The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-08-12
pIARY oF mRs. sowsER.
She Passed an Anxious Even
ing.

I was looking out of the FROM
window when Mr. Bowser came
home from the Office l expected
to see him kick tie gate open wi )
his usual vim aud look around tue
front yard for lost cIothespin. to
find fault over. but he handled the
gate in the gentlest manner and
opened the front door as carefully
as an old maid.
To my surprise as 1 met him IN
the hsll he kissed me and wanted
to know was if 1 tired. 1 gave
him sharp look. thinking the
heat might have affected ais head,
bat he appeared to be in his
normal condition.
As the day had been excessively
snltry. only had picked up
dinner I expected he would
pound on the table and ask if /
thought he was some s2-a-week
boarder, but he ate heartily and
did not utter one complaint.
The cook burned her hand aud
broke several dishes with crash
just as dinner was over, but Mr..
Bowser diden't take on aud declare
that he would stop $40 out of her
wages and So out of my pin
money. On the contrary, he said
that accidents were liable to
happen in anybody's kitchen. and
suggested that l get the sweet oil
and bind up the burn.
Mr.. Bowser sat down and
smoked for half an hour without
once cussing the man who made
the cigar 1t was then that !
began to be anxious about him
He generally uses ten ousswords
to one Cigar.
AS we sat in the door to enjoy
the breeze a watermelon peddler
came along and shreiked out forty
different times. but Mr. Bowser did
net appear to hear him. For a
minute..my heart beat tumultuously
that I could hardly get my
breath.
A little later a tramp appeared
and called Mr.. Bowser "old man"
asked him for 10 cents. 1 had
goose-fesh aud the cat rolled
her eyes, but no murder as done.
The man got 10 cents and went
away whistIing
When the butcher boy came
with the meat for breakfast and
left bill for 10 cents 1 shook all
over and the cat sneaked into the
house. But there was no tragedy.
MIR. Bowser glanced at the bill and
felt for change and paid it. and
diden't even speak of it.
Ten minutes later the cook told
me that we must have an extra
piece of ice to keep things through
the night and 1 had to ask Mr..
Bowser for a dime. He handed it
out without a word On two or
three previous occasions he had
charged me with wheeling the
refrigerator before the kitchen
range in order to melt the ice and
send him to the poorhouse.
A hoodlum passing on the other
side of the street threw a potai at
MS and narrowly missed Or
Bowser's head. 1 fully expected
s,trsgedy that would fill columns of
the newspapers for days and days,
and l believe 1 lost consciousness
for moment. When 1 came to
Mr.. Bowser was simply sauntering
around the front yard. When the
cook returned from ordering the
ice she spoke of Mr.. 8owser's
stranger attitude and ask if were
not alarmed. She said that he1
husband had acted just that way
two or three days before he went
insane, and killed three men and
had to be sent to a lunatic asylum
1t was her opinion that 1 ought tc
make a great effort 10 arouse him
A few minutes later 1 hinted tc
him that 1 was expecting mother
down any day. As usual thing
when I drop such hint, he rise:
up on his hind legs and gets rec
10 the face and claws the air, but
on this occasion he replied that
she was dear old thing and tha
he would meet her at the depo
with a carriage The cat looked
at me and 1 looked at the cat, bu
we were to smszsd for words
After / had managed to draw
long breath and shake off my
Iethargy / observed to Mr.. Bowse,