Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 edition. Excerpt:... "Ever since last summer!" It was a little school boy who, when asked to give a sentence containing the word "notwithstanding," wrote "The man's trousers were worn out, not with standing." The Foreigner How can we even pretend to treat of humor and assume to classify it, without speaking of the humor of the foreigner? He brings with him not only an inadequate knowledge of this mysterious and rule-less language of ours, but he also brings a mental twist we natives do not have. At Dixon, 111., there lived a German who had a son of whom he was inordinately fond. George was the Baldwin apple of his right eye. One day the glad tidings came that George, who had been away for a good while, was returning the next day. The old man was tickled almost to death over the news, and couldn't keep it to himself. Seeing a bosom friend of George's boyhood days he yelled across the street: "Goot morgen! Seen Yorge yet?" "No. Is he home?" "Comin' tomorrow!" And here is some especially ancient history that is used because illustrative. There was another German--this one was a German by marriage. Yes, that is right. He was a German because each of his parents had married a German. I think that makes it all right. Anyway this German by marriage had had a telephone--then a new thing--placed in his office. He practiced with that machine until he knew far more about it than Edison or Bell had ever even dreamed. But pride goeth before an early fall and a hard winter, as somebody never said before. One day when the old man was busy, his hired man of all work came to the office to tell him there was no feed in the stable for the horse. The old man was right peeved about it, and he said: "Vat iss! V'y you dondt got some feed already yet?" "I don't know, boss. Somebody...