Putnam patriot., 1909-07-23
THE TELEPHONE AS
 Al INTERPRETER
By E. A. MtTCHEl.


 I see Had d good timer
 Wei. yes. rather
 You look as if you hadn't. Anv. thing unpleasant happened: -
 T don't exactiy-you see-they ten me there's d certain time in a mana life when he doesn't know whether ba.. done very big thing or a very Htte oDe--
 Haven't got into trouble on account of one of your practical jokes, hare youy''
 its something like that. Come hers and sit down. I'll tell you"
 They had met h city park Sim mons led the way to a bench They seated themselves. and he began bis tale of woe
 When l was In Paris. al the pension where I stopped-they call 'em Den. siens uver there; We call ,em boardinv or hash houses here-was French girl l took a kind of shine to her and I fancied she took a kind Of shine 10 me. but neither of us could speak word of the same language. 1 mel Turpin over there. Remember Turpin, Red headed chap with big mole on his left cheek. He and l played jokes on each other. One day told a gendarms to watch him for a suspicious eharac. ter and had a lot of fun out of it'-
 "Oh. you did. did you?"
 "Yes Well. the girl l was telling you about-it was a tantalizing busi- rit ell ia aP har being able to say anything to her, so I wrote out some things such as I'm sorry 1 can't talk to you and Will you walk with me this afternoon in the Bois de BoulogneF and all that. Then l asked Turpin-Turpin speaks French tolerably well, you know-to write out the French for these sen- tences. He did so. and it helped things along amazingly with the girl Fur pin told me that Good morning in French was .Toi que jaime or some thing like that. and l noticed that she biushed every time 1 said it"
 "Do you know what 9Toi que Jaime, meanstt
 "Yes. good morning. of course.'
 Hats, IL means I love you"
 Simmons stood parayzed with sur. prise for a moment and then went on:
 "I learned from people in the house that the girls father had been well off. but he had lost all his property and then up and died. leaving his daughter with little or nothing. 1 felt sorry for her, and-well. 1 expect l looked it. At any rate when April came. and I started for Rome l saw tear in her eye. It made me uneasy. for l wasn't thinking about getting mixed up in any affair, especially with a girl l couldn't talk to. but when got on the train l forgot all about 1t. supposing the girl would do the sa me. Turpin and l went down to Rome to- gether. and he didn't seem to think I'd done anything out of the way, and this satisfied me.
 "One day. a month later, while walk ing down via Cavour-that's Cayour street. you know-in Rome. who should 1 meet but my French girl. and what do you suppose she was doing|
 "What?'
 Crying She was so distressed about something that she didn't see me spoke to her. and you should have seen the relief light up her face
 The only thing l could remember to say to her in French was Good morning. so said .Toi que Jaime She burst into q fresh crying spell. l was dying to know why she was in Rome and what was the matter. but how could l since she could only jabber French at me? Then a happy thought struck ne Turpin could act as interpreter Of course l couldn't take her to Fur pin. but 1 might get him on a tele- phone and he could tell each of us what the other said Good idea. ehY
 Very"
 "I stepped into place where there was a relefono' sign and succeeded in getting Turpin just as he was starting out to visit the Roman aqueduct ruins l told him what had happened; then the girl told him her situation, then took the receiver and he translates the story to me. She'd answered an sa of a Roman family for a goyerness 'e teach the children French and haa been sent for to come to Rome. cne was delayed for want of funds. ana when at last she arrived found the family had been called suddenly ~ Berlin Well. she was in a pickle T telephoned Turrin to tell her tBsl l begged she would accept funds trVia me to return to Paris. Turpin 'o" her. She dropped the receiver on table and her head on my shoulder, Then she took my arm. and the heA1 thing I knew We were in one Of tnese measly thousand year-old ehurene tver there. The girl Jabbered ffeneA 10 . priest. which he seemed 10 uhce'' stand. and a little English. too. Tor " told me that to be married l must v through the proper forms.
 "It was that rascally Turpin. Hea told her that I asked her to marry V" and go to America with me" What did you do?'
 What could do? Go back on thing like thats We were maffss' and here I am." .
 "Weil. old man, I'll call on your VT tonight. and after I've seen per talked with her-I speak some freS myself. you know-T'li tell you wne'a1 rurpin has done you 6 good or an s'- turn"
 The promise was kept and. sftef call. on the doorstep the friend sam
 Its . horse on Turpin: he snos- have got your wife for himself io' had . big stroke of luck"