Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-04-07
Of in His
Pronunciation

81 am still having no end of trouble
with my pronunciation" said the rug
ged man who has accumulated big
fortune without having much improved
his education. "That is, amt hav.
ing any trouble with it myself, but I'm
making lot of trouble for other peo-
pie.
LAS far as I'm concerned don't,
mind much how pronounce my words
as long as Pm understood, but it
makes an awful difference to my chill
dren, especially my oldest daughter.
why, father she says, what do you
suppose people will 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 adj
vantages, and they know how to pro-
nounce and all that, and they can hold
their end up with the best of them.
Now, you know the children's mother
and have been married for quite
some time, and don't want to butt
my family affairs in onto your notice,
but don't mind saying to you that I
think mother is the greatest and
noblest and finest woman that ever
lived, and you might not think 1t of q
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;
| hut 7 lilo cOmotimoc RI coll hor came
| 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,
il was making a fool of myself, but
saying nothing. And Agnes; always
sort of liked Agnes, and once called
| her Agnes for six weeks. And then
| another name 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 it always did to her, but I never.
saw any harm in it. / 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
my hat and all I've got to make her
happy. 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 can; but
guess can't give her any more
pretty names.
i Last week l ran across the name
Of Beatrice. That's pretty name,
don't you think? Beatrice? And 7
started right away calling the lady
Beatrice, but this time ] ran up
against my Oldest daughter.
"Of course pronounced Beatrice
Bee-a-triss; what other way could
there be? never heard any other,
but the first time / said it 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 a pretty name?'
"'Why, father says my Oldest
daughter, you mustn't say things like
that; you mustn't say Bee-a-triss, it's
Bay-ah-tree-chay!
"'What?' l says, 'Bay-ah-chee-tray?'
], "'No, no, no!' says daughter. not
! Bay-ah-chee-tray. It's Bay-ah-tree-
chay!'
"And tried it again and got it Bay
!, ah-chee-tree, and Bay-ah-tree-chee, and
3 Bay-ah-tro-key, and various other
things, and finally got it Bay-ah-tree-
ebay
CHOW, that's right says daughter,
it's Bay-ah-tree-chay. Never say Bee
a-triss
II said it again and got it right
as said it happened to look around
where mother was, and there she sat
= smiling at me.
"Well, it 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 he1
and saying: Well, Bay-a-tree-chay,'
i and then going on and trying to say
something sensible or loving aftel
that.
. why, of course, it wouldn't do, and
we both knew that, and SO, do yor
u know, I've cut out the fancy names
9 altogether? Dropped 'em entirely, ans
y | think she's rather pleased with that
She always laughed at me for it, but
am inclined to think that deep dowI
'e in her heart she never really fanciel
20 my calling her by any name but he
t, own
pr $50 there's one little reform worke,
n by my Oldest daughter being SO partic
ular about pronunciation"
10 Kind to Bohemian Artists.
y, Mrs. Stanford White has come to b.
u, called t'the little mother of the Latil