The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-06-16

You look like a real general az Won
stand there now, with your hat cooked
on n side and your left leg drawn
back, but Of course you are mott
Mr.. Bowser had got ready to say
something NEAR in reply, but he was
Iiattered by her words, and, giving her
la supposed military salute and a bow,
he took his departure.
Mrs. Bowser did not go to bed. A
lstill, small voice told her that when
her patriot came home he would have
need of her services. 1t was hard on
Ito midnight when she heard something
stumble up the front steps, fall down
and TAX q minute to get up again.
She went to the door, and there stood
Mr.. Bowser. He wasn't standing ex-
|actiy, but, rather, leaning, and the
wedges in his knees seemed to have
come loose. She reached out and haul
led him in, helped him of with his
lspring o%vercoat and hat and then con-
Quoted him along to the sitting room
and sat him down in a chair. Then he
awoke and looked around and asked:
Where am I and who are your"
You are in your own house. Mr..
lBowser, though how you knew it will
always be a puzzle to me-, and I am
Mrs. Bowser. Did you have a good
time at the hog banquet"
"Shay, now, l am Bowsher, amt ~
Eyes"
"Sheneral Bowsher!'
swell, say, General Bowser."
b 'er want to tell you that I
had the best time in all my life.
incest banquet l ever saw. incest fell
lers l ever met. More'n forty fellers
shook hands with me and called me
Sheneral Bowsher."
But you didn't claim to be a gen.
eral, did you?
"Yesh, l did, Mrs. Bowsher-yesh 1
did. l wasn't goin' to tell no lies to
1please you nor anybody else. Yesh,
shir. / told EN- 1 was 'er great and
noble Sheneral Bowsher, who led his
ldivision into 'er jaws of death at SYRIA
cuse, and you ought to have heard
the cheering"
But there was no battle of SYRIA
~cuse."
You are awfully nice woman, Mrs.
Bowsher-awfully nice and good wom-
ian-but don't dispute your husband.
Your husband knows all about 'er war.
There was battle of Syracuse, and 1
lost 1000 heroes there. They asked
me to tell 'er story"
"And you stood up and told it,"
"Of curse. When 'er Teller patriots
wanter hear my story l must tell it.
mustn't 1? Course L told my story. l
stood up like zhis-and waved my arm
like Zhis-and"-
Mr.. Bowser came within an ace of
falling backwards, but Mrs. Bowser
grabbed him in time, and as he got
seated again he exclaimed:
Heroes and patriots. Our COM
mander asks us to die for our beloved
country. There is 'er enemy in front
OF us. Here we be. Shall it ever be
shaid that Britons-shall it ever be
shaid that-that-shall it ever Mrs.
Bowsher, pass along THAT shampagne
and lobster salad"
But there is none here, dear. You
are not at the hog banquet now, but in
your own home"
"Ish That SO? But I am Sheneral
Bowsher just er shame?'
"Oh, yes. Go ON and finish what you
said to your troops at Syracuse"
Il never shaid nozzing to nobody at
Syracuse. 1t was at Rochester. l
shaid That we were called upon to die
for u country. Don't dishpute me,
Mrs. Bowsher. You are awfully good
woman and know a hull lot, but never,
never dishpute your husband. When
he shays he died for his country at
Newark, don't you shay it was Bos-
ton"
well, you died"
did I? Did 1 die, Mrs. Bowsher?'
you did"
Poor Bowsher! Poor Sheneral Bow
lsher! Shay, That makes me feel bad.
wanted to live to make you happy.
Mrs. Bowsher, but I went and died for
my country. Don't blame me. II
couldn't help it. Yesh, I went to er
banquet, and more'n forty fellers
SHOOK hands wiz me and called me
ISheneral-Sheneral Bow-Bow"-
And then Mr.. Bowser laid back in
his chair and slept. Mrs. Bowser put
a shawl over his lap, turned out the
gas and went upstairs to bed. The
icat came up from the kitchen and
Ipurred and purred, the crickets came
out of their holes and sang and sang,
the shadows fitted and fitted, and the
GHOSTS of the dead night danced about
the weary patriot, but he slept on and
on and died for his country again and
again. NJ. QUAD.
A KnOtty Problem.