Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-11-03
THAT GERMAN GIRL.

the little New Jersey village, and a
voice belonging TO the owner of the legs
shouted "HeyT" 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 ont to Barnegat bay, stood still.
The brown legs bore down on Alan,
and the boy above them thrust a tele-
gram into his hands. Alan tore 1t open
and read:
"Come to New York on the first train.
"What's the matter?" asked Captain
Wilkins.
"My uncle wants me to come to Now
York" said Alan. "Ican'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 q little after 1 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.
"Glad to see you, my boy" said his
uncle as he heard his step. "In fact I'm
very glad to see you."
whats wrong, uncle? Is itmamma?'
"No, no; your mothers all right. It's
l. I'm in lot of trouble and maybe you
can help me out. At any rate that's
why sent for you"
"What's the matter? Failed?'
| "Failedl OF course not. Business is
good enough. It's that girl"
"Girl2 Why, uncle, it seems to me
you are getting pretty ODD
| "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 / have in mind is not the kind of
girl you mean. In fact she's Dutch
girl, or German, or something of that
sort"
''Well, 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?"
'tShe's been talking Dutch"
"Well, that's rather natural, isn't it?''
"It's inhuman. She talks Dutch, but
doesn't understand it; at least when /
talk it to her."
s'But l don't SEQ what yo1 want of
me-"
'sI'll tell you. You've studied German
in school, haven't you!'
ayes; 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
hurry, and away she went. told her
not to worry about me. | used to know;
a good deal of German, and I could get
along with Marie, or whatever her name
is, for q couple of weeks. But I don't
i get along. I can't make her understand
what | say, and she doesn't speak any
kind of German ever heard. We
don't seem to chord, as they say in the
orchestra"
i "And you want me to help you talk to
her and understand her?'
"That's just it,"
4 "Well," said the boy, "we'll both try
her. I'll go over to the house and spend
the afternoon studying my German
grammar about 'Haben sic meme
1 mutter gesehenr and list das Ihr bru-
der?' and that sort of thing. l want
some luncheon first, though
, 'sAll right" said uncle. "Well 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 a 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 the
table and presently Marie appeared
bearing tureen Of soup. There was a
troubled look on her face, too-that is
as much of look as ever comes to the
, face Of German servant girl. Subse
quent1y Alan described it as the look Of
a tortured saint.
/ ''Guten abend," said uncle with cheer
i full civility.
1 "Guten abend," answered Marie with
equal cheerfulness, as she sat the turee1
before him and then retreated.
E "Good start, uncle" said Alan ap
! provingly. Il am glad, though, we didn
! have to say anything about soup, for
q couldn't find the word for it in my gram
mar. You see, l came down to tn,
kitchen this afternoon and nosed around
: to see what we were going to have fol
r dinner, and made list of the thing
8 and then looked up as many of them a.
I I could find in my grammar. But
couldn't find soup"
" "There are two words here" said uncle
. after searching the dictionary. II can
!. make out what one of them is, though
q it looks like 'suhp.'"
! "Ess 90 ha pay" said Alan.
3 "But the other is 'suppe.' There's a,
. f. after it, and suppose that mean
' feminine just why soup should b
: feminine don't know, but then no hu
4 man being ever knew the reason of tn
: genders In German
d There isn't any butter on the table
uncle" said Alan. ~ like butter at din
ner, even IL 1t isn't good FORM AS h
spoke he reached over and touched tn
Q bell.
g "Great Scottp said uncle, as Mari
) appeared. .'How are you going to asl
for it2 Do you know the word"
3 ''It must be somewhere here" sal
Alan, hurriedly turning over the leave