Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 266, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 November 1918 — WORSE THAN WAR'S HORRORS [ARTICLE]

WORSE THAN WAR'S HORRORS

Among Aetlve Aids of Recruiting Sergeant May Surely Be Classed the >, Nagging Woman. He was. khaki-clad, with the “U. S, R.”on his collar, and as he clambered aboard the interurban car he swung in his free hand a small traveling bag that appeared to be empty. Preceding him was the other member of the family, all fussed up In her tailored regalia, bound for a town a few miles distant, while the husband’s destination was Detroit. Once inside, he tossed the traveling bag on a vacant rack at the forward end of the car and seated himself faclhg his better-half. Then the car lurched around a curve anti the bag, slipping from the rack, deposited Itself on the woman’s hat and bouncedoff to the floor. “My heavens!” was her startled exclamation, then when she discovered the trouble: “That was a very careless thing to do."

The man gathered up the bag, with profuse apologies and placed it back of his feet, where it could do no further harm. “You don’t know how that hurt,” came the complaint, although the crown of the hat was not eyen dented. “Supposing it had been filled with a lot of yonr truck,” she went on. No response from her vis-a-vis. "You should never put anything like that up there,” was the next bit of shrapnel, in tones loud enough to be heard the length of the car. “It must have been the metal strip on the bag that struck me. “It was n very careless thing for you to d<v “You might have known that it would fall off there. “I’ll probably have a headache all the day that will spoil my trip. "When anything like that comes down on you it unnerves you, I can tell you.” Her vis-a-vis only smiled amiably, and getting no satisfaction from that quarter she turned to her seatmate, who was trying to hide his annoyed expression behind a weekly war digest. “Did that bag hurt you when it fell?” she inquired, although it had missed him by at least a foot. “Not at all,” was the reply; without looking up. “It never touche*! me.” "It was an awfully careless thing to do,” she rattled on, “and —•” “Good night,” ejaculated a man across the aisle, who had tried In vain to read the news from the front in his morning paper. And as he stalked toward the solitude of the back platform he was heard to mutter: wonder 'some men enlist so they can get away from home.”