Evening star., 1925-03-06
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES T.. TRACEWELL

Waiting for the company to go, While
not favorite indoor sport in these
| United States, Is a very common one.
Eth, what?
1t is a recreation forced upon US by
kind friends and acquaintances who
like us so much that they needs must
call upon us when we are sleepy.
So what can we say?
Not a thing, Ours but to yawu be-
hind our hand and east sidelone
giances at the clock, the old grand
father clock, that seems to wearily
wag its big pendulum in defiance OF
the hours.
The clock is bored too. but contin-
ues to say Tick -toclS, tick took" in
vain. The guests do not take the
hint. They take no hints at all. Hints
were made for other occasions. evil
IDENTIFY; not for this one.
Waiting for the company to go gives
the lie to the old maxim about TEN
pus fugit." Time neither flies, runs
walks, crawls or creeps.
Time. when we are waiting for the
company to go. has a bad case of the
gout or some other mundane malady
which incaDacitates the old fellow
from moving WITH his accustomed ID
speed.
Time, in such case, is slower than
Wisconsin avenue street car. It is
more snail-like than the humble slug,
more sluggish than the schoolboy
with his shining morning face, or
old Towser when he sees you with a
switch to punish him for some in
fraction of the house rules
When we are waiting for the hon
ored guests TO go away Time reverses
whole laws of nature and sets al
naught the Einstein theory of rela
tNity. We seem sunk in morass a
sector OF space where all comparisons
vanish, where the hours pass in a
sort of drowsy desuetude akin to that
which EMBODIED the Lotus Eaters of
Tennyson.
i IT i X
Well. nobody will come to see US
this evening, IL is raining So" says
the Missus,
THAT suits me-" you reply. Il am
tired and sleepy, and I guess | will
go to bed at 8 o'clock. Yessir, at s
o'clock"
The thought is novel one.
AT 8 o'clock" you repeat to be
sure that the household heard the
exact hour. While you do not emu
late some of the neighbors, and stay
up until or 4 am, you often stay up
as late as 10 o'clock. Sometimes you
remain out of bed Nas late as II pm.
and occasionally until midnight or
later when you take in a theater
To go TO sleep at s o'clock, how
ever, is somewhat novel: at least.
sufficiently so TO give the idea some
punch. Even so gentle a procedure
as hitting the hay" must have pep
and punch" in II nowadays
/ don't guess any one will call on
us tonight" the Missus chimes in,
looking out the windows, where the
street throw wide flares on the dark
wet street.
A lone pedestrian leans against the
wind as he comes in view beneath the
circle of the street lamp. wind is
blowing up. The rain, beating down a,
steady pace, hits the man in the face
We see him tuck his coat collar up
close around his neck before he is
lost to sight in the dark
"A good night to be indoors" says
the Missus. "A good night for those
who have warm homes to stay in
them"
That's just what / say" you gree.
Your family is not run on the lines
of the comic supplements, wherein all
Is discord and squabble. Peace, hap
piness prevail in your home.
Just then the telephone rings The
Missus answers 1t. (She always does,
bless her) You listen to the CONVEX
sation with lazy disregard.
Hello, hello--yes-oh, yes-why. is
1t you, Mrs. Lefton-Jones? Oh, / am