Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-11-05
TROUBLES OF THE B0wsERs.
The Head of the House Thinks of Max
ing His Wife an Allowance, but
is Prevented by Some Bills.

-the-way," said Mr.. Bowser, as
he looked up from his paper, shave
you heard from your mother lately?"
"Had a letter yesterday" replied
Mrs. Bowser, "and she asked to be
to you"
"The dear old soul, think as much
of her as do of my own mother. I'l
give you $40 tomorrow to buy a nice
little present for her. Is your father
well?n
"Not very. He's very old, you
know"
"Poor old daddy! There never was
q nicer man in all this world. I'ngive
you $40 to buy something for him, as
WELL"
"You are awfully kind" said Mrs.
Bowser, as she wiped q tear from her
eye.
"Poohi pooh! Everybody ought to
do what is right. was thinking this
afternoon that I cut you pretty close
on money matters. suppose fought
to make you regular weekly allow
ance, and then you can depend on
having just so much"
"It is awfully sweet and kind Of
you."
'No taffy, my dear!" laughed Mr..
Bowser. M was going to say s5 per
week, but guess I'n make it $40. If
that won't do you let me know later
on, and I'll make it s15 or s20."
Mrs. Bowser looked at him through
her tears and called him the best
hearted and most loving husband in
the world. If a neighbor had come in
just then to create an interruption all
would have been well, but fate willed
it otherwise. In his great good nature,
which in the average husband is the
prelude of row, Mr.. Bowser whistled
a merry air and stroked the family
cat and planned with himself to buy
Mrs. Bowser a hundred dollar cloak
next day as surprise. He was grow
ing real frolicsome when she ventured
to say:
"Had you just as soon look over
three or four little bills which have
come in during the week."
"Bills!" echoed Mr.. Bowser, as his
whistle cut short off and he cuffed the
cat off his knee. "I always pay cash
down, and 1 don't know anything
about bills. Where are they?"
"You-you didn't happen to have
the change and told me to go ahead"
she said as she produced three or
four papers. ga water pipe burst one
day, you know, and you told me to
send for the plumber. Here is his bill,
and Pm sure it's very reasonable
one."
1.-TWO dollars, eh? Two dollars for
mp a pin hole leak in water
pipeI Does that tinker Imagine Pm .
fool or a lunatic? I'1 never pay it
this side of the gravel What else9"
"You told me to get the door bell
fixed, and the bill is 81"
"Door bell! told you! Never! If
the door bell was out of order then it
was because you stood there and
hauled and pulled and yanked on it
and finally got it out by the roots.
Youth pay that bill out of your own
pocket"
"And I had a broken window pane
in the cooks bedroom replaced" said
Mrs. Bowser. 81 knew you'd tell me
to go ahead, and the bill is only 80
cents.''
"Eighty cents!" he shouted, as he
grew red to the roots of his hair.
"Eighty cents for q small pane of
glass, when glass can be bought by
the rod for so cents! And who busted
that pane of glass, Mrs. Bowser? The
cook probably got mad because 1
found fault with the coffee and stood
before the window and deliberately
kicked out pane Of glass to geteven.
III keep it out OF her wages! What
else?''
"You know told you that the lock
on the basement door was out Of or
der?"
0Never! Never heard the slightest
allusion to It'll"
"And you said I should send for a
locksmith?"
s'Neverl Never!"
"And the bill is forty cents"
"Forty cents! Forty cents for two
minuses' work! And If that lock was
out of order how came it so? Didthat
cook, in order to get even with me
again, stand there with crowbar and
whack and jab and pound until she
broke the lock? That's forty cents
more out of her wagesi Are these
all?''
eyes. If you don't feel like paying
them I'n do it out of my weekly al
lowance. The whole thing only
amounts to s4.20."
"Your weekly allowance" he re-
peated. "Mrs. Bowser, have You
weekly allowance from a royalty or ar
estate?"
"You said you'd give me one, you
know"
sfNeverl II said anything at al
touching the subject 1t was to the ef-
feet that If you had an allowance you'd
pay dollar pound for sausages!"
"Then you can send mother 35 and
pay these bills with the rest" she
suggested.
"Mother! Five dollars! You may OF
may not have a mother, Mrs. Bowsel
sM@k