The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-04-30
Travellers Tales

''Have you been counted?"
If you haven't then don't delay, but
appeal to the hotel clerk al
He may be pleased, for hotel clerks
are remarkable beings. Of they were
not remarkable men they could not be
hotel clerks.) The chances are, how
ever, that he will exhibit some faint
evidence OF peevishness.
Life has been made a CALLING load
for the hotel clerk by reason Of the
census. The Industrious enumerators
are not to blame, Of course, but when
an enumerator appears, say OF a morn
ing at IL o'clock in one of the leading
hotels the corpulent, suave and bland
genius who presides over the bell
that-makes- EN- hop seems to expert
ence sudden near collapse. There's
a reason"
First came an enumerator with
great sheaf Of blanks containing in
terrogations pertinent to the official
demand for information concerning
"transients." Instructions to the clerks
made 1T mandatory that one copy of
such questions should be placed in the
hands Of each guest between certain
hours: That was just the beginning
of the hotel clerks experience with the
census.
To each guest 1t was necessary to
explain that in the event of the per-
sonal catechism being responded to.
elsewhere to such airesation in the
proper space therefor on the face of
the paper. This explanation, in the
vast majority of instances, meant the
hosting of the food gates OF inquiry
on the part of the exp,ainee The in
genuity and the resourcefulness Of the
average guest for asking fool uues-
tions, said one hotel man, was beyond
all prior belief
In many cases, after the clerk had
carefully gone over the entire range of
elucidation, the very first question
asked by the guest would indicate
that not so much as an inkling of
comprehension had penetrated the
shell of his intellect.
When 1t came to the delicate task OF
persuading the women guests please to
confide in Uncle Sam and the hotel
clerk-honest, now!-just how old they
were-
Some things are too sad and heart
rending to joke about.
However, one guest at the hotel
a charming woman she was, too--cap-
itulated at once to the smiling ur-
banity of her interrogation.
I'm Al, and / don't care who knows
it," she said.
But there were others. Just as
charming, too, perhaps, but more reti-
cent.
Halyor L. Halverson, the well known
attorney from Minot, was guest at
one of the hotels yesterday afternoon,
and he is candidate for the demo-
cratic nomination for state treasurer,
he was asked concerning politics, and
said: fLets not talk politics. I find
business all over the state to be in
first class shape and the stories that
so many farmers have had to reseed is
greatly exaggerated. 1T may be that
a few chance ones have had to do this,
but the great majority do not, and they
are more than pleased at the pros
poets for good crops this fall Yes,
Minot Is growing like q green bay tree,
and we are expecting big boom right
along
Warden Frank O. Helstrom of the
state penitentiary at Bismarck, who
has been In the city for day or two
on personal business. left for his home
yesterday afternoon. He said that at
fairs at the penitentiary are running
along much as usual and that Bis
marck was continuing to grow and ev-
erything for the capital city looked
prosperous.
9. =. Leonard, the wen known tray-,