The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-04-04
Travellers Tales

1 l~~@%~~~e.~J~~S~~ ~s>-~~~-@~~@
"You will perhaps notice." said the
gloomy looking commercial traveller, as
he sat in the lobby Of the waldorf
yesterday evening talking to d friend.
That Bob Mcintyre, the chief clerk.
never endeavors s. to crack a joke
neither has he been known to attempt
a practical Joke on any one for many
YEARS He used to be a ,vsritable
Ipractical joker and lay awake nights
thinking how he could do something
on his friends.
'T'Il never forget the two occasions
which effectually broke him or all de-
sire 10 play to joke at the expense OF
some one else. A party Of FIVE or six
of us one Sunday afternoon in the old
en- days in a town near Oshkosh, Wis,
were seated about a cool spring In the
center of which was a pony key Of
well, we'll call It huttermilk. There
was one fellow along named Monroe
lShontz. He was an athlete could box
in fine shape and good fellow alto
gether The day being exceedingly
warm we had all Invested ourselves of
lcoats and vests and some of the party
teven wore open shirt front. Bob
lcaught a green frog. 1t was fully
eight inches I'm length, and when
iShontz wasn't looking he slipped the
'critter' into the bosom OF Mr.. Shontz'
Iopen shirt front, and the way the man
yelled and screeched was a caution.
He yelled bloody murder, for he didn't
know what it was and said afear-
wards that he thought 1T was d snake.
Big George Smith, another OF the
party. thought Shontz had. gene crazy
with the heat and he rolled under q
wagon to get out of the way. Finally
lShontz got hold of the frog which he
had squeezed to death and. threw 1t
away. In less than two minutes at
lterward the dust was flying out OF the
trousers of Mr. McIntrye for appoIo-
gies did not go. That was one tirue
! Bob's joke reacted.
Another time was the evening Of
July 4, years ago when Bob walked
Into a store and laid what looked Like
a big fire cracker on the counter 1t
was nothing, however, but a small
J bolt of wall paper wrapped with red
paper and a piece of cord stuck IN
the end to make 1t look like fuse.
Well, some one just for fun ligtea the
fuse like cord and there was an awful
| Settlement This saused q great
: laugh Ten minutes afterwards an
other man carrying another big. crack
err walked into the store and laid IL
down on the counter and was making
a purchase when the proprietor
:. thought he'd have some fun, and he
stuck match to the fuse. The fei~
low who owned the cracker yelled and
called the merchant a Odd fool.
but it did no good. Suddenly there
was noise like cannon shooting
of. for it was the real thing and the
four show cases on that side OF the
room were blown to pieces and the
; store was set afire, the fire department
: called out, and there was the devil to
pay. The owner of the place wanted
Bob to settle on the grounds that IL
he hadn't brought the bogus cracker
into the store there would have been
no lighting of the other These ars
the two big reasons why Mr.. McIntrye
frowns down joking Of all kinds"
, James Collins. we'll known farmer
and business man of Grand Forks and
q prominen. member of the Elks' lodge
Of that city was guest at the N stro+
pole, Saturday, returning home In the
/ afternoon. He says that the Forks
town is growing rapidly, new blocks
: are going up on every side: many neus
4 residences are building or contracted
for, and the town Is right on the
jump "Of course" said he, eve are
mot doing as much building as IS FaE
{ go, but we are Just nnfnping curse Ives
e all the same The Forks EIks are
n preparing warm welcome for the
Fargo brethren on April lis and i6.
when the new parlors win be dedi-
= Gated and there will be something do
Ing all the time Tell the boys ali TO
come"
John G. Mong a well known citizen
Ayr, was a guest in the city Safur-
. day. He stated to The Forum that the
ground was In excellent condition
: about Buffalo and Ayr, this county.
! and that many Cass county farmers
I had already done good deal 81. seed
ing While he didn't approve of such
early seeding as 4 general thing. stiaI
K he believed that 1t was the right thing
d to do this year. only its taking Biz
y chances. He left for his home yesrers
! day.
al
81 Printer Wanted.
Ell Wanted. An exrariannoAd ,.w4,.tav 49,.