Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-05-31
Mr.. AND MRS. eowsER.

you?" asked Mr.. Bowser the other
evening as he suddenly looked up.
mo. certainly not Do I look
badP'
Your looks are all right but you
seem nervous and uneasy. 1 didn't
know but your corns had come back. ;"
"I-I-n
"You-you-what!'
Il was wondering if you were go
ing to York State to see your mother
this spring"
'And suppose I go?"
Then I shall clean house. 1t is
two years. you know, since we had
carpet up"
'.And if don't gop''
was silent.
Look here, Mrs. Bowser," said my
iiege lord in sharp voice, ''you can t
lay this on to me! You want to pre-
tend that if am home through house,
cleaning I'll prance around and raise
the old Harry, and you want to get me
into the papers as raising great
fuss"
'.But won't you?"
Wont /! Don't know that house.
cleaning should come once a year!
Don't like it? Did my mother ever
clean house without me?"
"And may 1 go ahead, and will you
help me?"
"Of course you can go ahead. and it
so happens just now that I've four or
five days TO spare. I'll begin right off
now"
you are so good. Mr.. Bowser. that
must kiss you. There. take thatr'
oh, pshaw! I'm good, of course,
but no better than hus band ought to
be. I'll get the step-ladder and be-
gin by taking the pictures down"
Il suppose you could get a colored
man to do the climbing and lifting"
Yes, but won't. want no stran-
ger rambling through our house and
picking up things"
He got the ladder and began work,
and from the way he whistled think
he enjoyed it for about half an hour
In that time he took down dozen
pictures and carried 'em up two flights
of stairs to the store-room. but as I
went up with the buster he said:
why didn't l think to put an ele-
vator into the house? And the man
who made this step-laddcr ought to be
shot! l believe I've climbed mile or
more. What you got there?'
1.-The dustcr."
What for?''
ITO dust the pictures with
III I'm! Well, hand it here!''
He came down twenty minutes later,
his collar all limp, his hair damp and
his face covered with dust, and as he
sank into chair with a groan 1 said:
Il thought it would be too much for
you"
"Oh. you did! Well want you to
understand that it is simply fun for
me. I'll make this house look sick
before tomorrow noon, and before
night we'll be all through with house,
cleaning"
mot quite as soon as that"
Won't we? See if we don't. This
taking week or ten days to do lit
tie cleaning is played out. 1 don't
propose to dilly-dally over this job
That night when he went to bed he
groaned and sighed, and in his sleep
he muttered and scolded, and about
midnight he woke me up by saying:
You bet l will! I'll finish the
whole thing by noonr'
Mr. Bowser acted sore and stiff next
morning, but after bre akfast he put on
an old suit of clothes and began work.
We decided to clean the parlor first,
and he moved out all the furniture
with whew. In his whew he tore
down the poles at the bay window,
ripped one of the curtains two feet or
more, upset chair and broke the
back, and in pushing the piano out he
skinned all his knuckles and broke
his suspenders at one and the same in
slant. He jumped three feet high in
his indignat and as he came down
he turned on me with:
Where in blazes is the axe, or a
sledge-hammer. or maui, or some !
thing to knock this Internal piano to
piecesr'
Mr. Bowser. I suggested that you
get a man 10 help you"
''Oh. you did! Why didn't you sug-
gest that l set the house on fire and
do the cleaning that way! Look at
that hand! And here these suspend
ers gomez
Modified him after awhile, and he
finally expressed his willingness to
take hold again.
Il suppose the carpets will 60 to
the beatersP" l queried.
Not much!' he replied. Il don't |
propose to pay out five Or six dollars |
to have some one pound this carpet for |
ten minutes. I've beaten more car
pets than you've got hairs in your
head. and I'll show you a job on |
this!"
He set out to pull up the tacks. but !
after pulling five or six he broke out |
with something about blazes and |
grabbed the carpet and heaved away |
The tacks came up until he reached |
seam, and then there was r-r-r-ip |
down the breadth. This was repe ated |
five or six times before he had the car
pet up. and then he piled it in the |
middle of the floor and sat down on |
the window-sill to favor his back.
'.lt's hard work." observed. as he |
paused and gasped.
Il don't see it.. he presently re-
piled. '.Even if it was. we've got |
half the house done, and it is not yet |
nine O. clock"
Bye-and-bye he dragged the carpet |
out and hung it over the clothes-line. |
n "a L e