The Globe-republican., 1891-06-17
Mr.. & MRS. BOWSER.
Life is Not Altogether Pleasant in
Their Household, Especially
During the MicrObe
Season.
TM. -2Nad in Tile W0rN.1

you got tnefe! QuefleO ArS. DOW6eT
as he came home the other day half
an hour ahead of his usual time, and
being loaded down with heavy pur
chase Of something.
s'Don't ask me any questions now,
he replied, as be dropped his hat and
squirMed out of his coat.
els anything wrong-are you sick?'
she anxiously demanded.
"Don't say a word, not a word
and don't bother me for ten minutes!
I hope Ina in time to avert the dan
ger!"
She turned pale and fell upon the
sofa, and he hurriedly broke the
string securing the package, seized
the three quart bottles which com
prised it's contents and rushed up
stairs, down the back stairs, and into
the basement and up again. A strange
and disagreeable odor followed him
as he hustled around, and by the time
he had returned to the sitting room
Mrs. Bowser had recovered sufficient
ly to ask:
"Mr. Bowser, what on earth are you
doing and what in the name Of good
ness is that stuff
':Whst have l been doing? Saving
our lives, Mrs. saving the
life of every one under this roof
''But II didn't know our lives
were in danger"
"Of course not. If the house was
on fire from top to bottom and the
firemen pitching our furniture out of
the windows you might possibly real
ize the fact, but it has never struck
you that death silently Turks in every
room in this house.
Chow you talk, Mr.. Bowser! What
has been the danger hanging over
u.s."
Microbes, Mrs. Bowser!" he wits
pered, as he sat down and wiped his
heated face. Microbes and bacteria,
millions of 'em!'
cit can't be-" she replied.
'Can't it? You've lived in New
York two weeks, been out as far as
Broadway once. and you think you
know all about it. l knew, of course,
but having SO many otter things to
see to this one slipped my mind until
to day."
"But what causes that terrible odor?
Nothing terrible about it as see
On the contrary, l rather like it. 1t
is the odor of disinfectants, Mrs. B.,
the odor Of something which has no
doubt saved our lives"
"How?"
"By killing off the microbes aud
bacteria, which would soon have ell
tered our systems and produced ter
rible illness, if not DEATH
"Well, l suppose you know best.
she said, as she opened window to
let yard or two of the carbolic smell
dodge out.
Certainly l do, certainly. All hus-
bands do. Mrs. Bowser, let me draw
you picture of a microbe. You can
then realize the danger which has
menaced us"
He drew the insect, and as she sur
veyed it in surprise and disgust, he
continues:
"Nice thing to have about forty of
those birds cantering around through
your system, eh?"
"Where do they come from?"
"Sewer gas. By this time to-mor-
row the house would have been swarm
ing with them and nothing on earth
could have saved us from typhoid fe-
YER or diphtheria. If the microbe
was the only thing to Look out for I
shouldn't have been SO anxious, but
there is the bacteria"
"What's that?''
"Here is picture of him. Comes
in the same way, and his mission is
to eat out the lungs. 1t is calculated
that 1000 of them will eat out the
strongest mans lungs in month"
"And they were in this house?" she
asked.
Right here, in this house.
"And ready to be absorbed into our
systems?'
'Not only ready, but anxious"
"You are sure you don't mean cock
reaches? saw two under the kitchen
sink yesterday, and was going to ask
you to get some powdered borax."
"Mrs. Bowser'' he began, as he
stood up, care you growing soft in
the top of your head? Do I know
Bengal tiger from woodchuck!"
IL suppose so.''
"But 1 don't know a microbe or
bacteria from cockroach?" he thun
dered.
"But I never heard you speak of
them before, and I-r-
"Do you imagine that I or any other
husband sits down and tells his wife
all he knows!" he shouted. because
I haven't told you that jack rabbits