The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-11-18
THAT GERMAN GIRL.


voice belonging to the owner of the legs
shouted "Heyl" Alan, who had one
foot on the step of the bus that was to
take him and other ardent fishermen
down TO the landing, whence they would
sail out to Barnegat bay, stood still.
The brown legs bore down on Alan,
and the boy above them thrust tele-
gram into his, hands. Alan tore it open
and read:
Come to New York on the first train"
whats the natter" asked Captain
Wilkins.
''My uncle wants me to come to New
York, said Alan. 81 can't go out today.
I'll catch the 10 o'clock train up"
Don't seem to mind getting dis
patches no more'n sif they's postal
cards." remarked the captain, and two
or three other boys respectfully followed
Alan as he hurried down the road to the
hotel where he was spending the sum-
mer.
1t was a little after l o'clock when
Alan walked into his uncle's office in
Wall street and found that gentleman
sitting at his desk and gazing abstract
edly at nothing.
uncle as he heard his step. "In fact I'm
very glad to see you"
whats wrong, uncle? Is it mammal
''No, no; your mothers all right. It's
l. I'm in a lot of trouble and maybe you
can help me out. At any rate that's
why 1 sent for YOU"
Whats the matter? Failed?'
"Failedi OF course not. Business is
good enough. It's that girl"
Girl? Why, uncle, it seems to me
you are getting pretty old
"Alan, it is one of the misfortunes of
life in this age that there comes time
TO every boy when he thinks he is called
on to say smart things. They are not
smart, but the boy thinks they are. The
girl l have in mind is not the kind Of
girl you mean. In fact she's a Dutch
girl, or a German, or something of that
sort"
"Wen, there are nice Dutch girls,
aren't there?"
''Oh, confound it; it's that girl out at
the house-your mothers girl; the serv-
ant"
why, what's she been doing?"
''She's been talking Dutch"
"Well, that's rather natural, isn't it?"
cts inhuman. She talks Dutch, but
doesn't understand it; at least when l
talk it to her"
''But don't see what you want of
me-"
IN tell you. You've studied German
in school, haven't your"
eyes; one term"
Good. This is the way it is: Your
Aunt Louisa is in some sort of trouble
making jelly and it won't come, or
broken her leg, or something serious.
Anyway she sent for your mother in
Il hurry, and away she went. | told her
not to worry about me. used to know
a good deal of German, and l could get
along with Marie, or whatever her name
is, for a couple of weeks. But l don't
get along. l can't make her understand
what l say, and she doesn't speak any
kind of German l ever heard. We
don't seem to chord, as they say in the
orchestra"
"And you want me to help you talk to
her and understand herr"
That's just it,"
WELL" said the boy, "we'll both try
her. I'll go over to che house and spend
the afternoon studying my German
grammar-all about 'Haben sic meme
mutter gesehenY and list das Ihr bru-
derY and that sort of thing. l want
some luncheon first, though"
"All right" said uncle. Wen go up
to the Rathskeller and eat frankfurters
and potato salad. There's nothing like
laying a good foundation, and maybe
we can pick up some bits of German fly
ing around there"
1t was o'clock that evening when
Alan and his uncle descended to the
dining room of their home. Alan car
ried his grammar and his uncle die
tionary in his hand. There was trou-
bled, even anxious, look ON the uncle's
face, and Alan did not appear entirely
at ease. They seated themselves at tie
table and presently Marie appeared
bearing a tureen of soup. There was
troubled look on her fHce, too-that is,
as much of a look as ever comes to the
face of a German servant girl. Suisse
quently Alan described it as the look of
a tortured saint.
Gluten abend," said uncle with cheer
full civility.
"Guten abend," answered Marie with
equal cheerfulness, as she sat the tureen
before him and then retreated.
Good start, uncle" said Alan APP
provingly. Il am glad, though, we didn't
have to say anything about soup, for l
couldn't find the word for it in my gram
mar. You see, | came down to the
kitchen this afternoon and nosed around
to see what we were going to have for
dinner, and made a list of the things
and then looked up as many of them as
l could find in my grammar. But l
couldn't find soup"
There are two words here" said uncle,
after searching the dictionary. Il can't
make out what one of them is, though
it looks like 'suhp.'"
''Ess 90 ha pay said Alan.
but the other is 'suppe.' There's an
f. after it, and l suppose that means
feminine Just why soup should be
feminine don't know, but then no hui
man being ever knew the reason of the
genders III German
There isn't any butter on the table,
uncle" said Alan. Il like butter at din
ner, even if it isn't good form" AS he
spoke he reached over and touched the
bell.
"Great ScOttr' said uncle, as Marie
appeared. "dOW are you gong 10 ASK
for it? Do you know the wordT
at must be somewhere here" said
Alan, hurricdly turning over the leaves
of his grammar. "You look too"
There was flutter of leaves on both
sides of the table, and uncle cried blot
tor" only it's got the umlaut on the os.
That's it. Marie, machen sic der-or
is it die or das-machen sic der butter
hermit"
Zach. ja," said Marie, and uncle said
cordially, That's good"
You make you everything in Ger
man" said Alan; "but suppose 1 ought
TO have said, mach dur"
"Yes, that's so. It's always 'du' to
children and interiors"
''Or intimate friends added Alan.
81 don't suppose Marie is our intimate
friend"
81 have recently come to regard her
as my bitter enemy, said uncle thought
fully, Though we seem to be getting
along all right"
Alan rang the bell again, which
seemed to alarm his uncle, but the boy