Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-08-23
Mr.. AND MRS. B0wsER.

ming.
"Yes.'
"If it takes fire while | an home
all expect of you IL to take the
child and get out doors. | shall
peril my life to subdue the contla-
grafton, and if dni it cannot be
done | shall save all the valuables."
"Perhaps | could help you"
"And perhaps you couldn't.
You'd do more damage than good
il you tried to. | want you to re-
member and get right out and stay
out"
"I have been told that l had
great presence OF mind, Mr.. Bow
scr.D
ayes, and you may have been
told that you we're the empress OF
Russia. Presence of mind There
isn't a woman on earth who'd have
presence of mind enough In case
of fire to save her own shoes All
| want of you ls to follow my di-
rectiOns."
1t was singular that the test
should come so soon. In lighting
the gas in the hall upstairs DIR.
Bowser must have dropped the
match upon a rug lying near. We
we're hardly in bed before l smelled
smoke, but when | mentioned the
fact Mr.. Bowser growled
"Nonsense The cook probably
threw some eggsheIls into the
range when she was cleaning up
her supper dishes. Your nose is
always smelling fire or burglars or
sewer gas, and it is always wrong"
lie went to sleep and continued
to sniff that odOr. Ten minutes
after Mr.. BOwser had uttered his
first snore a thick cloud of smoke
poured into our bed room all of a
sudden, and at the same moment
the darkness was lighted up by a
flickerlng fame. The house was
certainly on fire, and | shook Mr..
Bowser and informed him Of the
fact.
"W-what is iti' he gasped, as
he sat up in bed.
"The house is on ERE. Can't you
see the smoke aud blaze"
I was out on the floor and dres.
sing when he rolled out Of bed,
sprang to the door and shouted at
the top Of his voice:
Murder. Police Fire We
are all on fire up here.'
'TTI'yall, slip on your clothes and
"lu can'tput it ont. 1t must
= % ha aec the 6ck hall"
Fire, Fire Fire" he yelled,
las he sought-o pail on his pants.
sour honc is on fire. We shall
be burr>d alive
y Tn spite of the peril OF the situa-
Won | had to laugh at Mr.. Bowser's
antics. He first got the LEFT leg in
the right leg Of the pants. Then
he fell over in getting out OF them
got up ana drew them on hind side
before, and he was sprswled out
on the bed and kicking them of
when | was all dressed and ready
to leave the room. | was deter.
mined TO see where the fire was
before l took the baby and went
down stairs. The smoke was very
thick, but the tongue of fame
guided me down the hall, and l
found the rug and Dashboard and
a door casing ablaze.
"Flre Fire Fire - yelled Mr..
Bowser at this moment as he dash
ed into the hall.
"Come and help me put it out "
| called to him, but he was already
on his way down stairs to the tele-
phone.
Covering my mouth and nose
as we'll as l could l felt my way to
the lavatory. There was nothing
but tumbler at hand, but after l
had filed it several times and dash.
ed its contents along the base l
saw that [ had the best of the
blaze. After opening a window 10
let the smoke drive out / brought
some more water and eTtinguIshed
the last OF the FIRE. Meanwhile /
could not help but bear Mr.! Bow.
ser. He rushed to the telephone
and rang it continuously for )twen-
ty seconds, and then yelled:
"Hello, central! Hello cen tral I!
Fire Fire Fire Ny house Is on
fire. Send up the police and three
engines right away !"
He couldn't wait for an answer,
but took three or four circultS
around the sitting room, made o.
dash INTO the psrlor and out by
the front hall, all the time yelling
"fre y at the top of his voice, aud
then it occurred ~ him to 60 to the
fret alarm box down on the corner.
Out he rushed, barefooted and
bareheaded, and after trying for
half minute to pull the box of the
post he ran to the residence where
the key was kept. His shouts and
ye.ls had aroused everybody with.
in half a mile, and the possessor OF
the key threw up his window and
called:
"Is that you, Bowserp
eyes, It's met My house 10 on