Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-01-10
600. s. SO IS s. 30
I .s.9
!: Loves Volapuk.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

. q x
ssssssseeeeeeeeeeessseeses
[original.l
How did l court my wife, she not
understanding English nor German?
I will tell you.
My father was born in town In Ger
many He came to America. where he
married my mother, but he died before
had learned to talk. Consequently
never heard his tongue spoken in the
family When l was twenty-five my
mother suggested that 60 to his ma
tive country and make the acquaint-
ance of some of my relatives there. So
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, stepped into a
shop to buy some flowers. A flower
shop is the daintiest place In the
world, and the shop entered was the
daintiest Of flower shops. Besides the
plants, there were birds and 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 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
land and one of another. The girl
took six roses and laid them on the
counter. In this way l made up my
own bouquet.
was in no hurry to transact my
business and leave the shop. Indeed,
I wished to chat with the fraulein. !
| 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
I knew meant that came from a
great country, and when she opened a
cash drawer and made motion SINH
lar to the first mentally added, "And
Americans are all rich.''
Just when began to speak loves
language I don't know, but I remem"
Der very soon pointing to rose and
then to her cheek. Then l pointed to
the ripples in the basin Of the fountain
Oh which the sun shone through a
window. put my fingers on my hair
and looked at her own wavy tresses.
She b1ushed, and I moved my fingers
t. 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, l got Oh swimmingly.
spent an hour in the store talking this
, sort Of thing, waiting when customer
| came in till he went out again, and
finally, feeling that I couldn't possibly
| make an excuse to stay any longer, ]
took my card, wrote the name and ad
dress Of my aunt, to whom l wished
| the flowers sent, and made signs
| which meant that both were to go i'm
mediately. When the girl took up the
| card I saw surprised look on hey
face, but she didn't say anything.
| In the afternoon ! received note
| written in very bad English saying
that my aunt and cousins would be
| pleased to see me in the evening. !
| found them In q house that had once
| been a fine one, but badly out Of re-
pair. 1t had been In the family for
two centuries. was not surprised,
for 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 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 feather. blushed my.
self like schoolboy. If 1t 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 eousinly 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! I had fallen III
love with my cousin In the shop a.
| first sight and could have talked With
her in the universal tongue as fast as
| forty horsepower automobile can 60,
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
% cousins. Ideclined, telling her that
r'd rather cit ana say nothing TRAN put