The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-01-14
Mingling With
The People
By REGINALD D HAVEN

when the WARM season was coming
On. thought we would 20 to SwitZer
land We had both been in Europe
seyeraI years Studyin. languages and
We're well equipped with both French /
and German. So we concluded TO /
tramp about. mingling with the people.
and not give away the fact that we
were Americans. We went TO Inter
Iaken BY train and from there laid out
pedestrian tours
One of the first we made was to
Grindelwald and thence up the side Of
the mountain to Scheidegg. There we
got a good dinner after which we
walked up ii short distance to point |
where we could see the glacier. 1t |
was very wild and magnificent and all /
that but seeing such sights is net |
what | am going TO tell yon about In |
the afternoon we walked down the I
mountain to Lauterbrunnen and short |
II before We reached that place came
up with a couple of Swiss girls dressed
in the costume of the country.
| 1t occurred 10 both Billy and me that
/ if we could walk the rest of the way
with two pretty girls-no girl could be
| homeIy in the Swiss coStume-it would
! be away ahead of trudging alone by
our own embarrassing selves AS we
passed them | bowed very politely.
took off my cap and. pointing to
mountain whose name | knew as well
as my own. asked in German-the Ian
| guage mostly spoken in this part of
/ SwitZerland-wha 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 rs soon as ]
ran out of something to say Billy took
/ up the dialogue The girls did not
i seem averse to forming our acquaint
! ance. and il was not long before we
separated them. Billy walking beside
one. | beside the other We both pre-
tended to be Germans Of the lower
class. though not Swiss. | got in as
many nice things to my girl as could
think OF. and she being 10 the country
born and unSophiSticated | didn't hest
tate 10 lay it on thick Every now ana
again | c0uId hear Billy. who was
walking with the other girl only a few
yards ahead of me. doing the same
thing
When we reached Lauterbrunnen
the girls bid us g0odby. saying that
they lived i'll Il chalet beyond the town
] We were near Il refreshment house
standing beside the road. and inyit
ed them TO 90 up on TO the porch for
/ Il cheese sandwich ana Il glass of the
beer they drink over there. which is so
I
! icate mouse. After Il consultation
apart from us they said they wouldn't
/ mind being refreshed after IL long
I walk. and we all four went up on to
! the porch took Il table and called for
! the beer and sandwiches
\ Billy was talking glibIy about our
life on the farm at home when one OF
the girls said:
You are hot d farmer; neither is he
! You are both gentlemen"
| looked at Billy. and Billy looked
! ut me
How did you lind that out?" i
: asked
I'VE 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 a German from a Frenchman
!: or an Engishman?"
/! What nationality are we?' Billy
!; asked.
!: You wear French clothes. but you
z are not French You are either Eng
lish or American think you are
American"
by Jove, Billy" | exclaimed in the
plain American language. they're
smarter than | thought they were!'
The girls We're very much tickle(
that they had been able to tell our ma
tionality. They asked us to teact
them a little English. So | told the
one | had walked with to pronounce
the words Il love YOU She spoke
them. Il lofe YOU" and asked me Il
translate them into German. but there
was look in her eye that made me
suspect that she already had an idet
, as to their meaning told her they
] meant Thank you
. Meanwhile Billy was amusing him
self by telling the girl to say "kis:
me-" telling her the words mean
Good morning" Billy and | KEEP
Is looking at each other, laughing owe
II the fun we were having. and by ant
lie by the girls said they must go on home
$ We asked permission to attend them
, but they declined At parting one O
them said:
We thank you for your kindness
gentlemen Though we are only poo
Il Swiss farmers daughters, we seem t
have amused you"
The thanks are due to you" l re
piled. since you have given US yer.
pleasant hour
Don't Won think said Billy. "tha
II there was some shenanigan abou
# those girIS?'' -
m What do you mean?"
Is Seems to me they know more thar