Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-03-14
THE BowsER FAMILY.

~ noNp MI oui iNcbI ut hubWtTtus
"How -
"Your bedroom is full of poisonous
gases, which must DO absorbed by an open
vessel eff water"
"NonsenteW
~ expected 1t. That's the weapon OF
the ign0rantl Mrs. Bowser, If you want
TO die by poisonous gases poisoning the
blood, have nothing to say, but | shall
save the life OF our child II possible. l
have felt strange lassitude Tor several
days, and sanitary plumber tells me
that we have poisoned air In the ROOM"
Your lassitude couldn't have come
from beng out to club and lodge four
successive nights until twelve O'clock,
could III"
He seized the pan and hurried up
stairs. and when he had filled 1t at the
lavatory he sat 1t in the middle of the
floor aud came down with relieved look
on his face, to say:
''See IL you don't feel better tomorrow
than you have for month. It's won
der VIC are not all dead"
ID d the anoients know about these
poisonous gasts2" asked.
mot thing. They never gave them
q thought"
"And yet the average of health was
seventeen per cent above that Of to-day,
and the average Ct mortality that much
loweri How do you account for itl"
90, well, II you want to die go ahead.
I'll even buy rope and help you to b ang
yourself. i expected this OF course, but
ridleule never moves me, Mrs. Bowser--
neverpP
Two hourS later he went upstairs In
his slippers TO look for paper in another
coat, and of course he sat his foot plump
doSn In that pan of water. There was q
yell and a jump, and over went the pan,
and when got up there he stood holding
up one leg, as you have seen hen do on
a wet day. What said ON that occas on
kept Mr.. Bowser quiet for whole week.
Then he began 10 grow restless again, and
one night he brought home a Suspicious
looking package and sneaked It up stairs.
After supper he suddenly disappeared,
and when looked for him upstairs he
had something In basin aud was about
TO hold it over gas burner.
"Mr. Bowser, have you got a new
theory" asked.
Look here, Mrs. Bowscr," he replied,
as he put down the basin. you have
heard of bacteria, presumo"
Yes, bIr."
"1hey are germs of disease floating
about. They are alive. If inhaled
cholera, yellow fever and other dread d.
seases are the result. Fumlgallon kills
them"
"And are you going to fumigate this
room"
II am. i am going to kill on the
dreaded bacteria"
"well. You'll drive US out OF the house
Oh kill us"
l went down stairs and he burned a
compound Of tar and sulphur. In ten
minutes we had two open doors and
windows, and the cook came running iu
to ask:
"ls 1t cremation Ar. Bowser is trying
on usl"
81 am simply driving out the bacteria"
he replied, coming down etsiis at that
moment
"And there's bacteria In the house?''
''I'm afraid So"
And Pve worked here four weeks
under the noses OF the dreadful crea-
tnresi Mr.. Bowscr, l quitsl l quits
nowV
And quit she did. We had to sleep on
the sitting room floor last night, and
three weeks later every caller could still
detect that cdor. II was hardly gone,
however, when Mr.. Bowser began to sniff
around agsip.
ANY more bacterial" asked.
"Mrs. Bowser, II you want to sit bore
and die have no objections, but don't
propose TO neglect common sanse lrecau-
tlons to preserve my own health"
rs anything wT0ng uowi"
II think 60 | think l can detect en-
odor Of sewer gas in the house"
'Impoksiblel l ehan't have no more
stun burned until / know II 10 mecca
sary."
won't you7 II there is sewer gas
here II must be ersdIcatcd st once"
For the uoxt week the entlre house
smelled OF chloride OF lime until one
could hardly draw long breath, but Mr..
Bowser was not satisGed.
~ have been thinking" he said to
me one evening, That may bring the
germs Of some terrible dseaso home In
my clothes. ride in the car, you know,
aud ! ought to take precautions."
"uArry disinfectant about mo to repel
the germs"
at might be a good idea"
"Now you sro talking sense. Now you
seem to understand the peril which has
menaced us.
He got something down town the next
day. I think some Of bis friends yut up
Job on him, knowing his craze. 1t was
a compound which left him alone on the
street car before he had ridden three
blocks, and he had no sooner got into the
house than we had to retire to the back
doors. The cook got sniff Of it, and
down went the dinner aud up went her
hands, and she shouted at Mr.. Bnwser:
"a man as will keep skunk under his
house would beat me CUT OF my wages,
and IN be going this minuteW
1t took sosp and water aud perfumery
and hall q days time to remove the odor,
aud when declared that 1t WAS the last
straw Mr.. Bowser crossed his hands un-
der his coat tails and replied:
"Mrs. Bowser, | believe this house TO
be cleared Of bacteria, owing to my pru-
dsnce and self-sacridce, aud | want It
kept So"
81 suppose got 'em herep
without doubt, MADAME
"And all this rumpus has been on my
account"
Exactly. But don't go too far with
mel Enough is enough. You must stop
right where you are. have humored
you all propose top