The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-19


lieye what am about to relate.
The other morning as we were seated
at breakfast, Mr.. Bowser suddenly oh
served:
"You don't look exactly well. Mrs
BOwser, and it has worried me for the
last three or four days. Are You
ailing?'
"It's that-that same tooth. YOU
know" l replied. Il think the filling
will have to come out and the work be
done over again"
''Too bad If there's anything on earth
to make one miserable it's the tOOthache.
I'll go down with you this afternoon if
you wish"
looked up at him in the greatest
surprise. Mr.. Bowser is not a cold
hearted husband, but like so many
Others he is prone to keep much of his
tenderness and most of his praise to
himself. Ninety-nine times out of a
hundred his reply would have been:
Tooth aching again, eh! Well. if you
don't know any better than to get your
feet wet or to sit in a draft, YOU must
take the consequences. I've got sixteen
hollow teeth, and yet none of them ever
ache.n
Mr. Bowser's kindness and solicitude
surprised me and touched my heart,
| but there was more to come. When
he was ready to 60 down town he
asked:
Anything l can send up from the
drug store? MOI Well, better make up
your mind to 60 down to the dentists
this afternoon. My! but how that boy
of ours does grow. And say, I've been
watching him for the past few days, and
| must praise you for the tidy manner in
which you dress him and for his respect
full and genteel manners. So long, little
one-home by 12.
Well, | stood and looked after him,
and then / sat down and stared at the
wall, and then tumbled on the lounge
and began to boo-hoO like girl who had
lost hee fhst beau. The cook came in
and caught me at it, and raising her
hands to heaven, she exclaimed:
pigs and pipers! but he's been walk
| ing all over you again. If | had such a
husband I'd put rats in his bed.
1t was no use to tell her that | was
crying because Mr., Bowser had not
walked all over me, and she withdrew
declaring that she almost felt it her
duty to mix rough on rats with his
pudding.
In a day or two there was another
surprise At noon Mr. Bowser oh
served:
''You haven't been out of the house an
evening for two weeks. Suppose we 90
to the theatre tonight"
l looked at him in wonder.
"It's play know we shall both en-
| joy and We'll take Harry along. He's
old enough to realize something about
it, and he won't be any bother"
"DO you mean that we shall all GO
gONgon't 1d1 - tn0 .,o,tuo ,r,. po,,,o. ,.,.,
make your arrangements accordingly
When he had gone stood up and shed
tears. Then sat down and cried. Then
l fell over a lounge and INDUCED in
some more bOo-hOO, and | hadn't got
enough when the lady next door ran
in OF an errand and caught me, and
exclaimed:
MRS. BowseT | wouldn't stand it an
other day. I'd get up and assert my in
dependence, even if had to go out and
do washing at fifty cents day. The
idea of that man sitting down on
you the way he does is something
dreadful
We went to the theatre, and Mr.
Bowser praised the play, the actors.
the house and everything else. He even
permitted five different men, who had
forgotten to bring their beer in bottles,
to get up and crowd past us three differ
ent times to go ont and guzzle. On the
way home seventy-nine of us We're
packed in one street-car, because the
company had no oil to grease the wheels
of any more. | expected that Mr.. Bow
ser would exclaim, explode and inveigh,
and end by calling upon everybody who
preferred death to tyranny to leave the
cars, but he didn't. On the contrary, he
seemed to enjoy the crush. They trod
on his toes. rubbed the hind buttons off
his coat, iammed his hat over his eyes
and elbowed his ribs, and yet he smiled
and remarked
'Rather tight quarters, but if we all
preserve our good nature we shall pull
through alright
lay awake more than two hours that
night, puzzled and mystifed, and Won
dering if Mr. BOwser contemplated sui
eide or was going crazy. finally decided
that he was all right. All husbands run
in streaks, like pork, and this happened
to be the beginning of a new one. !
didn't know whether the end was reached
or not, and was, therefore, somewhat
anxious the next morning. Imagine my
surprise, after breakfast, when Mr..
BOwser s1id:
"You were speaking about new car
pet for the front chamber. Better run
down this morning and pick out some
thing
But you-you-."
"Oh, I'll trust it all to you. There
isn't women in the town with better
eye for colors and harmony. Just get
something to please yourself and you
will please me-
looked after him with open mouth as
he went away, and | stood staring SO
long that Harry came and pulled at me
and called:
Ma! Ma! Do you think paper is going
crazy?n
"Well had to sit down and cry, and
just as | had reached the boo-hOo part
of the performance, in came the cook to
know whether she would stew or bake
the chicken. She caught me fairly, and
standing before me with arms akimbo,
she exclaimed:
"And he's been walking all over you
again. Mrs. BOwser, why don't you
appeal to the police? If you say so I'll
go right out now and call the patrol
wagon"
That evening, after supper, Mr..
BOwseT laid down his daily paper and
said:
i E"Come. lett have game Of euchre?'
"But yOu-yOu-."
-"Oh, I'm not mnch of player, but
I'll do the best can
| was in dread of an explosion when
won the first game, but | noticed that
the cook had posted herself in the back
hall, to be on hand in case foul play was
attempted, but Mr.. BOwseT INDUCED in
hearty laugh and said
"YOu were too many for me that time,
old girl
To my surprise as we played on, he
did not contend that the queen of hearts
was higher than the ace of spades as an
"Off'' card, or that the jack of hearts
could take the jack of diamonds when
clubs were trumps. He even let me take
his right bower with the joker without
voting me a fraud ,,,and when had won
) straight games he pushed back with
langh and said:
First time we have an hour to spare
lrll have to teach you how to play
euchre. Better arrange to have a little
card party some night this week. They
are very pleasant affairs, and I'll do all |
can to make things pleasant
That was three days ago, and Mr.
Bowser hasn't "backslidn vet. On the
contrary, he is growing better and better
+ every day. The cook came upstairs this
morning to say to me:
'I'll tell you Just what it is, nam.
: The whole caboOdle of 'em goes by fits
and starts. One day they walk on you
and the next day you can pull their
noses. He's just got one of his good fits
on, but you look out. l expect nothing
less than to hear him breaking up
the furniture the first thing tomorrow
| morninp -