Gussie's Gift

Since today is April Fools' Day, I thought it would be a good time to write about a prank played by one of my relatives on another. My great-grandmother Paulina (Gersbacher) Schneider's sister Augusta "Gussie" hated it when her brother-in-law John Schneider (Paulina's husband) used the expression "horseshit." He continued to use the expression, even though it bothered Gussie. Gussie decided to get her revenge. She obtained some horse manure. One version of the story has John and Paulina's son Carl going to the stables to procure the horse manure. She put it in a box and wrapped it. Some family members say that she gave it to him on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; another family member says it was during the holiday season, but not on Christmas. (The family heard the story from my grandmother, who is no longer alive, and no one still alive was present when it happened, so there are some inconsistencies.) According to my uncle Dobby, when John Schneider opened the gift, he exclaimed "Horseshit!" and Gussie replied "I thought since you were so fond of the word you would like some of the real thing." He was not amused.