The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-16
pepper somebody. 1 have set out to

PCPPCA cOAACOOuys nav e SCI OeS -
introduce art into this neighborhood,
and it'll either be art or bird shotr'
He spent the best part of the next
two hours on watch at the front win
dows, but there was ne further dis
turbance, and he finally went to bed
with feeling that art had been intro
duced and had come to stay. Mrs.
Bowser differed with him, but took
care to say nothing, and she was still
awake when she heard two men halt
at the gate and begin to dispute.
II say it's a dogr' exclaimed the
first
"And say it's a Sheep replied the
second
ITS dogv'
ITS a sheepv'
Don't call me a liar or I'll punch
your headw
81 dare you to do it!'
There was a row that woke Mr..
Bowser up, and he got out of bed and
looked out of the window to see the
two men fighting over his stone dog.
AS he yelled out at them they broke
away and went off in different direc-
tons, but not before one of them had
heaved the dog over on his back. Mr..
Bowser hurriedly dressed and ran
down, but the only thing he could do
was to renew the pose of his work of
art He determined to be on hand,
however, in case of any more trouble,
and he took his seat on the front steps
to wait for the next conner. He hadn't
long to wait. 1t wasn't ten minutes
before a pedestrian came along and
stopped to gaze and to inquire:
"Shay, old man, what you givin' us?"
"You go on.'' replied Mr.. Bowser.
"You can't fool me, old cock. That
amt no live dog I'm a little drunk,
dead one. What you got a dead dog
around here for?"
81 tell you to go on!'
"What go on for? Can't stop and
see a dead dog?
Mr.. Bowser chased him away, and
half an hour elapsed before any one
else came along to make him trouble.
He was beginning to nod with sleep
when a man and dog turned the cor
ner. Of course the dog entered the
yard, and he had no sooner caught
sight of the work of art than he squared
off for life and death struggle.
'Stuboy! Chaw him up! Go in and
kill him. cried his owner as he clap
ped his hands, and the live dog went in
and rubbed all the paint off the dead
one.
Mr. Bowser couldn't save the paint,
but he bore down on man and dog in
way to scare them half to death and
put them to flight, and Mrs. Bowser's
appeals for him to come to bed were
met with the determined reply:
Never in this world, I'm going to
sit right here till 1 get my hands on
some ones throat and choke the life
out of him.
Fifteen minutes later another drunk
en- man came along, but he didn't have
much curiosity. He peered at the stone
dog for awhile, and then he turned his
attention to Mr.. Bowser, and he finally
shook his head in despair and muttered
as he moved on:
'"Too much for me. It's either a stone
man watchin' a live dog or a live man
watchin' stone dog, and l amt goin'
in there to seeI'
Then came long, quiet interval, and
MI. BOwSer fell asleep. Mrs. BOwser
looked down on him from her window
and saw that he slumbered and she
also saw something else. Two men
came sneaking across the street and
stealthily entered the yard. They
seemed but shadows as they picked up
the stone dog and moved away with
him and presently merged into the
blackness of night. She gave them
five minutes start and then went down