The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-09

for stale bread"
Are you suref"
'why not. NUM-? She has been here
fifty times, and tonight when / said I
had nothing she called me a liar to my
face"
THAT will do. Bridget"
When the cook had disappeared Mrs.
Bowser turned to Mr.. Bewser with a
question on her face.
II understand 1t ALL" he replied.
Bridget is either mistaken or Is a liar.
1t was the oma OF my dream, and
nothing on the face OF the earth can
make me believe to the contrary-the
same eyes, the same mouth. b same
despair. And if / am not mistaken
and don't think / can be-she moaned
out as she passed me, VIII no one in
this great city give me a nickel to save
my husbands hfeY"
Then why didn't you give her a
nickel? I am sure ! should"
Because It came upon me SO sud-
denly that / did not know just how to
act"
But You know now, and IL you so
wandering around the streets asking
for an old woman who collects stale
bread to feed her chickens you will
probably hear Of her."
by the horn spoon, woman, you
have a heart of fint.' roared Mr.. Bow
ser as be almost jumped up and down.
81 deny it. | have just as kind a
heart as any woman, but I'm not taken
in by dreams and beggars."
"And the inference is that 1 amT
"In this case you are raising a row
about nothing. There is no dying hus-
band, no wife with n pitiful mouth.
It's an old woma weighing about 200
pounds, in the best of health, who Is
after stale
Mr.. Bowser started down the hall to-
ward his hat and overcoat.
| Where are you goingY'
He slowly made ready to go out and
then turned and said:
Il have been told in my own house
that I'm a ~visionary-a dreamer-an
idiot. My story about a fearful WON.
an has been laughed to scorn. l am
going to prove that l am right in this
matter, II when / have proved it
when l have furnished the most incon.
trovertible and incontestible proofs tina,
l am right-tlen, Mrs. Bowser, them
And he was gone.
Poor NJ. Howserr.' sighed Mrs
Bowser "a :1e door banged after him,
and the cat C4lAe AND rubbed her foot
anu looked li ~ d ruZ2icd way.
All. bows>: set his fIce toward th,
t~eEsD-t1.t ..:,.ric:, but lie nad not goL,
q book Ielt.e he Iuet au CID WoE..i
with d t-@z>t Cn her ;.-ol. Sic locke,
! to - i .t1&~,. ;.sI4 I> stepped IL az
cos.et Lei ":.u:
"-iy good woman. can you tell Die
if
keep away from me! Keep ava;
frcII i-er' n.-Inel The oma as s.,
baG..e~ OF.
why, woman, l am 10 highway rob
Der. | stop.'ea .cu TO simply ask
and Con you lee stopping me Or II
scream for the lo ICE. 1t was only tvs
nights ago that ia Old villain of YOU
looks stopi,eG lie u ask q question aIl,
then choAed lac ana took away my ];
cents. Back with YOU o l ye.l!'
Nj. b0wscr backed, or ut least stoo>
still while h passed Oh. lie was /;
trife discouraged, bat he kept on uni.
be came to Il Saloon. There were fvt
or six Ter in trent, and when he Ell
tered TREY foi.owed lin.
What's it TO be?' asked the bar
tender.
II want to know if you know of /,
woman around here whose husband il
dying"
II do" was the reply. Three O
them"
And so do l." added every man wht
had followed him in.
This woman has "a pitiful mouth.
1.-The same"
"AHd her eyes are full of tears"
"That's ri!:st. and after we have hal
a drink III TEri you where she lives"
But I'm Lot here for q drink" soft
ly replied NJ. Eowser. Tn here to-
You are not going to treat til,
crowd?"
"Of course not. l called in here
"Rouse NIT him, boys" exclaimed
the bartender. He's some old hyena
who's got stuck on a wcnan and
wants to run her down. Give him The
grand bounce.."
And Mr.. Bowser got it. He was rur
outdoors and lifted off his feet and
chucked head first into q snow bank
and when he crawled ont he found il
necessary to strike a gait Of a mile q
minute to leave the crowd behind. Mrs
Bowser was reading when he softly
opened the front door,.
well, have you found the woman
with the pitiful MOUTH" she called.
No answer.
"And have you got those ~incontro
vertible and incontestible proofs?"
No answer.
Then she went out into the hall and
found tracks leading up~stairs-great
big tracks-tracks of mud. MFR. Bowser
had lodged the issue. NJ. QUAD.