Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1907-12-06
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My father was born in town in Ger
many. He came to America. where he
married my mother, but he died before
I had learned to talk. Consequently 1
never heard his tongue spoken in the
family. When I was twenty-five my
mother suggested that 1 go to his ma
tive country and make the acquaint-
ance of some of my relatives there. So
1 crossed the water and visited his ma
tive town.
Thinking it would be pleasant sur
prise to send an offering to my rela-
tives with my card, 1 stepped into a
shop to buy some flowers. A flower
shop is the daintiest place in the
daintiest of flower shops Besides the
plants, there were birds and a little
fountain. Behind the counter was a
pretty girl. with fair hair and blue
eyes and a pleasant smile as with her
eyes she gave me a mute inquiry how
she could serve me. l stepped up to
some roses, inhaled their delicious odor
and held up the five fingers of one
hand and one of another. The girl
took six roses and laid them on the
counter. In this way I made up my
own bouquet
/ was in no hurry to transact my
business and leave the shop. Indeed,
1 wished to chat with the fraulein.
| wished to tell her that / was from
America, but since to speak or write
the information would avail nothing
took out my pencil and on bit of
wrapping paper drew map of North
and South America, marked off the
United States and put in my state and
city. She understood perfectly, smiled
and extended her arms as if surround
ing some invisible large article. This
knew meant that 1 came from a
great country, and when she opened a
cash drawer and made a motion SINH
lar to the first mentally added. "And
Americans are all rich"
Just when I began to speak loves
/ language I don't know, but / remem-
Der very soon pointing to rose and
then to her cheek Then 1 pointed to
the ripples in the basin of the fountain
on which the sun shone through a
window, put my fingers on my hair
and looked at her own wavy tresses.
She blushed, and I moved my fingers
to my lips, still pointing at the shining
water. meaning that the same smile
described her smile. This was not so
plain, but she understood, and. as Tom
Moore puts it, the smile came
Like any fair lake which the breeze is
upon
When it breaks into dimples and laughs
in the sun.
You see, I got on swimmingly. l
spent an hour in the store talking this
sort of thing, waiting when a customer
came in till he went out again. and
finally. feeling that 1 couldn't possibly
make an excuse to stay any longer, /
took my card, wrote the name and adj
dress of my aunt, to whom / wished
the flowers sent, and made signs
which meant that both were to go i'm
mediately. When the girl took up the
card l saw surprised look on her
face, but she didn't say anything.
In the afternoon 1 received a note
written in very bad English saying
that my aunt and cousins would be
pleased to see me in the evening. 3
found them in house that had once
been fine one, but badly out of re-
pair. 1t had been in the family for
two centuries. 1 was not surprised,
for I knew that they had lost their
money at the time my father emigrat-
ed to America. My aunt received me
cordially, and what was my surprise
to see standing behind her in a corner,
blushing and smiling, the flower girl.
My aunt led her out from her retreat,
saying to me:
Cousin
Well, you could have knocked me
down with a feather. 1 blushed my
self like schoolboy If it hadn't been
for having met her before and all the
truck I'd been giving her in my sign
language I'd have gone up to her and
given her cousinly smack AS it
was, l stood looking at her like fool.
My aunt, who spoke few words of
English. acted as interpreter. And
such interpretation 1 had fallen in
love with my cousin in the shop at
first sight and could have talked with
her in the universal tongue as fast as
forty horsepower automobile can go,
but with her mother between us we
didn't get on at all. The old lady was
feeble and soon retired, offering to
call in a friend who spoke English
very well to keep things going between
US cousins. 1 declined, telling her that
I'd rather sit and say nothing than put
any one to such trouble. She went
out. saying that she was glad to find
her nephew such ''lebhafter' young
man, or something that sounded like
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