Have you ever wondered ...

[joseyclosey]

Have you ever wondered where the phrase, "You gotta be sh*ttin' me!" came from?

Well, it just so happens to have originated through George Washington way back when he was crossing the Delaware River with his troops. There were 33 (remember this number) in Washington's boat. It was extremely dark, storming furiously and the water was tossing them about.

Finally, Washington grabbed Corporal Peters (remember this name) and stationed him at the front of the boat with a lantern. He ordered him to keep swinging it, so they could see where they were heading. Corporal Peters, through driving rain and cold, continued swinging the lantern back and forth, back and forth.

Then a big gust of wind and a wave hit the boat and threw Corporal Peters and his lantern into the Delaware River. Washington and his troops searched for nearly an hour trying to find Corporal Peters, but to no avail. All of them felt terrible because the Corporal had been one of their favorites.

Sometime later, Washington and his troops landed on the other side, wet and totally exhausted. He rallied the troops and told them that they must go on. Another hour later, one of his men said, "General, I see lights ahead." They trudged toward the lights and came upon a huge house. They didn't know it yet, but this was a "house of ill repute" (prostitute house) hidden in the forest to serve all who came.

General Washington pounded on the door, his men crowding around him. The door swung open and, much to his surprise, there stood a beautiful woman. A huge smile came across her face to see so many men standing there.

Washington was the first to speak, "Madam, I am General George Washington and these are my men. We are tired, wet, exhausted and desperately need warmth and comfort."

The Madam said, with a broad smile on her face, "Well, General, you have come to the right place. We can surely give you warmth and comfort. How many men do you have?"

Washington replied, "Well, madam, there are 32 of us without Peters."

And the Madam said, "You gotta be sh*ttin' me!"

[Karl/Pa.]

You should be ashamed..................