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CASTLES IN THE SKY

Nancy Miller

Teddy had the broad back, strong browned arms, and
gnarled hands of most any European farm boy. He was a
handsome young man of about twenty-one with straw-colored
hair and pleasant blue eyes. He was the type who would look
good in a suit if you could ever coax him into one. His
traveling attire was a pair of worn khaki shorts and a soiled
gray sweat shirt with stretched neck and sleeves. His tennis
shoes consisted primarily of sole and frayed laces. His smile
was broad and magnetic, the kind that comes from drinking
farm-fresh milk from the day one is born.

We met Teddy in the International Youth Hostel in
Inverness, Scotland. We arrived at the hostel about nine
olclock that night. The fire was crackling merrily in the
large brown stone hearth. Ruddy, fair, and 'dark-complexioned
people were gathered around the fire singing lustily after a
long day of travel. Some came by bike, some by cycle, others
by hiking, and a few of us by car. Teddy was hard to miss.
He was sprawled clumsily to the right of the fire playing a
harmonica. When they came to the choruses, he would stop
and join in with a loud clear bass voice.

S hortley after we arrived, the hostel director, a tall

red-bearded man with kilt abruptly stopped the music like a

French policeman stopping traffic on the Champs-Elysees. He

threw his head back and hands up, causing the room to rock

with laughter. II Laddies and lassies, we lave newcomers. II

Mr. MacPherson apparently wasted no time getting his hostelers

acquainted. IIEre we lave four bonnie young lassies who I

would guess were .... 11 He scratched his head pensively.

II Ah, Americans. Right? 11 .-r

My sister and I were traveling with her English professor
from the University of Munich and her small daughter, Wendy.
Our father was stationed in Germany with the Service, so we
traveled as much as we could by hook or by crook.

"Well , dorr't ye he s itete , we 'r-e eweitin' with baited breath
to lear your names. II

We proceeded and then each member of the happy group

chimed in with his name. When T'eddy!s turn came,

Mr. MacPherson broke in with his booming Scottish voice.

11Ah, this 'er-e is our fine friend, Teddy, an extraordinary

chap. Mockingly he put his hand on T'eddy!s shoulder and

the other on his heart. Teddy grinned awkwardly as

Mr. MacPherson ended dramatically. 11 Aye, Teddy, our

fine friend from Belgium, built for us this stupendous, most

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