The Cairo bulletin., 1910-05-24
Off in His
Pronunciation

Il am still having no end Of trouble
with my pronunciation" said the rug
ged man who has accumulated Bis
fortune without having much improyei
his education THAT lis, amt hav
ing any trouble with it myself, hut I'm
making lot of trouble for other PEG
pie.
AS far as I'm concerned | dont
mind much how pronounce my words
as long as I'm understood. but il
makes an awful difference to my chill
Gren, especially my Oldest daughter
Why, father sic says, what do you
suppose people viii think of us with
you pronopncing words as you do?'
you see. since the children were
old enorgh to know anything we've
always had plenty Of money and Sc
they've had all the what you call ad
SaEtages, ard they know how to pro.
nolnce 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
think mother Is the greatest and
noblest and finest woman that ever
lived and you might not think 1t OF a
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 time. with
her smiling at me kind o. dubious, as
ii 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 | didn't call her anything but
Pauline. and I've called her by a 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 | 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 ! cam but |
guess can't give her any more
pretty names.
Last week ran across the name
of Beatrice. That's pretty name,
don't you think? Beatrice? And |
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? I never heard any other.
but the first time said 1t 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 says Why, what's
the matter with Beatrice? Isn't Bea-
trice 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-chayt
What?' says, Bay-ah-chee-trayP'
"'No, no, MOI says daughter. not
Bay-ah-chee-tray. It's Bay-ah-tree
chay,'
And tried II again and got 1t Bay
ah-chee-tree, and Bay-ah-tree-chce, and
Bay.ah-tro-key, and various other
things, and finally got it Bay-ah-tree-
ebay.
Now, that's right says daughter
It's Bay.ah-tree-chay. Never say Bee
a-triss'
Il said 1t again and got 1t right
again this time, Bay-ahtree-chay and
as said it happened to look around
where mother was, and there she sal
smiling at me.
well, 1t was sort Of ridiculous
wasn't 1t? Certainly 1t was. Lucy
was all right enough, and Agnes ant
Pauline, but fancy my going up to hel
and saying; We'll, Bay-atreechay,
and then going on and trying to sa,
something sensible or loving afte
| that
why, OF course, it wouldn't do, ant
| we both knew that, and SO, do yo'
know, I've cut out the fancy name
altogether? Dropped 'em entirely, ant
| | think she's rather pleased with that
She always laughed at me for 1t, but
am inclined to think that deep dow
| In her heart she never really fancie,
my calling her by any name but he
| own.
80 there's one little reform worke
| by my Oldest daughter being so partit
| ular about pronunciation.
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