The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-01-03
MR.. AND MRS BowsER.
The Former Scents Danger And Takes San
itary Precautions.

MIR. AND MRS BowsER.
The Former Scents Danger And Takes San
itary Precautions.
Mr.. Bowser doesn't intend to let sick
ness or death get ahead of us as a family
II any effort of his can prevent, and he
is alwaN doing the right thing in the
nick OF time. One day he came home
an hour ahead of time. his countenance
wearing very important look, and the
first thing he did was 10 bolt upstairs to
our bedroom and lower the windows,
althought l had just closed it after air
ing the room for two hours. He then
came clsttering down to ask me for a
pan.
What on earth do you want of
PAM l asked.
ITO save al our lives" he answered.
How"
"Your bedroom is full of poisonous
gases, which must be absorbed by an
open vessel of water"
Nonsense!'
Il expected it. That's the weapon of
the ignorant! 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 If possible. /
have felt a strange lassituGe for several
days, and a sanitary plumber tells me
that we have poisoned air in the room. W
Your lassitude couldn': have come
from being out to club and lodge four
successive nights until 12 o'clock, could
it?r
He seized the pan and hurried up
stairs, and when he had filled il at the
laFatory he sat it in the middle of the
floor and came down with a relieved
look on his face, to say:
"See if you don't feel better tomorrow
than you have for month. It's
wonder we are not all dead"
Did the ancents know about these
poisonous gases?" asked.
Not thing. They never gave them
a thought"
And yet the average of health was
seventeen per cen'. above that of today,
and the average of mortality that much
lower! How do you account for IL"
"Oh, Well if you want to die 90 ahead.
I'll even buy a rope and help you to
hang your self. l expected this of
course, but ridicule never moves me,
Mrs. Bowser--neveI!"
Two hours later he went up stairs in
his slippers to look for a paper in an
other coat, and of, course, he sat his
foot plump down in that pan of water.
There was a yell and 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 dav. What
said on that occasion kept Mr.. Bowser
very quiet for whole week Then he
began to grow restless again, aud one
night he brought home suspicious look
ing package and sneaked 1t up stairs.
After supper he suddenly disappeared,
and when looked for him up stairs ne
had something in basin and was about
to hold it over gas burner.
Mr.. Bowser have you got new theory
| asked.
look here, Mrs, ,Bowser," he replied,
as he put down the basin, You have
heard of bacteria, l presume?'
Eyes sir
"Ihey are the germs of disease float
ing about. They are alive. II inhaled
cholera, yellow fever and other dreaded
diseases are the result. Fumigation kills
them.
And are you going to fumigate this
room?"
Il am. am going t. kill OF the
dr., AIDED bacteria"
We'll, you'll drive us out of the house
or kill u.s."
went down stairs, and he burned
compound of tar and sulphur. In ten
minutes we had to open doors and win
dOws, and the cook came running in to
ask:
"Is it CT, nation Mr., Bowser is trying
on u.s."
II am simply driving out the bacteria''
he replied, coming down stairs at that
moment.
"And there's bacteria in the house?"
"Fm afraid co."
And I've worked here four weeks
under the noses of the dreadful Great
ures? Mr.. Bowser, quits! quits now!"
And quit she did. We had to sleep on
the sitting room floor last night. AMI
three weeks later every caller could still
detect that odor. 1t was hardly gone,
however, when Mr. Bowser began to sniff
around again.
ANY more bacterial" | asked.
Mrs. BJwser, if you want to sit here
and die | have no objections but don't
purpose 10 neglect common sense pre-
cauton to preserve my own health
rs anything wrong now?'
] think so. think / can detect an
odor Of sewer gas in the house."
Impossible! | shan't have no more
stuff burned until | know it is neces-
sary!
Wont you? If there is sewer gas
here it must be eradicated at once"
For the next week the entire house
smelled OF chlori1a of lime until one
could hardly take long breath, but Mr..
Bowser was not satisfied.
~ have been thinking he said to me
one everinR, that | may bring the
germs of some terrible disease home in
my clothes. | ride on the cars, you
know, and ought to take precaution."
"How"
Garry a dsinfectant about me to
rebel the germs"
ut mIgth be good idea"
Now your are talking sense. Now
you seem to UNDER tand the peril which |
menaced u.s."
He got something down town the
next day think some of his friends
Dut up job on him, knowing his craze.
II was a compound which left him alone |
on the street car before he had rlddan
three blocks, and he had no sooner got
into the house than he had to retire to
the back doors. The cook got a sniff of
1t, and down went the dinner and up
went her hands, and she shouted at Mr..
Bowser
"a man as will keep skunks under his
house would beat me out of my wages,
and I'll be going this minute"
Ii took soap and water and perfumery
and half days time to remove the ordor,
and when | declared that it was the
last straw Mr.. Bowser crossed his hands
under his GOAT tailsiand replied
Mrs. Bowser, believe this house to
be clear Of bacteria. owing to my pru- ,
1ence and self sacrifice, and want il
kept So"
Il suppose | got 'em heref"
Without a doubt, madam!"
And all this rumpus has been on my Z
lccountI" II
Exactly. But don't go too far with n
mel Enough is enough. Yon must stop q
lght whe ey urare i have hum red " u e
III purpose to. - Detr,H Free Press "
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Tonight and Tomorrow Night. ~ ~