Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-12-04
MR. AND MRS. BOwSER.
HOW THE MAN OF THE HOUSE HAD
PAINTED AND WHAT 1T COST,

> of the honse and give it q careful looking
, over. and when he came in | asked:
"You are not thinking of making any re-
pairs, are your"
"Well, not exactly repairs, but was
just thinking that could make great i'm
provement."
"How!'
u "The paint hasn't held Its color, and
think l shalt have the house gone over
again-just light coat, you know"
"Mr. Bowser, this house was painted
only six months ago. At that time we had
half dozen men around here for nearly q
month";"
4 "Yes, but the color has faded"
'DIdn't warn you at the time that It
would tadee And didn't everybody laugh
at the idea Of your putting pea green on q
red brick house?"
mo, ma'am, they didn't Everybody
complimented my taste. I'v had o doxen
people Of cultivation and taste tell me that
it was perfect harmony, and that there
was nothing in town to match it. But it's
just like you. Whenever desire to make
an improvement you are the drag on me-"
"But let iI go until spring, anyhow.
"Mrs. Bowser, did yoo ever hear the
word 'economy?"
eyes, SIR"
| Oab yO0 SsidChbiy w hOb u4QCl bthuu
what it means. It means, in broad sense,
to sell where you can sell the highest and
buy where you can buy the cheapest. The
painting season is about closed, lots of men
are out Of work, and can get this house
painted now $40 cheaper than next spring.
Isn't $40 worth ssving?"
"Yss, but the house doesn't need it,
"Not in your Judgment, perhaps. Peo-
pie who were brought up in log houses Ia
the country have tastes peculiarly their
own. The house will be painted"
He crossed his hands under his coat tails,
paced up and down the sitting-room, and,
of course, / sunk into insignifcance and
dropped the subject. Two days later four
or five hard-looking fellows with paint on
their clothes came up and looked the out
side of the house over. At brief intervals
they consulted together and made figures
on the back gate. At other brief intervals
they measured the width and length of the
house with a tape line. After three hours
hard work they came to conclusion of
some sort and then went out to the bara to
rest their tired brains and wait for Mr..
Bowser 10 appear. When he came home
he confabbsd with them for halt an hour,
made more fgures on the back gate, and
finally told them to go ahead.
"They won't make the least muss
around" he said as he came in. 'They'll
skim right over in about two days, and
you'll hardly know they have been here"
1t looked to me as if they meant to take
a whole week for it, and 1 went out to
interview the boss on the subject. He did
some more measuring with tape line, put
down some more figures on the back gate,
counted his long and short ladders over,
and finally replied:
81 did say two weeks at first, ma'am,
but if the weather holds good think
twelve days will see the last Of it.''
"Tvelve days?"
"Nos over thirteen, Anyhoww
'Afe you doing this by the jobs"
'Oh, no, ma'am. Some of the scrubs
take jobs and rush 'em through and cheat
folks in the most horrible manner, but we
don't. We work by the day and do our
work well."
Then began circus which last.d Just
seventeen days without change of pro-
gramme. Every painter went down into
the basement to inspect the walls of the
sonse. They were gone just half sn hour.
When they reappeared they inspected the
interior of the barn, and were invisible. for
a long hour. Then they came out and
managed to raise ladder against the side
of the house. They might possibly have
raised another during the forenoon, but one
of them fortunately observed that the first
ladder was little shaky. This brought
about a consultation, and the ladder was
taken down and inspected. By vote Of
three to two it was decided that one of the
rungs vas loose. Then the five put in just
an hour and half hunting for hammer and
nails, glue pots, wedges, crowbars, jack
screws, pile drivers and other articles
deemed necessary to make repairs. When
III A.
thing had been done in the way of paint
ing. complained of this, but he replied:
"Oh, give them . show. They have got
to get ready. When once they start they
will move like cyclone"
"Why did you hire them by the day9"
"To get good work."
During the afternoon tine painters raised
q second ladder, mixed about gallon of
color, and carefully inspected and gave
each other their individual opinions on the
age and nationality Of the kitchen girl.
Half an hour before Mr.. Bowser came
home one of them carefully and cautiously
asoended Ladder, painted a portion of
bracket and came down and went over on
the back street 10 see how it looked. The
others went over to help him, and none of
them were seen again that afternoon.
The second day was but slight improve
meut on the FIRST and it was four days be-
fore ooe could sea that sny work had been
doue. Then Mr.. Borser concluded he
didn't like the color, and ne had it changed.
He was earnestly advised to do this oy the
painters, who said the color they had been
putting on was rather out of date aud did
not harmonize with the color of our front
door.
At the end Of the twenty second day Mr..
Bowser came home to find that four-ffths
of the work had been accomplished. He
got mad and discharged the whole crowd
out of haud, although the boss pitifnlly
protested:
my life, and did wsnt to do job here to
which could point with pride.n
When Mr.. Bowser came in he began to
figure. saw his hair begin to stand on
end, and presently he exclaimed:
"Mrs. Bowser, do you know what your
foolish whim has cost me in cold cash2''
''My foolish whim! What do you mean?''
81 mean what 1 sayl l had this hous',
painted to please you, and those Internal
daubers have made it cost me about $s50
Didn't I protest. about having it
painted?"
''ProtsstW No, ma'am. You encouraged
mel"
s'Mr. Bowser !"
"There you 60 Lay everything to me
as usual ! Any husband who humors the
whims of his wife will come out just as /
have Mrs. Bowser, don't fool vita me
any more. I've borne aud borns, but there
is a lmit. The worm will turn at last.
ready to turn Detroit Free Press.
A Duty to Yourself.
1t is surprising that people will use
common, ordinary pill when they can -ss-
euro q valuable English one for the same
money. DR.. Acker's English pills are q
positice cure for sick headache aud all liver
troubles. They are small, sweat, easily Ia
ken, and do not gripe.
Child Killed.
Another chilled killed by the use Of OPT
ates given in the form of soothing syrup.
Why mothers give their children such dead