Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-04-10

upon our raincoats and goloshes when
we go in prudent fear Of it's showers.
The French do not call the cheated
person an April fool but an April fish
or a mackerel; IAN innocent and un-
suspicious animal. easily taken" The
phrase is probably reference to the
gullibility which takes the bait easily.
April fooling was firmly fixed in
France early in the seventeenth GEN.
tury.
At that time the king, Louis XIII,
had as prisoners in the Chateau Of
Nancy a prince of Lorraine and his
WIFE On the first of April the prince
arrayed as a workingman and carry
ing a hod on his shoulder, accompan-
led by his wife, dressed as a peasant
woman carrying a basket, walked
calmly out past the guards and through
the city gates.
Some one recognized them and in
great excitement announced to the
guards that the prince and princess
were giving them the slip. The guards
were not to be fooled-at least they
thought they were not to be. So they
laughed, "Ho-ho!" and wagged their
heads and said: who's an April fish,
eh?" and vowed they weren't anyhow.
The more the discoverer Of the fugl-
tives called on the guard to get busy
the louder laughed those wiseacres.
Finally some one carried the joke to
the commandant who thought he'd
rather be made a fool Of one way than
another and sent therefore to overhaul
the departing pair.
But It was too late. The prince
and his wife had made good their es-
cape and the guards gasped like true
April fish clean out of water.
In Scotland they call an April fool a
gowk and have cheerful little custom
of giving him a so-called important
letter to be delivered to some person
at a good distance If possible. The
letter contains merely this couplet,
evidently to be read with the accent on
"prile":
On the first Of Aprile
Hunt the gowk another mile.
A word to the wise is sufficient, Of
course, and the recipient Of this COM
munication forthwith encloses the
couplet in another envelope, which he
addresses to a friend in another quar-
ter and dispatches the gowk with 1t,
admonishing the greatest speed posi-
ble So the poor gowk goes on from
pillar to post and back again until
some one takes pity on him.
few years ago some very we'll
known persons in London were fooled
by receiving an official appearing COM
munication reading as follows:
Tower Of London.
Admit the bearer and friend to view
the annual ceremony Of washing the
white lions on Sunday, April l.
Admitted only at the white gate.
1t is particularly requested that no
gratuities be given to the wardens or
their assistants.
The particular nature Of the sleeve
less errand on which the victim is sent
changes somewhat as the years go by.
At least in this country children are
not sent for "a pennyworth Of pigeons
milk for sore eyes" nor half a pound
Of potato sugar." which used to be
favorite items with the fool makers in
England.
But there are those among us who
still find excruciating delight in grave
ly telling a gentleman that there is
something on his coat "a button) or
with whispered consideration inform
ing a lady that there is something on
her face cher nose). AS these were
already jokes in good and regular
standing a hundred years ago it is
time to figure up just how fast the
world do move after all.