Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-07-20
THE TELEPHONE As
AN INTERPRETER
BY F. A. mitchell.
u - ~ W.T. WTNILs
tcOuyright, 1909, by American Press Asso.
ciation.l

"Well, yes; raLneF.
you look as If you hadn't. Any
thing unpleasant happened?
.'T don't exactly-you see-they tell
me there's certain time in a mans
ufe when he doesn't know whether he's
done very big thing or very little
\ one"
Haven't got into trouble on account
Of one of your practical jokes, have
you?"
ITS something like that. Come here
and sit down. III tell you"
They had met in a city park. Sim
mons led the way to bench They
seated themselves, and he began his
tale of woe.
when l was In Paris, at the pension
where l stopped-they call 'em pen
slons over there; we call 'em boarding
girl. / took a kind of shine to her,
and fancied she took kind of shine
TO me- but neither of us could speak a
word Of the same language. / met
Turpin over there. Remember Turpin !?
Red headed chap with big mole on his
left cheek. He and / played jokes on
each other. One day told a gendarme
to watch him for a suspicious charac-
ter and had lot of fun out of IT,
"Oh, you did, did you?"
"Yes. Well, the girl l was telling
you about-it was a tantalizing bust
ness, sitting along side of her without
being able to say anything to her, so
/ wrote out some things such as I'm
sorry l can't talk to you and viii
you walk with me this afternoon In
the Bots de BouIogneT and all that.
Then asked Turpin-Turpin speaks
French tolerably well, you know-to
write out the French for these SEN
fences. He did so, and 1t helped things
along amazingly with the girl. Tur-
pin told me that Good morning in
French was 'Toi que Jaime or some
thing like that, and | noticed that she
blushed every time said it."
DO you know what 'Toi que Jaime
means?"
Yes; good morning of course"
Rats 1t means i love YOU"
Simmons stood paralyzed with sur
prise for a moment and then went on
Il learned from people in the house
that the girls father had been well
of, but he had lost all his property
and then up and died. leaving his
daughter with little or nothing felt
sorry for her, and-well expect
looked it. At any rate when April
came, and 1 started for Rome l saw q
tear In her eye. 1t made me uneasy
for l wasn't thinking about getting
mixed up in any affair. especially with
q girl l couldn't talk to, but when
got on the train l forgot all about it
supposing the girl would do the same
Turpin and went down to Rome 10
gether, and he didn't seem TO thinl
I'd done anything out of the way, and
this satisfied me.
Zone day, a month later while walk
ing down via Cavour-thats Cavoul
street, you KNOWN Rome, who should
meet but my French girl, and wha
do you suppose she was doing|
'WhatT
"Crying. She was so distressed
about something that she didn't SEE
me. l spoke to her, and you should
have seen the relief light up her face.
The only thing l could remembel
to say to her in French was 'Goot
morning. so said 'TOi que Jaime Sh
burst into a fresh crying spell. wa
dying to know why she was in ROM
and what was the matter, but how coul
since she could only jabber Frencl
at me? Then happy thought strucl
me. Turpin could act as interpreter
OF course couldn't take her to TuI
pin, but | might get him on a tele
phone and he could tell each OF u
what the other said. Good idea, chr
Very"
Il stepped into a place where ther
was 'telefono' sign and succeeded 1
getting Turpin just as he was startin
out to visit the Roman aqueduct ruins
told him what had happened; the
the girl told him her situation: the
took the receiver and he translate
the story to me. Shed answered an az
Of Roman family for a governess I
teach the children French and ma
been sent for to come 10 Rome. Sh
was delayed for want Of funds, an
when at last she arrived found ID
family had been called suddenly I
Berlin. Well, she was in pickle.
Il telephoned Turpin to tell her tins
begged she would accept funds frol
me to return to Paris. Turpin tol
her. She dropped the receiver on
table and her head on my shoulde
Then she took my arm, and the nel
Thing l knew we were in one OF thos
neasly thousand-year-Old church'
over there The girl jabbered FrenC
% priest, which he seemed 10 unde
stand, and a little English, too. Tor
told me that to be married ! must
through the proper forms.
1T was that rascally Turpin- he
told her that asked her TO marty q
and go TO America with me-.
What did you do"
What could dor Go back on
thing like that? We were marri'