Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-26
Mr.. AND MRS. BowseR.
The old Man Demonstrates His Gres
Presence of Mind

The old Man Demonstrates His Great
Presence of Mind.
"MrS. Bowser, it is possible that this house
may take fire some time" observed Mr.
Bowse' as he laid aside his paper the other
evening.
"Yes"
IF it takes fire while | am at nome all
expect of you is to take the child and get out
doors | shall peril my life to subdue the
confiai ration, and if ! find it cannot be done
J shall save all the valuables."
Perhaps could help you"
And perhaps you couldn't. You'd do
more amage 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
were The empress of Russia Presence of
mindi There isn't woman on earth who'd
have presence of mind enough in case of a
tire to save her own shoes All want of you
is To follow my directions"
Ii was singular that the test should come so
soon. In lighting the gas in the hall up stairs
Mr. Bpwser must have dropped the match
upon Il rug lying near We were hardly in
bed bt fore smelled smoke but when | men
TONED the fact Mr.. Bowser growled:
NonsenSel The cook probably threw some
eggshclls into the range when she was clear
ing NJ her supper dishes Your nose is al
ways smelling fire or burglars or sewer gas,
and IL Is always wrong"
He vent TO sleep and continued to sniff
that Odor Ten minutes after Mr. Bowser
had uttered his first snore thick cloud of
smoke poured into our bedroom all of a sud.
den, and at the same moment the darkness
was lighted up by a lickering fame The
house was certainly on fire, and | shook MIR
Bowstr and informed him of the fact.
"W-what is itf' he gasped, as he sat up
In bed
Tie house is on firei Can't you see the
smoke and the blazer
was out on the floor and dressing me
when he rolled out of bed, sprang to the door
and shouted at the top of his voice:
'MlTderl Police Firel Weare all on fire
up he-er'
We'll, slip on your clothes and see if YOU
can't Dut it out. 1t must be in the back hall "
"Fi-el Fire Firei" he yelled as he sought
TO pull on his pants. 'Our house is on firei
We 81 all be burned alivei"
He 'ushed to the telephone and rang it con
tinuously for twenty seconds, and then
yelled.
Hello, ceutrali Hello, centrall Firel
Firei FIrel My house is on firel Send up
the police and three engines right awayI'
He couldn't wait for an answer, but took
three or four circuits around the sitting
room, made dash into the parlor and out
by the front hall, all the time yelling, "Fire!"
at the top of his voice, and then il occurred
to him To go To the fire alarm box down on
the corner Out he rushed, barefooted and
bareh eaded, and after trying for half min
ute b. pull the box off the post he ran to the
residence where the key was kept His shouts
and yslls had aroused everybody within half
a milc, and the possessor of the key threw up
his " ndow and called;
us that you, BowserT
"Yes, it's mel My house is on fre!n
"Sr ref didn't see any light over there
"lts on fire from cellar to garret, and /
expccs my wife and child have perished in
the flilmesrS
"Tt ats awful Here's the kew
MIR. Bowser not only turned in one alarm.
but h kept on sending them in until the first
steamer arrived, and the driver of it ordered
him away from the box and called him a
blank fool Five engines came rushing up,
and l had got the smoke out of the hall and
was down stairs when dozen firemei dashed
up tie steps to fight the conflagration. !
Bowssr went with them. After they got
through laughing they turned on Mr.. Bow,
ser. They called him 10y l5O different titles,
beSid's advising him to 60 and sandpaper
and soak his head They sneered at his ex-
cuses and laughed at his explanations, and as
they retired one of them remarked:
Its a good thing for you, old bowlegs,
that rou have got guardianl"
Wien they had gone and we were left to
curse YES Mr.. Bowser looked very important
aud observed:
Nv ell, ! made mighty short work of that
blaze
"Youl What did You dor asked
''W hat did dol Mrs. Bowser, do you in
tend to claim any credit for extinguishing
that blazer
Il 10. But for me the house would have
gone. MIR. Bowser, you were ratified that
you acted like n crazy man"
"Nhatl you put out the firei i rattledl
Mrs. Bowser, this is too much | see through
the conspiracy. On several occasions you
have driven me to the limit This is beyond. :"
Detroit Free Press