Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-07-25
Mr.. Bowser Does a Little Papering.

breakfast the other morning, MI.
Bowser slipped up stairs, and when
he came down again he had on his
old clothes. Some changes had been
made in the house by which he had
gained q new bedroom, and it at once
occurred to me that Mr.. Bowser and
his old clothes and that bedroom
were in some way connected.
"You-you are not going to the
office this morning?' queried.
mo, ma'am."
"You are not going to make gar
den?"
Hardly, propose to finish up that
bedroom"
How"
"Well, l shall paper the walls to
begin with"
"Mr. Bowser, | wish you wouldn't.
| telephoned for paper-hanger yes
terday and he will be here to-mor-
row."
"And l stopped last evening and
told him not to come up. propose
to have that job done in style"
But you can't hang paperY
"Oh, can't? Prepare yourself for a
surprise party. Mrs Bowser l don't
propose to have no wild-eyed wall
paper artist around here for ten days
to do what / can accomplish in one. "
"Mr. Bowser, l solemnly warn you
not to attempt it. You will only
make a failure of it and then blame
me-"
"There will be neither failure nor
blame about it. I'll show you the
paper"
He had it hidden in the barn.
When he brought it in and displayed
it, felt like crying. 1t was dark,
cheap paper, Of a pattern several
wears old, and / was prepared for his
announcement that it was a job lot
which he had secured at five cents q
roll
''Mr. Bowser, that room ought to
have gilt paper"
Had / rushed off as you do, Mrs.
Bowser, | should have got gilt. DO
YOU know what the most eminent
chemists of the day declare? They
say that gilt paper in a bedroom
shortens life by many years.
And this stuff will probably pro-
long it"
Very likely"
well, it ought to. Any one who
would select such paper ought to live
500 wears and be ashamed OF himself
every day"
Mrs. Bowser, if you happen to
have outrageous taste in these mat
ters | am not to blame. / don't pro-
pose to have my house turned into a
museum just because you have no
idea of harmony. Wait until the
room is done, and then if you don't
agree with me that it is the prettiest
bedroom you ever stepped into I'll
buy you new spring hat.
He went ahead, of course, and left
him alone for a couple OF hours.
When went up he had two strips on,
and was standing back to survey
them. Two more strips, which had
been pasted and stuck on and then
pulled off again, lay on the floor.
"The corner of the room is not
exactly plumb, you know" he said.
Those brick-layers and carpenters
never get corner within two inches
of true"
mo. | suppose not. / have read
that paper-hangers make this same
discovery. What's this paper doing
on the floor!'
"Oh, got enough so that | could
experiment a little. There is no great
rush. YOU know. 1t isn't a case OF
life and death and / propose to devel-
op some artistic ideas as ! go long"
well, you have made a good start
at it. That second strip is on wrong
side up"
"Whattn
Look for yourself. Here is the
vine and here the leaves. The leaves
on one strip are at the top, and on
the other at the bottom"
Not much! Your eyes are out OF
true. and one of them sees higher
than the other. II you will now be
so kind as to disappear l Will work
out some new ideas"
An hour later there was crash up
stairs which awoke the baby, fright
ened the cat into falling of the win
dow-sill, and caused the cook to fly
into the sitting-room and call out that
.'sincloner had struck the house
and brought down every chimney.
hurried up stairs to Mr.. Bowser. He
sat in chair trying to smile uncon'
cerned, but one Of the steps OF the