The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-10-13
Mingling With
The People
By REGINALD D. HAVEN

when the warm season was coming
on, thought we would go to Switzer
land. We had both been in Europe
several years studying languages and
were well equipped with both French
and German. So we concluded tt
tramp about, mingling with the people
and not give away the fact that we
were Americans. We went to Inter
! ,laken by train and from there laid Out
pedestrian tours.
One of the first we made was tC
Grindelwald and thence up the side OF
the mountain to Scheidegg. There We
got good dinner, after which we
walked up a short distance to point
where we could see the glacier. II
was very wild and magnificent and al
that but seeing such sights Is not
what | am going to tell You about. In
the afternoon we walked down the
mountain to Lauterbrunnen and short
ly before we reached that place came
up with couple of Swiss girls dressed
in the costume Of the country.
1t occurred to both Billy and me tina,
if we could walk the rest of the way
with two pretty girls-no girl could be
homely in the Swiss costume-it would
be away ahead of trudging alone by
our own uninteresting selves. AS we
passed them l bowed very politely
took off my cap and, pointing to q
mountain whose name l knew as well
as my own. asked in German-the Ian
guage mostly spoken in this part OF
SwitZerland-what it was.
"That's the Eiger," replied one Of the
girls.
boldly expatiated on the beauty OF
the scenery, envied those who lived
always in the Alps, and as soon as
ran out of something to say Billy took
up the dialogue The girls did not
seem averse to forming our acquaint
ance, and it was not long before we
separated them. Billy walking beside
one, l beside the other. We both pre-
tended to be Germans of the lower
class, though not Swiss. l got in al
many nice things to my girl as could
think of, and she being to the country
born and unsophisticated didn't hest
tate to lay it Oh thick. Every now and
again | could hear Billy, who was
walking with the other girl only few
yards ahead of me. doing the same
thing
When we reached Lauterbrunnen
the girls BID us goodoy. saying that
they lived in & chalet beyond the town
We were near 4 refreshment house
standing beside the road. and l invit
ed them to so UP on to the porch fol-
cheese sandwich and Il glass of the
beer they drink over there, which Is &c
dreadfully mild that it wouldn't intox-
icate mouse. After consultation
apart from us they said they wouldn't
mind being refreshed after long
walk, and we all four went up on to
the porch. took Il table and called fol-
the beer and sandwiches.
Billy was talking glibly about our
life on the farm at home when one OF
the girls said:
you are not farmer; neither is he.
You are both gentlemen"
l looked at Billy, and Billy looked
at me.
''How did you find that outY !
asked.
"We have so many tourists about us
all the time that we could tell their
nationality no matter what disguise
they might put on. You are not Ger
man either. Don't you suppose we
can tell German from a Frenchman
or an Englishman?"
"What nationality are WEI" Billy
asked.
You wear French clothes, but you
are not French. You are either Eng
fish or American. I think you are
American"
"By Jove, Billy" 1 exclaimed In the
plain American language, they're
smarter than I thought they werer'
The girls were very much tckled
that they had been able to tell our ma.
tionality They asked us to teach
them little English. So told the
one 1 had walked with to pronounce
the words II love YOU" She spoke
them, Il lofe you," and asked me to
translate them into German, but there
was look in her eye that made me
suspect that she already had an idea
as to their meaning. I told her they
meant THANK you"
Meanwhile Billy was amusing him.
self by telling the girl to say kiss
me-" telling her the words meant
"Good morning." Billy and I kept
looking at each other, laughing over
the fun we were having, and by and
by the girls said they must go on home.
We asked permission to attend them,
but they declined. At parting one of
them said:
1--WE thank you for your kindness,
gentlemen. Though we are only poor
Swiss farmers daughters, we seem to
have amused YOU
1.-THE thanks are due to you," re-
piled, "since you have given us a very
pleasant hour
Don't you think" said Billy, that
there was some shenanigan about
those girls?"
"What do you mean?
Seems to me they know more than
we think they do" ~
A week later we were in the casino
at Lucerne when 1 heard a woman's
voice behind me speaking with the
real American accent.
"For heavens sake, julie, where
have you been all this time? I've
been looking for you everywhere"
I turned. and there stood our Swiss
peasant girls.
"Stung" cried Billy, and the girls
burst into laugh.