St. Landry democrat., 1885-03-28
A GOOD JOKE.
The Two Lieutenants Schmidt,
Father and Son.

a certain man by the name of Carl
Schmidt joined the army and became a
Lieutenant in a battery of artillery,
which was stationed at the time of our
story in small Prussian town. As he
had no influence at headquarters pro-
motion was very slow, being almost as
slow as the action in Supreme Court.
Other and less deserving officers were
advanced, but Lieutenant Carl Schmidt
did not advance except in age and expe-
perience. He was still q Lieutenant
when his hair became gray. Hoary-
headed Lieutenants are quite common
in the German army.
Lieutenant Schmidt had married very
early in life. In due time son was
born, to whom was given his fathers
name. AS soon as the son was old
enough he was sent to the military
academy, and after having graduated
was assigned to the same battery in
which his father was Lieutenant.
There were, therefore, two Lieuten-
ants by the name of Carl Schmidt in
the same battery But what was more
peculiar still was the fact that father
and son were identical in form and
feature, except that while the hair and
moustache of the father were snowy
white, those of the son were a jet,
glossy black. The son had an old look,
which gave him more venerable ap-
pearance than that of most men of his
age, while the father, who was of a
lively turn of mind, seemed 10 be
younger than he really was.
At first the son lived with his parents,
but on the death of his mother, father
and son no longer lived together. Each
one rented himself q room. The
younger man preferred this mode of
life, as it gave him more liberty. In
order to prevent confusion the father
was known among his army friends as
Schmidt No. 2. They were so identical
in personal appearance that had the son
powdered his hair, the most intimate
friends of the two Lieutenants Schmidt
would not have been able to decide in
what relation they stood to each other.
Schmidt No. was in the habit Of in
yiting. officers, who visited the town in
which his battery was stationed, to
lodge with him. He had large NUM-
Der of acquaintance among the older
army officers, one of whom was stop
ping with him at the time at which our
story begins. This officer. who be-
longed to the dragons, although no
longer young, had remarkably black
hair.
Schmidt No. |, on coming into the
room of his guest one morning, OBJ
served that he was holding a bottle in
his hand, from which he had just taken
the cork.
''What have you got there-liver reg
ulator, or something for your stomach s
sake?" queried old Schmidt
The guest seemed to be annoyed, and
replacing the cork, replied that it was
remedy for dandruff, and placed the
bottle on the edge of the window be-
hind the curtain, The guest left few
hours afterward.
The incident had passed out Of tho
mind Of Schmidt No. !, and he would
perhaps never have recalled it had he
not noticed the bottle few days after
ward. It then occurred to him that he,
too, was troubled with dandruf in his
hair and moustache, so he applied the
stuff his guest had left behind literally.
He had scarcely done so when, glanc-
ing at the clock, he perceived it was
time for him to appear on the parade
ground to superintend the drilling OF
Che recruits. Selling his cap and sword
be hurried out. Had he looked In the
glass he would have been somewhat
surprised, for the alleged cure for dand-
Euf was simply hair dye, and the snowy