Daily Republican., 1889-08-06
MIR. AND MRS. BowsER.


MI. Bowser as he laid aside his paper th,
other evening.
eyes"
'1f 1t takes fire while / am home all
expect OF you is to take the child and pe
out doors. shall peril my life to sub
due the connagration, and II | find i
cannot be done shall save all the yalua
bler."
Perhaps / could help you"
"And perhaps you couldn't You'd dt
more damage than good If you tried to
| want you to remember and get right
out and stay out"
81 have been told that had great pres
ence Of mind, Mr.. Bouser.'
"Yes, and you may have been told that
you were the Empress of Russia. Pres,
enco OF mind There isn't q woman or
earth who'd hsve presence OF mind
| enough In case OF FIRE to save her own
shoesl All want of you Is to follow my
directions.
1t was singular that the test should
come 30 soon. In lighting the gas iu the
hall upstairs Mr.. Bowser must have drop.
ped the match upon o rug lying near.
We were hardly In bed before j snelled
smoke, but when 1 mentioned the iact
Mr.. Bowser said:
t'ShsNheN' Aht SOOh ITuUdUly LlIeW
some egg-shells into the range when she
was clearing up her supper dishes Your
nose lie always smelling fire or burglars
or sewer gas, and 1t is always wrong"
He went to sleep aud / continued to
sniff that odor. len minutes after Mr..
Bowser had uttered hiR first snore q thick
cloud of smoke poured into our bedroom
a OF sudden, and at the same moment
the darkness was lighted up by flicker
ing flame. The house was certainly on
tre, and shook Mr.. Bowser and inflrm-
ed him OF the fact.
"W-what is itl' he gasped as he sat
up in bed.
1.-THE house is on fire! Can't you SCI
tie smoke and the blaze?"
was out on the floor aud dressing me
when he rolled out of bed, sprang to the
door and shouted at the top Of Ills voice:
"Murder Policei Frel We are all
on fire up herer'
well, slip on your clothes and see If
back hail."
"FiIe! Fire! Flrep he yelled as he
sought to pull on his pants. sour house
is on firel We shall be burned alive"
In spite of the peril of the situation
hal to laugh at MIR Bowsef's antics. lie
first got The left leg in the right ley Of the
pants. Then he fell over In getting oGt
of them; got up End drew them on hind
side before, and he was sprawled out on
the bed and kicking them oil when was
all dressed and ready to leave the room.
1 was determined to see where the fiie
was before / took the baby and went
down stairs. The bm Ike wac very thick,
but the t n. ue OF flame guided me down
the hall, and found the rug and base.
board and decreasing ahlaza.
"Firel Fire! Fire" yelled Mr.. Bowscr
at this moment as he dashed into the
hall.
Como and help me put 1t outp' /
called to him, but he was 4lrealy on his
way down stairs to the telephone.
Covering my mouth and nose as well
rs l could fe't my way to the lavatory.
FGeIe WAS nothing but tumbler at hand
but after had tilicd it several times and
dashed its contents along the base | saw
that | had the best OF the blaze. After
opening window to let the smoke drive
out 1 brought some more water and ex.
tinEuished the last Of the fire, Mean
while l could not help but hear Mr.. Bow
ser. He rushed to the telephone and
rang II continuously for twenty Sc combs,
and then vel ed:
Hello, CENTRAL Hello, centrall FIRE.
Flre Fire My house is on firel Send
up the police and three engines right
awayp
He couldn't wait for an answer, but
took three or four circuits around the sit
ting room, made a dash into the parlor
AID out by the front hall, all the time
yelling lire at the top OF his voice.
aud then 1t occurred to him TO go To the
lre-alarin box down on the corner Out |
he rushed, bare-iooted and bare headed. |
aud after trying for hat minute to pull |
The box oil the post he ran to the resi-
lence where the key was kept. His shouts
aud yells had aroused everybody within
laif n mile, and the possessor OF the key
throw up his window and called:
Is that you, B9wser 7"
YES it's ms ! My house Is one fire I" |
here"
"lt's en- fire from cellar to garret, and |
expect my wife and child have persisted |
u the flames / +"
"That's awful Here's the key"
Mr.. Bowser not only turned In one |
alarm, hut he kept on sending them in
lutil the first steamer arrived, and the |
lr.yer OF it ordered him away from the |
iox and called him u blank fool. FIVE |
Engines came Rushing up, and | had got
he smoke out OF the hall and was down |
.talrs when dozen tlremen dashed I'M
he steps to fight the contlagration. ! |
Ihowed them up stairs to Investigate.
hr. BoSser went with them. Alter they
got through laughing they turnsd on Mr..
3owser. They called him by 100 differ
mt titles, besides advising him to 90 and
andpaper and soak bis head. They
ueered at his excuses and laughed at his
and as they retired ole OF
hem retuarkod.
It's good thing for you, cid bow
egs, that you have got guardian"
When they hlt gone and we were left
o ourselves Mr.. Bowser locked very im-
'ortant and abs,rVed;
ell, l made mighty short work of
hat blaze"
You! What did you dot" | asked.
NV hat did | doi Mrs. Bowser, do ven
intend to claim any credit for extirgulsh-
ig that blazef"
ave gone. Mr.. Boweer, you were so
attled that you acte like crazy man"
WHAT You put out the fret rat
led! Mrs. Bowser, this ia too much. /
&c through @ con piracy. On several
ecasions you have driven me to the
init. This is beyond the limit. | shall
&c my lawyer III the morning."
But when morning came he forgot all
bout 1t. He was too busy bringing the
eiEhbors in to show what narrow es-
ape he had, ard how his presence OF
lind saved the house.