The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-05-07
Didn't Understand
the Language


About 20 years ago was ship
wrecked on the coast Of Cuba. and
got TO land without anything on me
but pair of trousers The people
we're kind enough to me, but you
know ! didn't understand their lingo,
and had the awfulest time you ever
heard of, tfy..s TO make EN- under
stand me by signs end gestures. How
somever made out somehow, and
after stayin' there a few weeks went
to Havana, and shipped for New York
aboard a small schooner A day on
two after we was out a violent storm
came up. captain and mate was wash
ed overheard. the schooner was driven
out to sea, and the rest of us couldn't
tell where we were. A few days later
the craft drifted on to a coast and
went to pieces. / was the only man
that got safe ashore didn't know
where was. but felt pretty certain
1t was on one of them islands in the
West Indies. Directly l seen a hut
near the beach. and went to it.
There was a man inside, and says
to myself:
Here's another one of them fur
riners that cant understand the only
decent language on earth. There's
no use talkin' English to him, that's
certain
Il was scandlous hungry, and
thought | would let the feller in the
hut know | wanted somethin' to eat.
Gof f,nonad 49,, mouth ond ,,,fptod IN
it with my finger and said:
Aw-aw-aw-aw!' Made noise
something ike that to attract his at
tention.
'fIe looked kinder cross-eyed for
minute s If he didn't exactly under
stand Then It seemed to strike him
all of suddent like that ! had the
toothache; so he went to the closet
and fetched a pair of pincers and a
monkeywrench and motioned to me
that he thought he could extract the
tooth But | shook my head, and,
still pointing to my mouth, remark.
ed ag'in:
'Aw-aw- -aw-awi' or words to that
effect and then he seemed to thiak
maybe I'd swallered somethin' dis
agreeable, for he pulled my Jaws apart
and began lookin' down my throat
"As that didn't appear TO answer
begun rubbin' my stomach with my
hand, and said:
+" 0w-wow-wow-wow! or somehow
that way; and then smile broke over
the feller's face, and he let me know
he understood me at last. lie must
have considered | had collie or some
thin like that, for he went to the cup
board and spread mustard plaster.
and then came Offering It to me To put
on. But of course | only shook my
head and put my hands on my stom-
ach, and l groaned a little despairin'
like. Then a happy thought struck
him He imagined / was pisoned, and
he fetched out a syringe and some in
jun rubber hose and tried to rig up
some sort of a stomach-pump to bail
me out.
"By this time was getting pretty
mad. and ! pointed to my mouth, and
run my finger down the front of me
to my stomach, to indicate the route
I wanted the food to take He thought
what l expected him TO do was to cut
| me open; so he got a carving-knife
| ont of the closet and began sharpen.
ing It ON a brick He Was an accom-.
modating man. He was willing to
obllge. | never seen a man more anx-
| lous to help suiferin fellow creature
| than that chap was. But was pretty
near wild. and so. In order to let him
know | was hungry ! began clappin
my teeth together and gruntin' lie
concluded then that had hydropho
bia. and that a bad attack was comm
on, so ne rushed a bucket OF water
| outen the room and then began feelin
of my leg to ascertain where the dos
bit me. Then | forgot myself. and ex
claimed;
"I wish this magnificent jackass
would scare up somethin TO cat
Then he says; Why in thunde
didn't you say SO, then2 I've biz
thinkin all the time that you was I
fmriner'
And that's what I've been think
in of you. didn't know you coult
speak English.
1--WE don't speak anything els,
here in Jersey says he.
Jersey says |. You don't meai
20 say this yer is the state OF Ney
Jersey. do your
"'Jes So says he; Atlantic County
New Jersey: and you've bin maxim
fool Of yourself all this time for moth
In
Then he stuffed me full of vittals
and the next day / got in a waggi
and come home. But II ever 81
wrecked again I'm going to try on m
rative tongue the fust thing Tha
teller might have ripped me up wit
that carvin' knife II hadn't bin on m