The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-12-03
THAT GERMAN GRE.

There was % twinhliug Of brown legs
i'm the yellow dust of the chief street in
the little New Jersey village. and
voice belonging To tho owner of the legs
shouted "iey! 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 20 Bancsat bay, stood still.
The brown legs bore down ON Alan,
and the boy above them thrust q tele-
gram into his hands. Alan tore it open
and read
Come to New York ON the first train"
"Wnat's the natter asked Captain
wilkins.
"My uncle wants me to come to Rev
York 50 said Alan. "Icant goout today.
III catch the 10 o'clock train M"
Don't seem TO mind &, 9 dis.
patches no moreu sif thevH postal
cards, remarked the captain, and two
or three other boys respectfully followed
Alan as he hurried down the roud to the
hotel where he was spending the sum
mer.
1t was little after i o'clock when
Alan walked into his uncle's Office in
Wall street and found that gentleman
sitting at his desl, 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 il mammal"
"No, no. your mothers all right It's
|. I'm in lot of troubleand maybe you
can help me out At amy rate that's
| why 1 sent for you.'
Whats the matter? FailedY
"Failed! 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 misfortunos 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 1 have in mind is not the kind Of
| girl you mean. In fact she's Dutch
/ girl or q German, on something of that
sort"
well, there are nice Dutch girls,
aren't there
ooh, confound it; it's that girl out at
the house-your mothers girl; the serv.
ant.
why, what's she been doingF
Shes been talking Dutch
"Well, that's rather natural, isn't it?''
"Its inhuman. She talks Dutch, but
doesn't understand 1t; mt least when ]
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
"Hesi one term
Good. This Is the way 1t Is: Your
Aunt Louisa Is IN some sort Of trouble
making jelly and it won't come, OF
broken her leg, or something serious.
Anyway she sent for your mother in
n hurry, and away she Went told her
not to worry about me- used to know
n good deal Of German, and / could get
along with Marie, or whatever her name
Is, for couple Of weeks. But don't
get along. / can't make her understand
what say, and she doesn't speak any
kind Of German l ever heard. We
don't seem to chord, rs they say in the
orchestra
"And you want me to help you talk to
her and understand her|
That's just it.
''WelL' said the boy, ''well both try
her. I'll go over to the house and spend
the afternoon studying my German
grammar-all about 'Haben sic meine
Inutter gesehenF and list das lhr bru-
der5 and that sort of thing. I want
some luncheon first, though
"All right said uncle. "Well go up
to the Rathskeller and eat frankfurters
and potato salad. There's nothing like
laying good foundation, and maybe
we can pick up some bits of German fly
ing around there"
1t was z 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 a 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 q
troubled look ON her face, too-that is
as much Of a look as ever comes to the
face of German servant girl. Subse
quently Alan described it as the look OF
a tortured saint
"Guten abend, ,n said uncle with cheer.
full civility.
"Guten abend," answered Marie with
equal cheerfulness, as she sat the tureer
before him and then retreated
Good start, uncle" said Alan ap
proyingly. II am glad, though, we didn't
have to say anything about soup. for
couldn't find the word forit in my gram
mar. You see, | came down TO the
kitchen this afternoon and noseI around
to see what we were going TO have fol
dinner, and made list of the things
and then looked up as many of them n,
I could find in nv grammar. But
conIdn't find SOM.
There are two words here. " said uncle
after searching tbe dictionorv ~ con't
make ont what one of them is tbourf
1t looks like sum-
..Ess 90 ba nav ;. sail Alan
"But the other is ,supne.' Tbere's n,
,f after il. and supnose that mean,
feminine lust why souu sbould h,
feminine don't know, but then no bu.
man bcipo ave,, l-re,, tl,e reoso,,. rf tl,,
genders i'm German"
"Tbere isn't any butter ON the table
unele. +" saiJ Alan ~ like bptter ot Ain.
ner. even if it isn't good form" AS he
spoke he reached over and toucbed tbt
bell.
"Great Scottr' said uucle. as Marie
appeared .How are Won roing 10 asE
f5r ~ Do Won l-novv the ,v9rJs@
1T must be somewhere here" said
| A1,,, I,,,,is.l1,. +,,,.,,;,. 49,. a.. -.