The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-15


Yes, IL there Is any more b~ulldozing |
around this house you win have to be
the buIldozer yourself. And I can tell
you here and now that I am through |
fooling my time and money away buy !
ing patent beehives and grasshopper |
traps. What an ass 1 have been! And
what an angel you have been to put |
up with my foolishnessi l can't quite
expect that you a ever forgive me.
but please do the best you can"
There were tears in Mr.. Bowser's
eyes. There were also tears in Mrs.
Bowser's eyes. There would also have
been tears in the eyes Of the family
cat IL she hadn't made a great effort
and crushed them back. The fearful
interval lasted for three or four min
utes, and then Mr.. Bowser said:
"Yes, I have wasted thousands Of
dollars Investing in gimcracks, and
each and every time against your adj
vice. People have taken me for a soft
mark for years and years, but !
couldn't see it. The end has come at
last. however. The next man who
takns me for a fat is going to get badly
ler.."
II am glad to hear you say So" re-
piled Mrs. Bowser, although lots Of
other men have probably been just as
foolish. Is business at the Office good?"
Il can't understand" he continued.
ignoring her question, "about my buy
ang that old COW last spring. The man
warranted her to be a new milk cow,
and only four years old, but you, told
me he was lying about it. Instead of
/ needing what you said, / went and
paid $40 for the animal, and how did
it turn out?'
"Oh, well, that was months ago Do
| you think we are going to have snow
| before morning."
81 know it vas months ago., but what
happened? 1t was not a new milk
cow. Instead of ten quarts Of milk
per day she dropped to three. Instead
of being four years old she was nearer
fourteen. 1 tried to stick it out and
bluff you down, but / was ashamed of
myself all the time. The day I got rid
Of her for SIS 1 heaved a great sigh Of
relief. That reminds me of another
thing I want to own up to-"
But why not let il all go, dear:
Let's run over to the Browns for an
hour or two"
Il can't let it go. l must make a
clean breast of things while 1 am about
it. l told you 1 got $50 for the cow
Yes, but
Hold on! 1 lied about the price. 1
told you that a man bought her to send
her to the White Hous as a gift to the
president. l lied about that. Yes,
lied like a trooper. She was bought
for her hide and soap grease. When l
think of how 1 lied about that COW
when 1 think
Mr.. Bowser's emotions overcame
him, and tears stood in his eyes again.
Mrs. Bowser, as a loyal, loving wife,
couldn't do less than wipe tears from
her own, but the cat puckered up her
mouth and purred softly and seemed
, to be saying to herself:
Eyes, this is where the tears come in,
but you wait a little while. If the
court knows itself this performance is
not yet half over"
"And there's another thing" began
Mr.. Bowser, as he steadied his voice
and sat down and. got up again two or
three times. II wanted to buy q hog,
and you said"-
At that moment the door bell rang
and, the girl being out, Mrs. Bowser
went to the door. A boy stood there,
and as o as the door was open he
pushed a cobbler's bench into the hall
and went whistlinp away-
what on earth is this? 81 was asked
Of Mr.. Bowser as he came down the
hall.
"I-I-bought it at auction" he stam-
mered as he colored up. Il had for
gotten all about it."
"But it's a cobbler's bench"
Yes, / know"
"And why, in the name of goodness.
did you buy it? Are you going to turn
cobbler and cobble shoes for the neigh
bors?"
"You know I'm not" he answered
in pungent tones. Il bought it as a
souvenir, of course. That bench is
over 200 years old. 1t used to stand in
the palace Of Henry the-the something
of England"
"Who said SOP"
1.-The auctioneer. 1t may be only a
simple cobbler's bench, but think Of the
antiquity and the associations. Henry
might have been sitting on this bench
when he was summoned to the scaffold.
I only paid $11 for it, and it is worth
every cent Of $3.50. In fact, a man
"a man took you for an idiot"
NWhat-what! Woman, do you mean
to insult me to my face?"
Poor Bowserv' sighed Mrs. Bowser
as she turned away and started up
stairs.
"Whet do you mean by thatY'
She did not reply.
Woman, come back here and explain
yourself. You have strongly intimated
4ho IL ----