The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-27
How Fine Old English Lady spoke French.

Iron the Hamburg Correspondence of the London Tels
.-. graph
There is one aged but active DAME whose whole
foreign vocabulary consists OF the word soul"
and who has her grandson, a smart boy of ten
or there about, with her, in the capacity of drag
SpiSsf tsts sat spesksy te9efaY f6fefan- fonSoes
with huency and elegance, and that If she Turns
over the walters, ETC., to her juvenile dometsch
It is only for the lads Improvement" / was sit
ting close to her last night, at a time when she
had TO do with an attendant who was utterly igno.
rant OF English, as it happened, and she wanted a
glass OF lemonade. Nov, Bobby" said she 10
her interpreter, let me hear how nicely you can
ask the poor man for what want ia his own
tongue w and she looked toward your eorrespon-
dent, not without certain visible family pride in
her grandsons accomplishments. Bobby evidently
did not feel over and above vigorous in his French
but, mastering up courage, managed to bring out
sd rOus pldit.n Ou, O,i a glass of lemon
ade one glass. oui :" followed up grand. mamma,
in an explanatory tone. The waiter did not catch
the meaning Of the main word at first. Presently,
however, fash Of intelligence iumined his conn.
tenance, and he rushed of to execute the order
"YOu see how made him understand, my dear.u
remarked the old lady, thoroughly persuaded that
she had been speaking Partisan French to the
was II )" Presently arrives the lemonade; but
the glass was only the parts full worse luck
ASK him, dear, why he did not ill il" says the
old lady, In an indignant tone. " PO,uquOi rous
too much for my gravity. " Oui. o1l, why didn't
you have il properly filed? Go and have 1t filed
up directly. Olti, do you hesr?'
By this time the unfortunate walters brains
had got tied up into helpless knot; he stood
staring at both his interpeants with stupeied
and melancholy expression that would have made
his fortune in low comedy. "Take il back QUIZ
lAsidel What Is water Bobby, in Freuch?r
" Fan, grandma" "Oh, or course. O have II
filed up, but not with o; no more o. mind. o1i.
oui, lido you hear, manr' This time the waiter
thought be understood, and ran off, swiftly return.
ing with cdydfe full of water. At this outrage
tne ola lady fairly boiled over; and thought it
high time, in the interests Of humanity to inter.
pose and oner my services, which were, however,
repulsed with freezing dignity. al am much
obliged to you. but can make myself perfectly
understood without the interf erence Of any stra1
ger, l thank you" Upon which bolted dowa
the steps into the park, whence, for the next five
minutes, shrieks of wild laughter might have
been heard to arise. The last words of the con-
troversy that reached my ears as fed were,
p" Did l not expressly tell you no more o? You
are very impertnent fellow, think :" 1t can
never have occurred to my naughty compatriot
TO impeach her own exhaustive knowledge of
French and perfect command Of foreign idiom.
She must have felt sure of herself all the time and
attributed the mdlentendu TO the impervious con
genital stupidity Of the waiter. In this curiously
complete selfdeception lay the screaming fun Of
the whole incident, which, Of course, it was ne.
cessary to see and hear, in order to appreciate il
thoroughly. Something after this manner, sl.
though less extravagantly, do many Englishmen
and English women abroad speak "the language
of the country" and woe be to the intrusive wight
who, moved by compassion for their hounderings
and struggles, ventures to proffer them timely aid
We are curious people, we English. Where q
Frenchman or an Italian, with many Apologize
smiles and dramatic gestures, will appeal 70 a
fellowtraveler to extricate him from an idomatic
embarrassment, an Englishmsn will scowl a you
II he fsncies you are thinking of coming TO his
help, and at the most, grunt disconnected
thanks" or "sorry you troubled YOURSELF" il
your good nature should prove stronger than
your Judgment, and compel you to pull him out of
the mire.