Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1903-10-01
Bowser's Hard Cider.


Jug, which was tagged in Mr.. Bowser g
name. The cork being removed and
the contents sampled, he smacksd his
lips and exclaimed:
"This must be hard cider. I had a
letter way long last fall from an old
friend in Tucker county and l remem-
Der that he hinted about sending me
down jug of something good later
on. By John, but the taste Of it brings
back the days when l used to walk
three miles to the cider mill. The
old days are gone never to return, but
here is the cider, and I'd rather have
it than SO much champagne"
II have heard that hard cider was
almost as bad as whiskey to intoxi-
cate," observed Mrs. Bowser, as Mr.
Bowser got away with his second glass
within FIVE minutes.
That's all nonsense. There isn't
enough alcohol in barrel of it to ef-
feet the brain of canary bird UNI
But that is old times. l feel almost as
if I were climbing apple trees again.
If we only had a pumpkin pie now,
Id feel myself an Uncle Reube."
Mr.. Bowser read his paper for ten
minutes and then descended to the
dining-room to see if the gas was turn
ed out. He decided to kill two birds
with one stone, and third glass Of
hard cider followed the second and
first. A quarter of an hour later the
jug was tipped up the fourth time
within forty minutes, and soon after
be came upstairs he began to grin and
chuckle.
Anything funny happen to-day
.queried Mrs. Bowser after sharp look
at him.
"Yes; big fat man waa running to
catch a car, and ha ha ha 1t was
mean to laugh at him, but when he
fell over dog and rolled over and
over, how could any one help but
ha ha ha "
81 wouldn't drink any more Of that
cider this evening, if l were you"
What's the matter with the cider
hal hal hsl Say, now, look at our cat.
Isn't she perfect picture of domeS-
tic contentment2 With dear little
wife at my elbow and blamed old
cat on the hearth-rug, l ought to be
a happy husband, eh? l think the
basement door may be open, and I'll
90 down and see.
"Ill call the girl.
"No, III go. Yes, she's a nice old
cat, and you are dear little wife, and
if you'd seen that fat man fall over
that dog, you'd have gone into ha !
ha hal"
The basement door was not open.
The cider Jug was, however, and
Mr.. Bowser took advantage Of the
occasion. AS he was all alone and
in no hurry, he drank a couple of
glasses, and the taste carried him
back to the days when harvest apples
gave him the collie. He smiled to
himself while drinking, but when he
returned to the dinirg.room, Mrs.
Bowser noticed that his hilarity was
on the wane. Five minutes later he
turned on her and said:
"Do you remember that little red
school-house beyond the bridge where
we went to school together?"
"Of course" she replied.
"Did l tell you that it had been
torn down ?"
mo"
eyes, torn down and a COW stable
put there. How could they do it ?
That dear old qchool-house was sur
rounded by sentiment. There was
where I first loved you. There was
where-where-
He could not go on. He pulled
out his handkerchief and held it to
his eyes, and Mrs. Bowser realized
that the hard cider from old Tucker
had got in its work in good shape.
Hadn't you better lie down on
the lounge for an hour or so ? she
suggested. as his tears continued to
fall.
mo, sir, he replied with consider
able force. "Mrs. Bowser, what
kind of a woman are you? Here
they 60 and tear down our little red
school-house, one Of the most sacred
spots on earth to US, and you haven't