting the
clock for 80. Then, if / am spry, l can
be under way by Z 20 and have little time
to be philosophical at the corner of Six
teenth and Pine. Of the vile seizures OF
passion that shake the bosom when car
comes along seems about to halt, and then
| passes without stopping-of the spiritual
| scars these crises leave on the soul OF the
| victim, I cannot trust myself to speak. 1t
does not always happen, thank goodness.
| One does not always have to throb madly
| up Sixteenth, with head retorted over one s
| shoulder to see if a car may still be coming,
| while the legs make what speed they may on
| sliddery paving. Sometimes the car does ac-
tually appear and one butfets aboard and IS
| buried in a brawny human mass. There is
| n stop, and one wonders fercely whether
| horse is down ahead, and one had better get
| out at once and run for it. Tightly wedged
| in the heart of the car, nothing can be seen.
| II is all very nerve racking, and / study, for
| ouietness of mind the familiar advertising
! card of the white bearded old man announc-
ing SIT is really very remarkable that ci-
| gar of this quality can be had for seven
| cents.
| CUPPOSE, however, that fortune is with
| Ome. I descend at Market street and the
| City Hall dial, shining softly in the fast
| mailing blue of morning, marks Z 80. Now /
| begin to enjoy myself. / reflect on the curl
| Gus way in which time seems to stand still
during the last minutes before the departure
of a train. The half-hour between and
7 80 has vanished in a gruesome flash. Now
follow fifteen minutes of exquisite dalliance.
Every few moments 1 look suddenly and
| savagely at the clock to see if it can be
playing some saturnine trick No, even now
it is only 80. In the lively alertness of
the morning mind a whole wealth of thought
and accurate observation can be crammed
into a few seconds. j halt for a moment
Mt the window of that little lunGhroom on
Market street (between Sixteenth and Fiji
teenth) where the food comes swiftly speed
ing from the kitchen on a moving belt.
wonder whether to have breakfast there. II
is such fun to see a platter of pale yellow
scrambled eggs sliding demurely beside the
norcelain counter and whipped dexterously
off in front of you by the presiding waiter
Rut the superlative coffee of the Broat
Street Station lunch counter generally lure,
me on.
WHAT mundane joy can surpass tn,
w pleasure of approaching the station
lunch counter, with full ten minutes to sat
isfy a morning appetite Morning, colo
nell" says the waiter, recognizing stead!
customer. "Wheatcakes and coffee" yol
cry. With one deft gesture, it seems, h
has handed you glass brimming with ic