Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1901-12-26

and the case toppled over with crash
that shook the house from top to bot
tom. He escaped by jumping over a
chair. and the cat just missed it by a
long leap. and when Mrs. Bowser sug-
gested calling In man to help she was
met with:
"When / don't know enough to run q
bookcase, I'll apply for admission to an
idiot asylum! If you hadn't been fool
Ing around here 1t never would have
happened. Go up stairs and let me
conduct this job in my own way"
The cook came to the head Of the
basement stairs to see if the roof had
fallen In, and she seized the opportu-
nifty to whisper to Mrs. Bowser:
"Is it powder or dynamite this time,
ma'am? If we are to be blown up or
scattered in pieces I'll take kindly to
Fe to give me time enough to pronounce
my mothers name before dier'
When Mr.. Bowser had the room to
himself, he gave the old bookcase sew
eral sturdy kicks and then dragged 1t
aside and tossed the books after It,
In quarter of an hour he was ready
to tackle the piano. When he jumped
for it, he hadn't the slightest doubt in
his mind that it would prove an easy
customer, but after tug and a pull
which broke both suspenders he real
lied that it had settled down to stay.
He took a rest for a minute and then
braced himself for push. After an
effort that bulged his eyes and redden-
ed his face to seashore sunburn he
effected move of two inches, but
could not gain another hairs breadth
Mrs. Bowser came down and suggested
that she call in a passing pedestrian,
and the cook called up from the base
ment that she was used to toying with
Ice chests and barrels of ashes, but Mr..
Bowser yelled at them:
Didn't say / was bossing this Job?
IT'S simply that the blamed old thing
has settled down I'm the quicksand or
something"
Then he seized it by corner and
braced his feet against the wall and
heaved, but there was no give.
He worked his way in behind 1t and |
gave mighty push, but only the brick |
wall behind him seemed to give way.
He crawled under it and sought to
move 1t by humping up his back, but |
though he persisted till his spinal col
umn was twisted out of plumb nothing
moved
The law Of mechanics ought to ap-
ply to a piano, but ii doesn't. Mr.. |
Bowser sat painting and studying for
i've minutes before he decided that 1t
didn't and that he had got to spring a
sudden surprise or acknowledge his
defeat. He got up and walked about
IN careless way, and when the cook
called up that she had once moved an
ce chest weighing 900 pounds with her
own hands he didn't reply. He was
giving that piano time to dissipate it's
suspicious and relax its guard 1t was
,nly twenty minutes before he felt that
the time was ripe, and then he eau
.iously spat on his hands, edged into
position, and of sudden he sprang
forward ana grabbed corner of the
instrument and put forth all his
strength. Mrs. Bowser and the cook
heard the grunt uttered by a man
when he tries to push a smokehouse
Up hill, and this was followed by q
rash. Mr.. Bowser had lost his hold
Ind gone rolling over the floor. When
he women got to him, he was sitting
Up and looking about him I'm a dazed
way and wondering IL he had pulled
he side of the house out or yanked the