West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-11-27
mr.. BONSER, NATURALIST.
He Makes Another Very important Con-
,trihutIon 10 the Canse ef Science.


Mrs. Bowser. She said that when
she was girl and lived on a farm
they had rooster that often crowed
at 10 O'Clock at night. Mr.. Bowser
promptly denied that any such thing
could have occurred. as nature
wound up every rooster like an
alarra clock, and none was set to 90
off before 3 O'Clock in the morning.
"But this one surley crowed a,
almost any hour after dark" con
tended Mrs. Bowser, "and we
finally had to make po,pic of him
on that account"
"Then your people are guilty of
cold blooded, malicious murdcrlv
he exclaimed II defy the whole
universe to prove that any rooster
ever crowed before the FIRST signs of
daylight appeared. He was created
for the purpose of giving farmers
warning that the day was about to
dawn, and the idea of his Growing
before midnight is simply absurd.
You probably heard the squeal of a
pig or the clack of goose.
Mrs. Bowser said no more, and
three days had passed, and she had
forgotten the incident, when a
rooster was delivered at the house in
a box. Mr.. Bowser appeared half
an hour later and explained the
presence Of the fowl by saying:
we had little dispute the other
evening. You contended that a
rooster crowed any time he took a
notion to. | protested that such
was not the case. | propose to
prove that nature never makes a
fool of herself"
''What is the odds to us whether
rooster crows before or after mid
night?" she asked.
at is great deal to us. In the
first place, the study of natural
history is an interesting one and in
the next l don't propose to be bluff
ed down from my position. This
rooster will be placed in the back
yard. ! will prove to you that
he won't crow before the clock
strikes 3 in the morning. If any
thing, it will be half an hour later
than that"
Mrs. Bowser refused to dignity
the matter by asserting or disputing,
and kept as far away from the sub
ject as she could during the dinner
hour. The box containing the fowl
was placed on an old chair in the
back yard and Mr.. Bowser sat
down to his evening paper and
cigar with self-satisfied look on
his face 1t had come 1890 o'clock
when a sudden sound lifted him off
his chair. From the back yard there
was cock doodle doc that by no
means could be twisted into the cry
of peacock or the grunt OF pig.
1t was the crow OF a rooster, and
while Mrs. Bowser turned her head
away and smiled, Mr.. Bowser stood
up and growled out:
'It's a nice time of night for a
peddler to 20 around yelling ont
potatoes~
care you sure us peddlcr1"
asked Mrs. Bowser.
"Of course, and he ought to have
his neck broken. It's mighty sing.
ular thing that man can be licensed
| to-
Cock a doodle. dooi" came the
sound again, and 40 people out of
SO would have made affidavit that it
was the crow of a rooster. Mr..
Bowser turned pale and held his
breath. but he was resolved to die
game.
al beg your pardon. sir" said
the cook as she came from the
kitchen, "but think your rooster
is either homesick or has got collie.
At any rate, he is making a grea,
fuss"
alt is not the rooster at all, !"
boldly replied Mr.. Bowser
"1'hen excuse me, sir. thought
it was, and thought you might
want to give him dose OF medicine
or move him into the hodsc for
company's sake"
Mrs. Bowser wanted to laugh but
dared not, and the silence that fell
upon that room for the next three
minutes was something awful. AT
length MIR. Bowser broke il by
saying:
"In the rooster we behold natures
handicrsft. When she created bin
there we're no clocks. lie was
meant 70 take the place Of them.
No farmer needs timepicc Of any
sort to tell when daylight is APP
proaching Always aud invariably
at ; O'Clock 10 the morning the