The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-05
The Tramp Abroad.
An Enthusiastic American.
Mark Twain's New Book.


One of the first persons we encountered in
walking up the street in Baden Baden was the
Rev. Mr.. -, an old friend from America of
a refined and sensitive nature. His compan-
ionship is genuine refreshment We knew he
had been in Europe some time, but were not
expecting to run across him, We were going
up the street brimful of talk when vigorous
young fellow, with an open independent coun-
tenance, and crop of early down, slapped the
clergyman on the shoulder with his broad
palm, and sang out cheerily; Americans, for
two and a half, aud the money up! Hey?"
The clergyman WINGED, but replied mildly
Eyes, we are Americans"
"Lord love you, you can just bet that's what
am, every time. Put it there!"
He held out his sahara of palm, and the
Reverend laid his diminutiye hand in it, and
got so cordial shake that we heard his glove
burst
"Say, didn't put you up right?"
sob, yes"
"Sho? 1 spotted you for my kind the min
ute heard your cack. You been over here
long?"
''About four months. Have you been over
long?"
"Long2 Well, should say so! Going on
two gears, by gesminy! Say, are you home
sick?"
mo, can't say that am. Are you?"
"Oh-yes!" This with immense enthusi-
asm. .. .saf
The Reverend shrunk little in his clothes,
and we were aware, rather by instinct than
otherwise, that he was throwing out signals of
IL %
succor him, for we were quite happy.
The young fellow hooked his arm into the
Reverend's with the confding and grateful air
OF waif who has been longing for friend,
and a sympathetic ear, and chance to lisp
once more the sweet accents of the mother
tongue-and then he limbered up the muscles
of his mouth and turned himself loose-and
with such relish! Some of his words were
not Sunday school words, so l am obliged to
put blanks where they occur.
Eyes, indeedy! If l amt an American
there amt any Americans, that's ALL And
when heard you fellows gassng away in
the good old American language, I'm -
if it wasn't all l could do to keep from hug
ing to curl it around these ----
forsaken wind-galled, nine iointed German
words here; now tell you it's awful good to
lay it over Christian word once more and
KIND OIL let Tie OlQ VdSU6 SOAK III. LII ITUul
western New York. Ny name is Cholly
Adams. I'm student, you know. Been here
going on two years. I'm learning to be a
horse doctor -- these people, they
won't learn fellow in his own language, they
make him learn in German; so before could
tackle the horse-doctoring had to tackle this
miserable language. First thought it would
give me the bolts, but / don't mind it now.
I've got it where the hairs short Dontchu-
know, they made me learn Latin, too. Now,
~..l r J,,t&
for all the Latin that was ever jabbered; and
the first thing I calculate to do when get
through is to just sit down and forget it.
'Twon't take me long, and don't mind the
time, anyway; And l tell you what! Inc
difference between school teaching over yon-
der and school teaching over here-sho! We
don't know anything about it! Here you've
got to peg and peg and peg, and there just
amt any let-up, and what you learn here
you've got to knOU, dontchuknow-or else
you'll have one of these ---- spawned, spec
tacled, ing-boned, knock-kneed old professors
in your hair I've been here long enough, and
I'm getting blessed tired of it, mind tell you.
The old man wrote me that he was coming
over in June, and said he'd take me home in
August, whether 1 was done with my educa-
ton or not, but durn him, he didn't come;
never said why; just sent me hamper of Sun
day school books, and told me to be good, and
hold ON while. don't take to Sunday
school books, dontchuknow-I don't banker
after them when I can get pie-but read
them, anyway, because whatever the old man
tells me to do, that's the thing that Pm agoing
to do or tear something, you know. buckled
In and read all those books because he wanted
me to; but that kind of thing don't excite me,
like something hearty. But I'm awful
homesick. Pm homesick from ear-socket to
crupper, and from crupper to hook joint; but
it amt any use, I've got to stay here till the
old man drops 1.-THE snsE !. th and gives the
conntry rye cot to linger till the old man says
Go,nsi and Won bet your bottom dollar John
nv, it amt Just as easy as it is for a cat to
jump rope.
At the end Of this profane and cordial explo-
sion he fetched prodigious "Whoosh!" to re-
ieve his lungs and make recognition of the
heat, and then he straightway dived into his
narrative again for "Johnny's' benefit, begin
ming, "Well, -----i it amt any use
talking, some of those old American words do
have . kind of bully swing to them; man
can express himself with 'em-a man can get at
what he wants to sag, dontchuknow?'
When We reached our hotel, and it seemed
that he was about to lose the Reverend, he
showed SO much sorrow, and begged SO hard
and SO earnestly that the Reverends heart was
not hard enough to hold out against the plead
ings-so he went away with the parent-honor-
ing student, like right Christian, and took
supper with him in his lodgings and sat in the
surf-beat of his slang and profanity till near
midnight, and then left him--left him pretty
we'll talked out, but grateful clear down to
his frogs" as he expressed it. The Reverend
considered him rather rough gem, but gem,
nevertheless. -,a