Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-02-01
Enrnnu 5nndup February 1904

fooling my time and money away buy
ing patent beehives aud grasshopper
traps. What an ass have been. And
what an angel you have been to put
UP with my foolishness! | can't quite
expect that you can ever forgive me,
but please do the best you can.
There wc~e tears in MIR Bowser's
eyes There We're also tears in Mrs.
Bowser's eyes. There would also have
been tears IN the eyes of the family
cat If she hadn't made Il great effort
and crushed them back. The fearful
interval lasted for three or four min
utes. and then MIR. Rowser said:
Yes, have wasted thousands of
dollars investing In gimcracks, and
each and every time against your adj
vice People huve taken me for a soft
mark for years and years. but |
couldn't sec it. The end has come at
last. however. The next man who
takes me for fat is going TO get badly
left
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
81 can't understand" he continued.
ignoring her question, "about my buy
ing that old COW last spring. The man
warranted her TO be 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
1t turn OUT
"Oh. we'll, that was months ago. Do
you think we are going TO have snow
before morning.
II know 1t was months ago, but what
happened? 1t was not 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. tried to stick 1t out and
bluff you down, hut l was ashamed of
myself all the time The day got rid
of her for SIS heavcd a great sigh of
relief. That reminds me of another
thing want to own up to-
But why not let it all go, dear?
Let's run over to the Browns for an
hour or two"
II can't let 1t go. l must make a
clean breast of things while l am about
It. told you got $50 for the cow"
"Y-e-s. but
"Hold on! I lied about the price. I
told yon that man bought her to send
her to the White House as gift to the
president. lied about that. Yes, /
lied like a trooper. She was bought
for her hide and soap grease. When I
think of how lied about that COW
when think
Mr.. Bowsar's emotions overcame
him, and tears stood in his eyes again.
Mrs. Bowser. us 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:
Yes. this is where the tears come in.
but you wait little while. IL 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 hog
and you said
AT that moment the door bell rang.
and, the girl being out, Mrs. Bowser
went to the door. 4 hoy stood there,
and as soon us the door was open he
pushed a cohhler's bench into the hall
and went whistling away.
What on earth is this?" was asked
of Mr.. Rowser Us he came down the
hall.
I-I-bought ii at auction" he STAN
mered us he coiored up. II had for
gotten all about it,
..But it's cobbler's bench"
Yes, know"
"And why. in the name of goodness.
did you buy 1t? Are you going to turn
cobbler and cobble shoes for the neigh
bors:'
"You know I'm not" he answered
in pungent tones. II bought it us u
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 500"
"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.
only paid Sill for 1t, and it is worth
every cent of $3.50. In fact. man
"a man took you for an IDIOT"
"What-what! Woman, do you mean
to insult me to my face?"
Poor Bowser" sighed Mrs. Bowser
as she turned away and started up
stairs.
ewhat do you m.a n by that?'
She did not reply.
"NNoman. come back here and explain
yourself. You have strongly intimated
that lack common sense. and want
you to prove it or apologize. Here was
n chance to buy one of the choicest
old relics going and make $3.50 Mt the
same time, and you find fault with me.
Come down. say. and explain
But Mrs. Bowser continued her way,
and Mr.. Bowser looked up the stair
way for couple of minutes and then
sat down on the sacred old relic to
think. The cat thought with him, and
she was not ut all surprised when the
end came. Mr. Bowser rose up at the
end of FIVE minutes. He yanked the