t difficult to find one. They entered the first one that they
saw. The polite Roman overwhelmed them with attention.

"Show me a coat, Signore."

Signore sprang nimbly at the shelves and brought down every coat in
his store. Buttons picked out one that suited his fancy, and tried it
on.

"What is the price?"

With a profusion of explanation and description the Roman informed
him: "Forty piastres."

"I'll give you twelve," said Buttons, quietly.

The Italian smiled, put his head on one side, drew down the corners
of his mouth, and threw up his shoulders. This is the _shrug_. The
shrug requires special attention. The shrug is a gesture used by the
Latin race for expressing a multitude of things, both objectively and
subjectively. It is a language of itself. It is, as circumstances
require, a noun, adverb, pronoun, verb, adjective, preposition,
interjection, conjunction. Yet it does not supersede the spoken
language. It comes in rather when spoken words are useless, to convey
intensity of meaning or delicacy. It is not taught, but it is learned.

The coarser, or at least blunter, Teutonic race have not cordially
adopted this mode of human intercommunication. The advantage of the
shrug is that in one slight gesture it contains an amount of meaning
which otherwise would require many words. A good shrugger in Italy is
admired, just as a good conversationist is in England, or a good stump
orator in America. When the merchant shrugged, Buttons understood him
and said:

"You refuse? Then I go. Behold me!"

"Ah, Signore, how can you thus endeavor to take advantage of the
necessities of the poor?"

"Signore, I must buy according to my ability."

The Italian laughed long and quietly. The idea of an Englishman or
American not having much money was an exquisite piece of humor.

"Go not, Signore. Wait a little. Let me unfold more garments. Behold
this, and this. You shall have many of my goods for twelve piastres."

[Illustration: The Shrug.]

"No, Signore; I must have this, or I will have none."

"You are very hard, Signore. Think of my necessities. Think of the
pressure of this present war, which we poor miserable tradesmen feel
most of all."

"Then addio, Signore; I must depart."

They went out and walked six paces.

"P-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-t!" (Another little idea of the Latin race. It is
a much more penetrating sound than a loud Hallo! Ladies can use it.
Children too. This would be worth importing to Amer