Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-11-05
A PROPOSAL IN
THREE LANGUAGES,
BY F. A. Mitchell.

q little cluster OF hotels and shops
called Bellagio. The place is near the
boundary line between two countries,
In one of which French is spoken
and in the other Italian. English
Americans, French, Italians and Ger
mans all meet here, and the lingual
condition is similar to that at the
famous tower of Babel. The hotel and
shop keepers, boatmen and others are
obliged to continually express them
selves in one of three or four Ian
guages. French is the prevailing
tongue, with English second and Ger
man third.
After having finished my education
decided upon years travel in Europe
before beginning the practice of my
profession. and that summer at the
height of the Italian lake season
found myself at Bellagio. The hotel at
which stopped was on the very verge
Of Lake Como, the water FLASHING
against it's stone and marble porch. On
the evening of my arrival l dined at
one of the tables on this porch. The
lake-or rather this portion of it's
surrounded by mountain peaks, which
stand out in bold silhouette against the
twilight. On the other shore, a couple
Of miles away, the lights of Caden-
abba were beginning to glimmer on
the line between the mountain base
and the lake.
At a table on my left sat a party
some of the members of which were
speaking Italian, others French. Among
them was beautiful Italian girl. They
were drinking champagne and chatting
merrily. while | sat alone, wishing that
! might even understand what they
said One Of the men addressed a re-
mark to me in broken English. l met
him more than halfway and was in
vited to join the party.
That night / dreamed of the Italian
girl, Signorina Alicia Jaconti. l had
carried on a spirited dialogue with her
at the table, our language being one
tenth Italian, onetenth French, one
tenth English and seven-tenths panto-
mime. Every one who knows any
thing about love knows that as a don
key feeds on thistles so love thrives
on difficulties. A man may make love
to any girl who speaks the same tongue
as himself and go to sleep at the same
time. There's no incentive in it. But
when a fellow and a girl have but
few dozen words in common and must
scratch gravel" to make themselves
understood the little god empties his
culver before them.
Well, the next morning l hired one
of those delightful little boats with
which Lake Como abounds. each fur
nished with canopy and soft cush-
ions, to say nothing of a boatman to
do the work and the signorina and
went for promenade" as they call
1t there. on the water Perhaps you
think there was nothing for the boat.
man to do but to row. Not much. He
spoke French. Italian and English, the
illiterate chump. while |, college
bred American, knew but one Ian
guage. The signorina spoke French
and Italian &c. you see, there were
three tongues in the party. Before
starting l slipped lire into the boat
mans palm. He thought it was to in
duce him to row fast. Not a bit. l
had in view a different use for him.
Besides. l didn't propose that he should
make me and the girl ridiculous by
telling people what it was. l wanted
him for an interpreter.
AS soon as we were off the sgnorina
and l, leaning back ON the cushions,
renewed the struggle to communicate
Of the evening before. 1t ran like this.
"Eet is YER bellisimo" beautifully
"Vous n'avez pas (you have not Eau
Gun" (anything) $50 bellissimo il
Amerique"
mot woman in the country so
beautiful as you" l replied in four Ian.
guages and superhuity Of pantomime
"Ah. m'sieur" (Casped hands,
smiles, eyes turned upward)
1t wasn't long before l had found
her hand (under a fold OF her dress
where the boatman couldn't see) and
a current of language common to all
people, felt, not spoken, ran between
us with ali the sprightliness of
bubbling brook. So for awhile we
sat without speaking. The boatman
logged along over the smooth waters
x SPiaohNb SOlliJ against Tic DOdl.
The~refection of the mountains and
the heavens trembling IN the lake
started me again.
"Votre yeux" Nour eyes,, said.
'Boatman, what's the French for re-
fiect?"
'Reflechit.' monsieur"
"Votre yeux refechlt les What's
the French for heavenw
"'Ciel,' monsieur"
Bully" Then to the girl, "votre
yeux refiechit les ciel."
"Ah, m'sieur" The eyes went up
and the hands were clasped.
Fortunately that all important word
is much the same in several Ian
guages. all derived from the Latin 1t
is amor Cove, amO q love-.
"Boatman," ] began and stopped.
couldn't even bear to ask for a word