The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1946-03-14
Ny. Whot q Day
Dy
Hardwood Knott

Did you ever wait in line wher
you were in a hurry? Only to be
held up by the person ahead of you
while they fumbled with papers or
money they should have had ready
1t recently happened to me but !
wasn't going anywhere in particular
so didn't mind at all. Most people
become nervous and flustered when
you just smile and act as If you
expect to have to wait at least
another hour. / was reminded of a
similar experience that happened
to me a year or so ago in one of
our large cities.
l called at one of the leading
theatres that was showing a picture
/ wanted very much to see The
cashier was a friend of mine and
at different tines when a crowd was
waiting at the window Unanswered
around and had her slip a ticket
out to me Q'm just a politician at
hearD through the back door of
the cage. But tonight, not a
chance, the manager was strutting
around in tux, with his chest pro-
truding like a pouter pigeon so
took my place at the end of the
line. In about five minutes it
started to rain, one of those gentle
rains you don't notice until you are
soaked to the skin. The theatre
was filled so we had to wait until
the show was out At last few
people came out and the girl start |
ed selling tickets again. noticed |
a fellow in the line ahead of me, |
he apparently was hypnotized by a |
full length picture of Dorothy La
mour on a bill poster and he didn't .
realize he was next until the girl .
reminded him with, tickets please"
He jumped like he had been poked
in the flank with a hot iron, and
frantically searched through his
pockets for his wallet, he fumbled
through the bills and papers and
at last selected a ten-dollar bill
Still cycling the Lamour reproduc-
ton he accepted his ticket and
change, he took a step or two, stop
ped and whirled quickly, causing
the fellow behind him to dodge an
unexpected right to the chin He
looked in at the girl, grinned sheep
ishly and apologetically told her
he wanted three tickets He shut
fled his change and asked chow
much, gave her the correct change ,
after he dropped "a hand full of !
half-dollars on the side walk, the /
lnSuing scramble reminded me of
the family chasing a mouse. s
While all this was going on I i
was standing just out from under 3
the marquee, just far enough out {
to let the rain fall gently down the \
back Of my neck When the fell
low finally collected his change and
changed one of his tickets for a
,hilds ticket he disappeared through =
he door pausing only long enough
% get one last look at the chassis
ia Lamour and a sharp nudge from
lis wife Il think who was waiting
or him.
The next customer, or rather Gus
omers were two little old ladies,
,ut just then the phone rang (the
,irl told me this later) she said the
'erson who called wanted to know:
What picture was playing? Who |
vas in it and if it was any good?
What the other picture was and
JhO was playing in it? And what
icture was playing at the theatre
own the street? At the time she
,as answering questions the girl
lied to get the ladies to buy their
ckets, but they knew she was
usy so they engaged themselves
l pleasant conversation about a
ster and her family who lived in
cattle.
1 was still waiting patiently in
IA
p under the marquee out of the
lin. But big bruiser with cauli-
over ears, in the line ahead of
e hailed a friend who was passing
Y. He also was big bruiser with
luliflower ears, he crowded into
lie line with his friend and this
DIVIDED me back out under the