The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1918-07-24

From the Stars and stripes.)
Have you ever hung over a desk In
a Y. NJ. G. A. hut long enough to get
a slant on the questions the gang hurls
owe the mound to the secretary be-
hind there?
They r like the Question Box col
umns of so Siwash newspapers rolled
into one, and the way the old boy with
the red triangle on his sleeve bats at
'em and knocks out three-baggers and
homers with 'em is sure a caution.
OF course, sometimes he fans, but
then what would any fellow do after
he's been handing out all day long p:
A. at % centimes per each, swapping
Scent American postage stamps for
soap wrapper French money, shooting
a lot of bull to a crowd Of rufnex to
write home to mother, or cashing post
Office money orders for $9.O3 or $7.85
when the rate of exchange is ST., and
then some doughboy asks him how to
write a letter to his brother In Montey.
niger.
Grins and Goes on.
Wouldn't that make any ordinary
cuss rear up OF his hond legs and blow
off steam? But the ~" fellow just
grins and goes to 1t. I can't help think
in sometimes that fellows just ask a
7 man a lot Of fool questions to see
If they a get his angora. For in
stance, here's some I heard with me
W eyes yesterday afternoon in Is
minutes while I was waiting. for a
"" man to look up and see If Bloody
Mary killed Queen Elizabeth or If Bes-
sic done the trick to Bloody Mary.
"How do you spell 'provincialism?'"
Imagine a K. p. pulling that, will you?
slow much postage does it take to
send a hanty with Souvenir de France
broidered on It'll"
Then some crophead what looks like
he's doing P. G. work at Sing-Sing
asks: "Where in hell is A. P. o. 956O?"
Then a big fat slob. Of an Arbuckle
from the Pill Singers comes in with a
caddoky owe his s~ergeant's chevrons
and springs this one "What's the
French word for kiss?" ys
Then a lollypolly second loot blows
in. "What was the date the Loosi-
tania sunk?' asks the loot. v
Then comes in a couple Of colored
boys from below the Wright and Dit
son line and they buys some plug and
sweet chocolate. and M Of 'em leans
over the counter like he was feeling
for the rail with his right foot and
wanted at the same time to whisper to
Harry in the white coat that he was
awful thirsty. but he didn't have the
centimes to- raise a gusher, and he
says low-like to the Sec:
How 10 This one7.
"Say, boss, me and buddy wants to
know If you all was ever serving bah
in the caffy Of the Jeffson hotel in
Richmond"
Fancy springing that on a "Y' guy
Then along comes a fellow what
used to be a, cavalryman on the Dor.
der. He Ras one Of them hard-boiled
ones what spit rust: -
"say." he says, looking as prominent
as the white citizens committee, "whl
was the guy in the Bible what had 8
thousand James all to hisself, and was
there a Jew named Joseph who; wXas
s. o. L. cause he had a fancy overseas
hat and his pals couldn't get none a,
the Q. MT"
Wonder what struck him? Must havl
got religion all to oncet.
Then a pink-faced mommer's bo!
strolled in to get some writing papel
to write a love letter to his Lizzie ant
I got so darn disguised that they lie
a thing like that wash his mess kit il
a o. S. pan that I just thanks the ~
man and turns around and goes t
work and splits on the floor and beat
it.
; Gee! them Y. M. C. A. fellers sur
: ought to have the Crooks de Gurr, al
, right.
Hk1n DAT An nCNI11 nANJ