This was upon his return from the trip to Germany. There he had
been asked to visit for a few days a former schoolfellow, who had
risen to be a professor:
"Well, Mr. Carnegie, his sister who kept his house was very kind to
me, and ven I got to Hamburg I tought I sent her yust a little
present. She write me a letter, then I write her a letter. She write
me and I write her, and den I ask her would she marry me. She was very
educated, but she write yes. Den I ask her to come to New York, and I
meet her dere, but, Mr. Carnegie, dem people don't know noting about
business and de mills. Her bruder write me dey want me to go dere
again and marry her in Chairmany, and I can go away not again from de
mills. I tought I yust ask you aboud it."
"Of course you can go again. Quite right, William, you should go. I
think the better of her people for feeling so. You go over at once and
bring her home. I'll arrange it." Then, when parting, I said:
"William, I suppose your sweetheart is a beautiful, tall,
'peaches-and-cream' kind of German young lady."
"Vell, Mr. Carnegie, she is a leetle stout. If _I had the rolling of
her I give her yust one more pass_." All William's illustrations were
founded on mill practice. [I find myself bursting into fits of
laughter this morning (June, 1912) as I re-read this story.
Pages:
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271