Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 271, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1914 — OBEYING ORDERS [ARTICLE]

OBEYING ORDERS

-> -J'H’ ' Grouch) German’s Frail Did What She was Told ..to Do. The manager of an electriolight construction concern in the West tells an amusing stof in connection with the work of a new line in an lowa town, { The workmen had begun to dig a post-hole in front of a house occupied by a grouchy German. Suddenly he appeared and forbade the men to go with the worn; hereupon they explained that they had authority from the proper officials, which explanation, however, did not pacify the indignant householder. After a good deal of wrangling/ the men announced that they could not waste their time in talking, and so prepared to go to work again. At this juncture the German person called his wife, and with a dexterous and unexpected movement succeeded in flinging* over the hole the men were digging a large, flat piece of slate, upon which he established his Frau. “Yust you schtay dere, und I go get aer injunction!” he directed. No sooner had the husband disappeared than the leader of the gang directed hia men to take ‘the slate with the Fra., upon it and lift it from its. place. After a severe tug this was accomplished, and with perfect politeness the corpulent lady was set to one side, jdst -as if she had been n inanimate object of some sort The work of digging then went merrily forward, and while the stolid wife held to the letter of her instructions with silent fidelity the men set up the pole for the light. This was well in place when the husband returned, waving in his hand the paper of injunction. When he saw what had been dope the irrate householder became beside himself with rage. , ! “Vy did you riot stood on der hole as I has told you?” he demanded of Iris better half. “It was on der stone you put me, not on der hole,' she answered.