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Your citation above contradicts what you had said earlier, which doesn't help your case. I have always looked at a batter-runner's intent, which is why I've never called him out when he took a step toward second as some kind of impulsive reaction when it was clear he had no intent to go.
As far as "immediately" goes, yes, its very meaning is arbitrary, for just what does it mean? Do you give him one second? Two? Ten? One tenth of a second? Using your logic, a batter-runner who overruns first base, slows down some 20 feet beyond it, turns, stops for a second or two--perhaps to catch his breath--then proceeds back to first base can be out if tagged.
No frickin' way am I going to call that guy out if he's tagged. Did he "immediately" return? No. Did he make an attempt to advance? No. So which part of the rule does one follow? Answer: the advance part.
As was explained to me at umpire school (Jaksa and Roder happened to be the classroom instructors), the "immediately" part of the rule is considered to be analogous to abandoning his base (before reaching first it's called desertion). One should not call out a B-R just because he's slowly returning to first base, or even if he stops or pauses before returning. That interpretation is way too literal. To take a specific amount of time into consideration incorrectly changes the intent of the rule itself. Moreover, it should be noted that it was suggested by them that the entire phrase dealing with "immediately" ought to be stricken from the rule book precisely because it was misleading and extremely vague.
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