Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel], March 14, 1909, Image 51

About Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
LOS ANGELES
Letters to Aunt Laurie From Nephews and Nieces
DEALING IN STRANGE SHOPS
Central America and Its Curio Deal
er* Beat Junior
(First Prize)
Dear Aunt Laurie:
IWAS In Port Lemon, Costa Rica,
with my father and mother on a
tour, of Central America. We had
taken rooms at the hotel and I asked
my parents If I could go out and buy
a- curious watch fob which I saw In
a shop around the corner. They said
I could go, and I sallied forth.
Now, although I was In a Spanish
country, I could not speak a -word of
their language, and H never occurred
to me that the storekeeper could not
speak Kngllsh until I stepped in the
store and he said "Buenos dlas, se
nore."
Of course I did not-know what he
was talking about, and said, "Speak
English." He shook his head, and I
saw I was In for it, for every one who
has even been In Port Lemon knows
that the merchants there are noted for
bargaining and cheating.
They love to bargain about the price
of any object and when asked the^ price
of anything will put it very high at
first. Well, I showed him what I want
ed and asked "How much?" He seemed
to understand me and said "Dos pesos."
Then seeing that I did not understand
him he held up two fingers, which I
saw meant two dollars. I then began
to tell him In American that. It was too
high, when I remembered he did not
understand me and began the sign lan
guage again, but I could not think of
any way I could use my fingers to say
halt a dollar.
When I held up one finger and put
another finger half way up and point
ed to one of the halves, for a wonder
he understood. Well, we bargained
for quite a while until I gave up in de
spair, paying seventy-five cents, and I
went to the hotel promising myself I
would never go out again unless ac
companied by some person who could
speak Spanish.
CARLTON HENLEY.
88, Hoover street school. 1206 West
Sixth street, city.
ARABIAN BEABT GIVES
YOUNG OWNER TROUBLE
(Honorable Mention)
Dear Aunt Laurie:
I BOUGHT a camel from a Turk In
Chicago at the world's fair. In
tending to ride to Los Angeles. So
I loaded all of my camping outfit upon
his back and mounted. The Turk gave
tk* word and oR we started. I enjoyed
the ride immensely until I wished to
dismount I cried, "Whoa! Woal you
fool camel," *ut he went right on
about his business. When every argu
ment to stop him failed I slipped off his
back, and he Instantly stood still.
My shopping done, I tried for a long
time to persuade him to start again,
but either he didn't want to move or
couldn't understand me. Then I tied
a bunch of hay to the end of the tent
pole, which was Just out of reach of his
mouth, and off he went at a terrlflc
pace, bouncing me up and setting me
down in the crudest manner, knocking
down everything and everybody that
stood In his way—oggs, tinware, flour
and coffee went flying In every direc
tion. Potatoes shot out of the basket
like bullets from a gun, knocking down
several poeple, including a policeman.
I held on with all my strength, not
with fear of falling, but rather the
thought of the egp-bespattered crowd
following me. I felt relieved when we
gained the open country and escaped
that howling mob. On we went with
the tent pole sticking out like the lance
of Don Quijcote. The camel was going
straight toward the stack of hay, in
cfaasltig his already terrific speed.
The sudden impact with the haystack
sent mtf flying up In the air and set me
down on top of the hay. Looking down
' I saw the camel calmly eating hay.
The tent pole was driven Into the hay
stack and held the camel a willing pris
oner After I ecraped the flour and eg<?
off I felt better, but left, the camel to
his fate, knowing he had enough to
eat and would not die of hunger or
thlrnt until the farmer would find him.
MAUDE EDWARDS.
.'027 West Tenth street; Hobart
school, grade i>.
OWNING A KICKSHAW
IN FLOWERY JAPAN
(Honorable Mention)
Dear Aunt Laurie:
AiltT two yea/s Hgarl went to vlilt
Japan. It was there that I pur
chased a jinrikissha and carried the
people to ace the sights. The American"
■ always flocked to the Japanese boys,
thinking that they knew the way better
than we American children.
One day I was at the wharf thinking
Los Angeles Sunday Herald
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perhaps to get a passenger. Well, I
got one pretty soon. She was as large
as two medium sized passengers. Her
face was red from the exertion of
hurrying off the boat.
She came toward me and seated her
self In the frail cart. I went around a
small hill to the other side of the wharf
and was ascending another hill when
the Jlnriklsha's bamboo wheels creaked.
The woman was heavy and I thought
of nothing else but getting her up the
hill. We were near the water's edge.
The banks were overhung with willows.
All of a sudden the wheels popped apart
and went rolling toward the water
along with the woman.
She touched the water with a great
splash and hung on to the willows. I
drew her to the shore unharmed, only
wet. I asked her name Mid where she
was staying, neither of which she could
tell, being so excited, I asked her what
nationality she was and she exclaimed:
"My uncle la a Jew and my mother Is
an Eugllsfiwoman. Now do you know?"
I aooji found where she was staying
and when I took my last glimpse of her
she was shaking her fist as me. I sold
the bamboo Jinrikisha for 3 cents and
returned to America.
JENNIE EDMONDSON.
Wiilttler, grade 7. 322 North Newlin
avenue. /
THE WHITE ANGORA'B
FIRST STREET CAR RIDE
(Honorable Mention)
Dear Aunt Laurie:
SOME time ago I was very anxious
to have an Angora kitten. One
day I saw an advertisement In a
Los Angeles paper to sell a beautiful
white Angora kitten. Thia temptation
was too great for me, so I told mamma
and she said she and I would go up for
It the following day.
How leng that evening and the next
morning seemed! But at last the time
came and we were actually going to
the car for Los Angeles. It was a
lovely ride, but I thought of nothing
but the dear little kitten I was to have.
When we reached the place I had the
choice of four lovely Angora kittens. ]
took the one I thought was the prettiest
In the face. It was indeed, a beautiful
kitten. When we paid for it the ques
tion was how were we to get it home?
The lady got a pasteboard box and put
the-cat In It. She then cut holes In the
box to give him enough air. She fas
tened him securely In and we started
off. The cat enjoyed the walk to the
car, but after he got bumped around
awhile on his way to his new home in
Long Beach, we decided that he didn't
like the Idea of ridingin a bumpy
electric car.
Soon from out the hole In the box
came a tiny pink nose. I poked that In
and immediately his tail appeared
through the hole In the other end. This
was Just- the beginning of our trouble.
This was kept up and he was making
the hole larger and larger.
The people in the car began noticing
the commotion in the box. The cat
now and then would give a loud 'meow.'
Some high school boys in the rear of
the car began laughing and cahlDg
"Kitty, kitty, kitty; meow, meow," and
"scat," then barking like a dog. The
conductor came by and looked In at
the kitten, and laughingly asked for
Kitty's fare.
' Mamma was so disgusted with that
kitten that she didn't want to buy
any more cats In Los Ange}e% if- she
had to bring them home on the car.
It seemed a long time to mamma be
fore we reached the station. By this
time the cat had got his head out of
the hole, which had been made larger
and larger by his attempt to get out
oTTne box.
JWe did not live far from the car
line, so we soon reached home and re
leased Kitty from his prison, tnd it
didn't take him long to forget his trou
bles. EDITH HIGGINS.
A 6 grade. 1245 Locust avenue. Age
12 years, Long Beach, Cal., Pine school.
A Turkish Experience
Dear Aunt Laurie:
I once lived In Turkey. One day I
thought I 'would'go shopping. When
I got down town I went into a shop
where you buy dresses. A Turkish
lady waited on me. I told her I wanted
a dress. Bo the lady took me to a
little room with pretty rugs all around
it so the people could sit down. Then
she told me to sit down. But my, I
felt funny sitting on a rug.
Pretty soon she came to, me and \fid
me to the dressing room. It was a
very little room. She brought me a
very funny dress. I laughed, but she
did not think it funny. Then she
helped me dress. First she put a pair
of trousers, then a littla Jacket, then a
big red sash to put around my waist.
Then some turned up shoes and tl*pn
she put a big veil around my face.
I went into the street and felt very
funny. A friend of mine who was
staying with me laughed when she
saw me and next day she went and
got a dress Just like mine.
The lady next door asked my friend
and me to come to a party that was
to be at her house. We wore our
dresses to the party.
When we got there there were rich
rugs and cushions. Then we all went
Into the next room to eat. supper.
When we got there there were little
tabourettea all around. Then we all
sat on soft cushions and rugs to eat.
prp^t;- sion a negro woman came in
to wait on us. She brought in sweet
meats to eat. Then we said good by
and went home.
KATHERINE LUCID.
La Habra school, Futlerton, grade 4,
age 10.
MARCH 14,1909
PECULIARAFRICAN PURCHASES
Buy* Elephants' Tusks and Natives'
Wooden Shields
(First Prize)
Dear Aunt Laurie:
ONCE upon a time I went to Japan
and bought a suit of clothes with
long sleeves that reached the
ground, and I bought a set of Chinese
dishes and put them In a sleeve and
hired a jinricksha and rode all over
Japan in a minute.
Then I went to Turkey and I bought
a turban and a Turkish suit, and ail
the money I had was a cent, and that
took me all the way.
I went to Africa and discovered an
old diamond mine, and then went into
it and found a diamond I could hardly
lift. Then I found a camping place,
and all of us went away for a hunj.
There were Teddy Roosevelt and a
couple of guards and myself. We ran
upon a gorilla and a big one, too. Then
Roosevelt said, "Run for your life!
The gorilla couldn't find us because we
were hidden in the bushes.
When we got to our tent we found
eight monkeys, seven kangaroos and
two natives. The monktys were into
everything, and a kanparoo had
knocked down a sack of flour into a
pan of milk.
Wo followed the natives home. ami
bought some of their elephant tusks
and a shield made of wood. It was
painted with a leopard and a fierce
wolf and a hyena, and it was pretty.
FREDDIE THUET.
Fullerton. Oal., R. F. D. S, La Ha
bra school, grade 4.. Age 9%.
GENEROUS LITTLE GIRL
WINS LIFELONG FRIEND
(Honorable Mention)
Dear Aunt Laurie:
WHEN I was in New- York a few
weeks ago I went around to see
&H the places I had time for. I
have a little niece in Southern Cali
fornia and I had to get some present to
bring to her. She believes in fairies
and so I decided to bring her a fairy
doll. I went to a big store and got a
handsome one.
She was delighted with the doll. It
was dressed in a white-silk gown whose
long folds fell about her feet. She hud
gold spangles on her dress and golden
hair with a golden crown on her head.
My little niece Is 8 years old and her
name is Hortense Golden. She was
going to give a little birthday party
in honor of her eighth birthday, and so
I asked her little friends to come anJ
bring th^ir dolls. Each brought her a.