Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-07-07
Off in His



with my pronunciation. said the rug
ged man who has accumulated a big
fortune without having much improved
his education. That is, ! amt hav-
ing any trouble with il myself. but I'm
making a lot OF trouble for other peo-
pie.
las far as I'm concerned don't
mind much how pronounce my words
as long as I'm understood. but il
makes an awful difference TO my mil
dren, especially my Oldest daughter.
Why, father she says. what do you
suppose people viii think OF US with
you pronouncing words as you do?
you see. since the children were
old enough TO know anything we've
always had plenty Of money. and so
they've had all the what you call ad
yantages, and they know how to pro-
nounce and all that, and they can hold
their end up with the best OF them.
Row, you know, the children's mother
and | have been married for quite
some time, and / don't want TO butt
my family afTairs in onto your notice.
but l don't mind saying to you that
think mother is the greatest and
noblest and finest woman that ever
lived, and you might not think it Of
tough old chap like me. but / like TO
call her pretty names.
Her name, might as Well tell you,
because I've got TO tell you. to under
stand what I'm going TO say. is Mary;
but | like sometimes To call her some
thing else Sometimes ! call her Lucy.
/ rather like Lucy. and instead OF call
ing her Mary I've called her some
times Lucy for weeks at a time, with
her smiling at me kind O. dubious. as
If l was making a fool of myself. but
saying nothing And Agnes; | always
sort of liked Agnes, and once l called
her Agnes for six weeks. And then
another name l always did like was
Pauline, and once for about four
months l didn't call her anything but
Pauline, and I've called her by lot
of names like that, just as they hap
pened to strike my fancy.
Foolish this may seem to you, Just
as II always did to her, but l never
saw any harm in II. / like to give her
these pretty names just as / like to
give her pretty clothes. like to have !
everything about her pretty; I'd give
~ mat and all I've got to make her
h by. | don't know what I'd done or
where I'd got without her, and she's
all the world to me, and love to give
her all the pretty things l can; but l
guess l can't give her any more
pretty names.
Last week l ran across the name
of Beatrice. That's a pretty name,
don't you think? Beatrice? And l
started right away calling the lady
Beatrice. but this time l ran up
against my oldest daughter. i
"Of course l pronounced Beatrice
Bee-a-triss: what other way could
there be? never heard any other.
but the first time | said IL my oldest
daughter happened to be around and
=" 'Bee-a-triss?' she said. Why. father.
what do you mean by saying dreadful
things like that?'
Dreadful l says Why, what's
the matter with Beatrice? Isn't Bea-
trice pretty nance
Why. father says my Oldest
daughter, you mustn't say things like
that; you mustn't say Bee-a-triss, it's
ay-ahtree-chay!'
What?' / says, 'Bay-ah-chee-tray"
No, no. no. says daughter, not
It's Bay-ah-tree-
chayn
And / tried it again and got 1t Bay
ah-chee-tree, and Bay-ah-tree-chee, and
Bay-ah- tro-key, and various other
things. and finally | got it Bay-ah-tree-
ebay.
Now, that's right says daughter,
its Bay-ah-tree-chay. Never say Bee
a-triss.'
Il said it again and got it right
again this time, Bay-ah-tree-chay; and
as said it happened to look around
where mother was, and there she sat
smiling at me.
Well, il was sort of ridiculous.
wasn't it? Certainly it was Lucy
was all right enough, and Agnes and
Pauline but fancy my going up TO her
and saying: Well, Bay-a-tree-chay,
and then going on and trying to say
something sensible or loving after
that.
why. of course. it wouldn't do, and
we both knew that. and so, do you
know, I've cut out the fancy names
altogether? Dropped EN- entirely, and
think she's rather pleased with that
She always laughed at me for 1t, but
am inclined TO think that deep down
in her heart she never really fahcied
my calling her by any name but her
own.
so there's one little reform worked
by NV Oldest daughter being so partic
ular about pronunciation"