The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-09-14
Mr.. AND MRS. bows.

Mr.. AND MRS. Bow--7.
The Old Man Demonstrates His Great |
Presence of Mind.
Mrs. Bowser, it is possible that this house
NAV take fire some time," observed MIR.
fowser as no laid aside his paper the other
evening.
"Yes"
"lf it takes fire while am at home all !
expect of Won Is to take the child and get out |
doors | shall peril my life to subdue tho
counagration, and if find it cannot be done
shall save all the valuables."
"Perl,aps could help you"
"And perhaps you couldn't. You'd 40
more damage than good if you tried to. want
you to remember and get right out and stay
out"
II have been told that had great presence
of mind, Mr. Bowser."
''Yes, and you may have been told that you
wore the empress Of Russia Presence OF
mind There isn't woman on earth whod
have presence Of mind enough In case OF
fire to save her own shoes! All want OF you
is to follow my directions"
1t was singular that the test should come SO
soon, In lighting the gas in the hall up stairs
Mr.. Bowser must have dropped the match
upon rug lying near We were hardly in
bed before sn,elled smoke, but when men,
toned the fact Mr.. Bowser growled:
"Nonsense! The cook probably threw some
egcshells into the range when she was clear
ing up her supper dishes. Your nose is al
ways smelling Hrc or burglars or sewer gas,
} and it is always wrong" ~
Flo went to sleep and l continued to sniff
that odor Ten minutes after Mr. bowser
had uttered his first snore thick cloud OF
smoke poured into our bedroom oil OF SUD
den, and at the same moment tho darkness
: was lighted up by Pickering flame. Inc
II house was certainly OH fire, and shook Mr.
- Bowser ul,,l informed him of tho fact.
"W-what is its" he gasped. as he sat ny
= In bed.
+ ..rho house is on fire, Can't you see th'
q smoke and the blaze?'
| was out on the floor and dressing IN
. when he rolled out Of bed, sprang to the doc
8. and shouted at the top Of his voice:
"Nurdcrl Poicel Firel Weare all on fir
up here!"
swell, slip on your clothes and see If yo
III can't put it out. 1t must be in the back hall.
In "Firel Fire! Firel" he yelled as he sough
u, to pull OH his pants "Our house is on hrt
We SHAH ,e burned alive"
st He rushed to the telephone and rang l1col
at tinuously for twenty seconds, and the
h. yelled:
"Hello, centrall Hello, centrall Fir
III Fret Fire! My house is on fret Send U
the police and three engines right awayV
He couldn't wait for IN answer, but toe
three or four circuits around the slttli
room. made a dash into the parlor and o.
in, by the front hall, all the time yelling, "Fire
~. at tho top of his voice, and then it occulr'
:. = to him to go to the fire alarm box down
IT, the corner. Out he rushed, barefooted al
ed barehcatled, and after trying for half a mi
ed ute to pull the box off the post he ran to
a. residence where the key was kept. His shol
"e and yells had aroused everybody within hi
ch- mile, and the possessor OF the Key Threw
. is his window and called:
''Is that you, Bowser4"
"Yes, it's me! My house is on f1re!"
"Surel didn't see any light over ther
"It's on fire from cellar to garnet, and
VAS exnect nv wife and child have perished
m the nanes!"
on "rhat's awful! Here's the key"
OF Mr., Bowser not only turned IN one alal
ub- but he kept on sending them in until the Il
ant steamer arrived, and the driver Of it orde
.,, him away from the box and called hin
"o blank fool Five engines came rushing
and / had got the smoke out OF the hall
was down stairs when dozen firelnen das
up the steps to fight the cont1agratlon
The showed Lnen up slalls " 1Aiscee'5"oe'
ao1 Bowser went with them. After they
o'a through laughing they turned on Mi. =
ght. ser. They called him by l5O different tt
unk besides advising him to go and sandp'
ex- and soak his head. They sneered ut his
- cuses and laughed at his explanations, an
leu' thoy retired one of them remarked:
''It's a good thing for you, old bow
that you have got guardian!'
When they had gone and we were LET
l'''e' ourselves Mr.. Bowser looked very impor
from and observed:
mage "Well, made mighty short work Of
had blaze"
'''' "You! What did you do7' asked.
ssWhat did do2 Mrs. Bowser, do yo
tend to claim any credit for extinguls
that blaze!'
ntinp "Ido But for me the house would
.;,,st gone. Mr.. Bowser, you were SO ratified
'.'n'' YOU acted like crazy man."
"a 10 "Nhat! you put out tho fire! RAJ
were Mrs Bowser, this istoo much. sec TIL
the conspiracy On several occasions
have driven mo to the limit. This Is bay
Detroit Free Press