The Yale expositor., 1914-05-28
A COMMON LANGUAGE
BY r. n. MASON.

For goodness sakes! If that old
Mexican COW ein't been and gone and
ct my glory-de-John rose"
| looked up from my gardening and
saw my next door neighbor-usually
the most aimiabe of women-literally
shaking with Indignation, on her 'front.'
porch, while COW was on the grass
plot below, contentedly munching the
last of the Gloire de Dijon.
Mrs. Farleigh took a pot containing
- small, withered palm from the porch
rail, heaved it at the COW, and eX-
claimed: "Drat the beast."
The pot broke innocently some way
from the COW, and the animal went
over to it and Examined the palm. 1t
was too dry for her taste, however.
She evidently preferred sweet, succu-
lent rose bushes.
"Shoo!" Mrs. Farleigh followed the
exclamation down the steps, shaking
her apron vigorously as she went. The
COW walked leisurely away, notwith-
standing the pieces of broken flower
pot that my neighbor sent after it,.
Amt that the limit?"
| had intended to keep out of the
controversy, and had busted myself be-
hind a hakea, but a hakea forms poor
shelter, and this last remark was evil
IDENTIFY intended for me.
It's hard" | replied sympathetical-
ly. OF course | said just the wrong
thing. Anything l might have replied
would have been wrong to one in Mrs.
Farleigh's mood.
Hard! Hard!" she shouted in dis
gust. Il wasn't thinking of the cows
digestion. It's my glory-de-John rose
that worries me. I've tended it all
winter, like a mother, and it was just
coming into bloom. Them Mexicans
have no right to keep cows in re-
spectacle neighborhood."
The Mexican was a bette noir to the
neighbors. He had arrived recently,
and bought four lots. On these he
was keeping half dozen cows, and
running small dairy farm. He seemed
to be circumventing the city ordi-
nance, which prohibited one person
keeping more than one COW, by dis
tributing the ownership of the animals
among his children. The bad feature
about the affair was that the family
were casual about letting the cows
roam off the premises. They had
owned large ranch in Mexico, before
the revolution, and did not understand
being confined to four city lots.
Its too bad Why don't you go
over and see them about it," / sug-
gested mischievously, for l knew the
MeXicans understood little or no Eng
lish.
Il WILL" Mrs Farleigh said decided
ly. Il have just cause for complaint"
You surely have" l agreed. Its
the proper thing to do"
Mrs. Farleigh trotted across the
street, her anger rising as she went,
and pushed the button beside the
Mexican's front door.
was bad enough to take up point
of vantage behind a large leptosper-
mum, to watch the burlesque, for 1
imagined my neighbor had not the
Spanish.
The Mexican woman appeared, and
my neighbor started the attack. Your
old cow has been and ct my glory-de-
John rose" Mrs. Farleigh shouted.
Gloria de Juan, senora!" the Next
can woman exclaimed, in surprise.
Juan was her eldest son.
de waun seniora nothing. Your
COW, COW, cow" each time she spoke
the word, Mrs. Farleigh pointed q I'M
ger viciously at the offending animal,
which was contentedly Illuminating over
the flavor of rose bushes near by,
your COW has been ct my glory-de-
John rose"
The Mexican woman was clearly
puzzled. La vaca gloria de Juan''
No, no. Ordena la vaca.'
Cant you savvy English?" Mrs.
Farleigh asked Indignantly.
mo hablo ingles.' ~J
"You have no English, eh?" Mrs.
Farleigh resorted to pigeon English.
Tapping the Mexican woman on the
chest with a finger, Mrs. Farleigh de-
manded: You no savvy?"
mo sabe.'
For the rand s sake. ana I've Deen
and left my homework to come over
here and give you a bit of my mind"
The humor of the situation dawned on
Mrs. Farleigh. She placed her hands
on her hips, and, with arms akimbo,
laughed uproariously.
The Mexican woman stared in aston
ishment; then she caught the infec-
ton, and joined in the laugh. There,
on the Mexican's porch, the two wom-
en- stood, each seeming to try to Guido
the other in her hilariousness. After
a time, they became week-kneed from
the effort, and sat on the top step and
continued to laugh, wiping the tears
that ran down their cheeks with the
corners of their aprons. They had
found common language.