Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-24
COCENEY LONGS FOR The FOG
American Sunshine Makes Him Home
sick for Dear Old Lunnon.
THINKS THIS A RUM COUNTRY
strikes Fat German, to whom lie
Pours Forth His Queer stream
of Talk and Then Both
Wet In.

us q lAlA haoH pbefA Ntu a NbAANAg
slightly built man entering the Loyal hotel
lobby Thursday morning, the dampness OF
the slight fog still clinging to his garments.
These garments consisted Of a gray plaid
golf cap, suit of grayish color, the
trousers tight fitting and the coat coming
but little below the waist line. The youths
face was narrow. his hair close clipped.
He carried a supple cane with which he
struck his trouser leg lightly.
A cosmopolitan observer would have
had no difficulty in classifying him at a
glance-a London cockney.
The person addressed was a man OF
medium height with a round and rubious
face, a body to correspond on a larger
scale and a small but fiery mustache,
He was the personification Of stolidity in
the genus Teutonic. He had one hand in
his pants pocket and held a smoking cigar
in the other.
At the remark recorded he turned his
stolid countenance on blithe Tommy Atkins
with a look of wonder In his mild blue
eyes. Thus might an cid bull look on a
frisky young calf. His thick lips made no
move to answer. But this was not at all
disconcerting to Tommy. His was the air
of a man to whom answers are immaterlal,
even superfluous. He struck his leg with
his cane, looked around the lobby, whistled
a bar Of a popular song which, in the
Original" cockney is sung: i've mide
up me mind to sile awi."
The fat man was so astonished by the
nonchalance Of the strange youth with the
strange speech that he forgot to smoke
his cigar and II went out while Tommy was
striking his leg, looking around and whist
ling the bar of the popular song.
IT'S a rum town, aln't it?" said Tommy
at last, and he of the bay window re-
coiled as If from a blow. His cigar almost
fell from his fingers. Tommy noticed moth
ing of this. He whlstled some more about
the man who was going to "sle awi."
Lets ave a wicker bottom" he said,
suddenly.
The fat man followed him as though in
a trance. His thick lip hung lower than
ever. and his blue eyes were fixed on the
little fellow as though he was enchanted.
Its a rum country" observed Tommy,
when they were seated side by side in rock
ing chairs. The fat man dropped his cigar.
He stopped to pick it UP, but, unable to take
his eyes from Tommy, he let it lie.
It's n Rum Country.
"Blym' me-, but this is a rum country"
calmly continued Tommy. Its me first
trip across the briny. Came over with
some o. me lo'd's 'orses. Chummy O. mine
advised me 10 ave a bit of look at the
west. So l books for Omeaw an gets
abroad the bloomink trine. Dye know,
first thing l does, blym' me, II l don't try
to get into a goods van. Well, 1t 'ad the
door on the side like the Henglish car
riages. A bally chap hinside jerks the
bloomlnk door hopen an says, 'Wat're you
tryin' to do, rob the myles?' 1 arsks i'm
where the carriages are. e says there
aren't hany carriages. Back there's the
cars e says Cars! thing o. that. 'Ere's
somethink, thinks 1, to tell me chums wen
l gets back to dear hold Lunnon again.
But / gets into one, OF the carriages H.
nally. The guard comes around and tikes
me ticket. He awsks me IL l ave a Sleep
ing car ticket. No. 1 says, 'wot for do l
want a sleeping car ticket? I'll sty awake.
He smiles an looks wise. l decides 'e's
got a tip on the ponies, So 1 arsks i'm
what time Wen get to Omeaw. About die
after tomorrow e says, an larfs. Well, l
'ad to larf. too then, ard l says Of course
l wants one of the sleeping car tickets.
But 1 was getting a bit homeslck for
the streets of Lunnon by the time l gets
ere. l could see the boys sitting in the
pub an old Jerry busting about WI the
and all the merry talk. l might
We turned around and booked back for
Lunnon If 1t admit been for this rum
weather. Isn't it rum weather, thought"
Thinks He Makes n Hit.
Tommy appealed to the fat one who was
still gazing blankly, bewildered at this
stream of strange talk with all it's strange
terms. Tommy, easily satisfied, evidently
thought he saws signs of assent and con-
tinued:
Il arsks a Bobby the wy up town an
I gets on a tram an comes ere. The sun
was shining and 1 was beastly 'ome sick.
admit seen a real fog since I'd left Jun
non. Well, l goes to a Diapers shop and
buys a bit of new linen and gets a pair
OF boots. At the 'otel there's a typist and
l as 'er write a letter. 'ome. Arfter I'd
posted that 1 'ad me dinner and then wan
ders around the streets.
But 1 went to bed larst night mighty
sick. This morning l gets up ex-
to see the bloomink sun shining.
Imagine me surprise when l see the fog.
First I thought I was in Lunnon. but a
second look showed me the fog was gray
and not brown, and not very thick. Still
1t was a lot better than the sun. I 'urrled
me clothes and, without taking me
'urried out an enjoyed it while
II larsted.
IT'S a rum dy and I don't think so bad
OF this country as l did yesterdie.
Let's step over to the pub an ave n
bit O. somethink."
And the fat man, still in a mental fog,
followed the genial Tommy out into the
fresh, damp morning.
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