The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-07-17

10 my request IOr PERMISSION 10
come on board he shouted back,
heartily, "Gaarne, mijnheer Willing
ly! At the bridge Just yonder. Min
heer; can you step on from there as
we pass under?"
ran on to the low bridge. and as
the big. gaily painted canal boat
passed, jumped aboard.
"Ik ben tot uwen dienst." The
sturdy, full syllables ordered them
selves at once now into the cordial
81 am at your SERVICE" and seemed
to scour suddenly the three years
rust from my proud "Nederlandsch.
My phrases came back, and l ex-
planned.
Three years before I had lived for
almost eighteen months with Dutch
gamlly at Utrecht; and when l had
left. I had imagined myself very
much Of a Hollander indeed. And
now, when I had at last returned,
found myself again foreigner.
At Vlissinger, where l landed, at
the Rotterdam Hotel, and even on
the train, all had failed TO recognize
any evidence of my prided patriation
with them, and had addressed me In
variably in English. And finally here
at Delft, where my English fellow
traveller had informed me. with ex-
plantations. that here Hugo De Groot
was born; that here William the ST.
lent, founder Of Dutch independence,
was assassinated; and that here was
buried Admiral Tromp, who had
swept the seas OF his enemies. and
proclaimed 1t with a broom nailed to
his masthead-then l could stand It
no longer, and left the train to make
my old friends again and hear their
tongue.
The boatman smiled and bade me
sit down. ~You are an American,
mijnheer?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. wondering little at
the smile.
JAM" he called to the boy at the
stern. JAM" Then to me, wait;
do not speak first, mijnheer.
The boy came up. Good morning,
sir" he began at once in English but
with little ring in his tone which
made me forget to resent it. You
are an American. sir?"
I'm an American" I answered
Then the ridiculous struck me, and |
laughed with the father.
II had asked your father, jan" I
said in Dutch, "to take me on board
to get away from English; and now
you show me that even on your own
canals | am not safe"
The father put his arm on the
boys shoulder little proudly.
Upon any other boat on the whole
canal, mijnheer," he said, you would
have been safe. Jan only"
"Neen, vader," the boy denied,
quickly. Il am not the only one. All
English or German. The most think
German easier; but l liked English
better; that was al. "
NO, JAM" the father contradicted,
kindly, 1T is not true. They learn
German, for they will need it more,
working here, as you learn the Eng
lish, for 1t will be necessary where
you shall work. And so, miinheer, "
he continued. turning TO me, "he will
be very grateful to you If you will sit
and talk with him Of America. Yes,
Jan, it is more than my turn now to
pole the boat"
The father took the pole and went
to the bow OF the long, fat boat
Sinking an end OF the stick TO the
bottom of the canal. he put the cross
piece at the top against his shoulder;
he cts fuh - rrffh frrIr
and the canal boat moved again. he
walked slowly TO the stern as he
showed, and the boat crept ahead
Then back TO the bow he came, to
trudge the length over again and
over.
| had seen enough OF that 70 have
Il lose its novelty. and not enough to
realize yet the full meaning OF that
slow, unceasing plod. But the boy
beside me, as he watched. shuddered
little nervously; then. as | turned. J..
he threw II off, and answered my
questions brightly.
A Holland town clusters cleanly,
neatly together; and slow as we were.
already the scrupulously swept walks,
the spotless. lively colored bricks and
tiles OF Delft were passed We were
out in the country between pastures
and farms.
A Holland canal Is not like our
Erie or our Delaware and Raritan.
or any other canal know in America.
There are canals in our far West for
trrigating: but the Dutch canals are
even more unlike these, for they
drain. And to drain the fields eff
fectually In whole sections OF the
country. the bottoms Of the canals
are higher than those fields they draw
their water from.