Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-14
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A Student of
Foreign Customs
By CAROLINE GEAVER

Ned Collins when lie was twenty enc
c;glae Into fortune He laid out the
life before hiEl methodically, reSolviu.
that he would see the world. then mar
rs OIL principle OF common sense.
1t was midsummer when he passed
INTO Siberia. and since he had always
heard tie territory spoken of US bitter
~ cold he was quite surprised to find
It very toiefable. A part of his plan
Tas TO stop over somewhere in the
interior and observe the customs OF the
country, OF which he had heard a great
de,fl... bringing up one evening in 4
small village tue SURROUNDINGS OF which
Were attractive. he determined to make
that his point of observation So
He spoke some French and some Ger
man. but knew not word Of Russian.
The keeper of the little inn at which
he put up was q Gerlnan who had mar
rled i Russian woman. He was stu
pid looking man. sitting all day drink
ing vodka since he could not get beer
land smoking his pipe, his wife, who
was an energetic body, doing all the
work She was eoinely, having the
f9iF, delicate complexion of the porth,
and her daughter, Anna, aged sixteen.
was Il beauty ri =, -
b Collins was very proud Of his knowlE
edge of the German language and anx-
ious to perfect himself in 1t before
reaching Germany, where he expected
to sojourn for some time. Therefore
he concluded to practice on the land
lord and his family, though the wife
and daughter spoke it iRdifferently.
Ned began on Schmitt, the landlord;
asked him all manner Of questions
about the country and the people, ex-
planning that he was there for the pur-
poses of observation. He also told
mine host that if any of those strange
ceremonies of which he had heard were
practiced during his stay he would be
glad to witness them. n:...ss 49,.
The landlord said "Jahv' and went
on smoking his pipe, not manifesting
any interest in the subject. He was a
good man to practice on, for he spoke
only in monosyHables, which permit
ted the practicer to do all the talking.
But as soon as Ned caught sight of
Anna he transferred his practice to
her. II +. +. E.: .
How he expected to learn Ger
man from a Russian girl who had
picked up only few sentences from
her father does not appear. Nor is 1t
certain whether he made practice an
excuse for making love to the girl,
whose eyes and hair and skin We're
all delicately fair, or whether he real
ly thought he was gaining a knowl-
edge of German that would be useful
to him among the aristocrats of Berlin.
Be this as it may, he spent quite a
while in the village. most of the time
with Anna. Probably he did not real
ize that lie was making love. Young
men of twenty-one can make love as
fast as q horse can trot without intend
ing anything serious. o.. -. .s~..
However, Collins. who had formed
resolution that he wouldn't marry be-
fore he was thirty and then on COM
mon sense principles-whieh meant at
least that the girl should be one of his
own class-after spending month in
the place studying the customs of the
country, through Anna, one day called
for his bill. ssying that he thought he
would depart next day. .---... -.
The landlord looked at him through
Il pair of little eyes hidden under
pair of .Eushy eyebrows and said that
one OF those peculiar Siberian cere-
INCHES he had heard of would take
plnce the next day and if he would
stop over lie could, witness it. Collins
asked what Kind of ceremony. it WAS,
but the landlord was not 4 good hand
at explaining things. He only said
that there would be foot race, but
the issue of the race plpaRt Il great
deal for the winner. Collins. having
spent great deal of time waiting to
Sc, something of the Kind. concluded
t. delay his departure. ...
The next morning the landlord Of
fcred to conduct him TO the place
where the ceremony was to take place.
A tent was pitched on level ground.
and before it Collins saw bevy, Of
young girls. Just before he reached
them Anna left them. looking at Col
Inns as IL she wished him to follow her
He did so and just as he WAS about to
join her she laughed and started to
run .. ~. ..-.
Now, Ned had won prizes at the ath-
letic games in America and consider.
ing this Il challenge gave chase. Anna,
however. was very good at n Snort
distance run. and Ned was entirely out
OF training. She led hin about over
the field for awhile. the look"rs-0a
shouting and claEping their hands till
at last she began 10 lag. and when lie
caught her she fell into his Arms cutie
limp.
Ned supported her to the tent. where
Il priest stepped out from the crowd
and said Something that Ned didn't