The Topeka state journal., 1905-02-18

ther. You were saying that you need
ed hosiery. Very we'll; here it is. If
week you couldn't beat this display -
He spoke truly. There We're twenty
pairs, and at least half of them be-
longed to stage costumes. All colors
of the rainbow were. represented, with
several extra. thrown in, and in about
half the bunch the heels showed visi-
BILE signs of decay. If Mrs Bowser
had been going into vaudeville the
purchase would have carried her
through a season of twenty-Six weeks,
with a few pairs left over for the sea-
shore, but as she was not she simply
turned spaae and wished for fire
alarm to get out of the house.
s'roo full for utterance, eh?" queried
Mr.. Bowser, as he turned to his in
comparable bargains again. Here s
a dinner dress that cost $40 in Paris.
1t is one of Worth's creations. / bid
it in for 81. Next time we go to the
this dress. Land o. love! but amt she
swell! With that dress on you'll look
like a woma Of twenty-five. There's
style for you-there's swell and rich
ness
1t was another pale pink. The size
was two numbers too small and the
loudness of the thing made Mrs. Bow
ser gasp for breath 1t was all right
to dinner with a broker, but it ended
there.
And one more little thing. my dear.
You are always complaining about
slippers and walking shoes. Here was
a chance to fit you out for the next
ten years, and I took advantage of it.
Bought a whole bushel of the things
for SO, and a woman in the crowd
been worn by Mary Anderson"
They looked it. There were eight
pairs of red and blue slippers, and
seven pairs of walking shoes, mostly
built for stage effect, and Mrs. Bowser
could not have crowded her foot into
one of them to save her life. Even the
cat, who had been deeply interested
in the performance, now blinked her
eyes and walked off and wished that
she had never been born.
aWell % queried Mr.. Bowser.
"It-it was awfully good of you,
she replied. but If you
..Tf Won had given me half the money
that these things cost I could have
done so much better, you know
ssWhat! You take half the money
and do better. Don't talk nonsense,
Mrs. Bowser. I bought these things
at a tremendous bargain. They are
worth four times what paid for
them. The auctioneer didn't want to.
let them go after I had bid them in
Don't stand there and tell me you
could have done better"
'.But nothing will fit me!'' she
ssWhat do you mean %
Everything is sizes and sizes too.
7i'sisIe; How can that be? Isn't a corset a
corset and gown a gown
go on. This is the thanks I get for
Mrs Bowser sat down and began to
crv. In a dim. underlined way it dawned
on Mr.. Bowser that he had got wrong
coIors and wrong sizes, and that he had
better have kept hands off, but he would
not admit it.
It run my blamed old legs off and pay
out money for this, do Il" he shouted.
as Mrs. BoWser's sobs broke forth; ana
then the climax came
He Jumped up and down. He yelled
He seized those pink and blue tea gowns
and rent them into shreds. He grabbed
at that dinner dress from WORMS and
made carpet rags OF 1t. He seized on
corsets and slippers and filled the AIR.
with them and the cat fed in terror and
the cook came up from the baseu ent to
see who was being killed.
The storm lasted for five minutes. ,Fhe1
the red-faced and perspiring man tound
nothing further TO destroy and he drew
himself up and said to Mrs. Bowser:
s'Therei If you don't feel better nov
you'd better telephone for the doctori
have a little business in Chicago, and II
may be a week before return Mean
while your lawyer can consult my lawyer
and arrange all matters. X Copyright,
1906, by 7. G. McC1ure.)