West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-02-21
MR.. BOWSER,S
TRlBULATlONS.
Cough Syrup and Laudanum Gives Him
Bad Shake-Up, But He
Pulls Through.
MHE evening had been a pleasant
W one with the Bowsers, but just

tuiOdt anu announced
81 got my feet wet yesterday and
probably took cold. think III
take a pretty big dose of that cough
syrup of mine and head i, off. /
suppose it's in the medicine chest
on the shelf"
Eyes; saw it there the other
day." replied Mrs. Bowser, "but
you've got such lot of bottles
there that you must be careful.
Better bring it up stairs when you
have found it."
When she had gone up stairs, Mr..
Bowser brought the chest down
from the top shelf OF the closet and
looked it over. 1t was not long
before he lighted on the celebrated
"Cure Cold in Ten Seconds, "
recommended to him six months
before by travelling doctor and
put up by his family druggist,
and elavating the bottle he took a
heavy swig of the contents. He
carried up stairs with him pleas
ant feeling that his cold had been
knocked into the middle of last
week, and nothing interrupted that
feeling until he was in bed and
sleep stealing over him and Mrs.
Bowser said
81 hope you made no mistake
about that bottle ?"
elbow could / make a mistake ?"
he asked in dreamy way.
EASY enough. You are very
absent-minded. Don't you remem-
Der once taking tablespoonful of
sewing machine oil in place of a
tonic ?"
A doubt entered his mind, and
he sat up. Two more doubts fol-
lowed the first, and he got out
of bed.
"What is it ?" asked Mrs. Bow
ser.
"I've got to go down and see
about that Internal old bottle.
know it isn't possible that l got
hold of the wrong stuff, but you've
had to mix in and make me wonder
about 1t. can almost imagine that
l fee! strange taste in my month. +"
He growled TO himself as he
pulled on his trousers and started
down stairs, The chest was on the
stand as he had left it, and as he
lighted the gas the cat rolled off the
Lounge and stared at him in sur
prise.
at was the right bottle, of
COURSE" he mused, "and what a
fool l was to hop out of bed and
trot down here Here the blamed
thing is, and il it doesn't say cough
syrup on the label then Pm "a"
But it didn't. AS he held the
bottle up to the light picture of
skull and crossbones greeted his
eyes, and across the label ran the
word "Laudanum." Mrs. Bower
heard whoop and a rush, and the
next minute Mr.. Bowser dashed
into the room with the cat at his
heels.
"What on earth is it2 she asked
as he began to gather up and pull
on his socks and shoes.
Olive taken poison-lauda-
mum - he gasped as his teeth chat
tered and his eyes bulged out.
"Then go at once to the drug
store for a remedy. How careless
of you Here is your vest. Here's
your coat. If you have taken laud-
anum you must throw it off at once
and drink lot of strong coffee"
"Do you-you think Pm a dead
man ?" he siammered as he got in
to his coat.
"Don't stop to ask a single aues-
ton but fly for your life, and I'll
go down and get the coffee ready"
1t was half past 10 O'Clock. Mr..
Bowser hadn't waited to tie his
shoes, put on a collar or button his
coat and vest. AS he went up the
street at gallop several people
asked him where the fire was, and a
policeman jumped out from behind
tree and tried to head him off.
The drug store had just closed, but
ne set the bell to ringing and ac
companied it with kicks on the
door, and after seven or eight min
utes the druggist appeared and in
dignantly demanded
"What in thunder do you mean
by trying to kick my door in ?"
"G've-Ive taken poison =, re-
piled Mr.. Bowser as he staggered
in and sat down.
ooh, you have Couldn't upset
things any other way, and so you
took poison What IS it ?"
'Iaudanum II made a mis-
take. / thought vas takinq cough