The Washington times., 1911-05-13
CHAPTER XI.
New Opportunities.

r HAD founo tnat was paoiy nandl-
capped in all intercourse with my
italian fallow-workers by the fact
that 1 knew nothing of their Ian
guage and that they knew but little
English. The handicap did not lie SO
much in the fact that we couldn't make
ourselves understood-we could after q
rough fashion-as ii dio in the fact that
this made a barrier which kept our
two nationalities sharply defined.
/ was always an American talking
to an italian. The boss was always an
American talking to a Dago. This seem
| ed to me a great disadvantage. II
ought to be just a foreman to his man
or one man to another. -...
The chance to acquire a new language
I thought had passed with my high
school days, but down here everyone
| was learning English and so resolved
10 study Italian. l made bargain with
now a frequent visitor at our fat, to
teach me his language In return FOR
instruction in mine.
He agreed though he had long been
getting good instruction at the night
school But the lad had found an ap-
preciative friend in Ruth who not only
sincerely admired the work he was do
ing but who admired his enthusiasm
and his knowledge of art. | liked him
myself for he was dreaming bigger
To watch his thin cheeks grow red
and his big brown eyes flash as he talk
ed of some old painting gave me reali-
zation that there was something else
TO be thought Of even down here than
mere money success. lit was good for
me.
The poor fellow was driven almost
mad by having to offer for sale some
of the casts which his master made him
carry. He would have liked to sell only
busts of Michael Angelo and Dante and
worthy reproductions of the old mas
ters.
he used to eXclaim eXcitedly in broken
English: why should they want to
make anything that is not beautiful?"
He sputtered time and time again over
the pity of gliding the casts. You'd have
thought It was a crime which ought to
Even Dante" he groaned one night.
that wonderful. white sad face OF
Dante covered all over with gilt!''
-''It has to look like gold before an
American will buy it," / suggested.
Yes" he nodded. They. would even
gild the Christ"
Ruth said she wanted to learn Italian
with me, and so the three of Us used to
get together every night right after din
ner. bought grammar at a second
hand bookstore, but we used to spend
most of cur time In memoriZing the
common every day things a man would
be likely to use in Ordinary CO ersa-
tiop Giuseppe would say. ''Ha Ella Ii
milo cappello?''
And 1 would say:
Isl. Signore, no IL di Lei cappello."
'Ha Ella il di Lei pane?'
Isl, Signore, no IL mio pane"
"Ha Ella II mio zucchero?"
Isl Sicnore, no ii di Lei zucchero."
There wasn't much use in going over
such simple things. in English for Giu-
seppe and SO instead of this Ruth would
read aloud something from Tennyson.
After exploining to him just what every
new word meant, she would let him
read aloud to her the same passage.
stop her with the exclamation:
"Ah, there is a study"
Then he would tell us just how he
would model whatever the picture hap
pened to be that he saw in his mird.
1t was wonderful how clearly ne saw
these pictures. He could tell you even
down to how the folds of the women's
dresses should fall just as though he
were actually looking at living people.
After q week or two when we had
learned some of the simpler phrases
Ruth and l Used to practice them rs
much as possible every day. We felt
quite proud when we could ask one
or I'll cotelIo" or III cucchiaio." I was
surprised at how soon we were able
to carry on quite a long talk
This new idea-that even though I
was approaching forty wasn't too old
to resume my studies-took root in
customed to the daily physical exercise
and no longer returned home eNh austed
felt as though 1 had no right to loaf
through my evenings, much as the pri-
vileSe OF spending them with Ruth
meant to me.