The semi-weekly messenger., 1905-09-01

brought home as dead as 4 doornaiI,
why don't you say so and have done
with it,
"Well, go ahead with your hammock
cure. l may be entirely mistaken, you
know Don't put the blame on me,
however, If things don't turn out right"
Blame: Blafnes How can blame
you? Woman, / am surprised at your
lack of sense. By George, / wonder IL
there is such another woman in all this
world"
Mrs. Bowser had nothing more to
say, while he sat and suIked and
glared at the cat as she showed dis
position to rub against his leg and
soothe his feelings with her pur. Aft
er a time he ascended to the garret
and found his last years hammock
hanging TO spike and he took 1t down
into the back yard and suspended it
between two of the clothes line posts.
1t had become dark by this time and,
as far as he could see, none Of the
neighbors were on to the little scheme.
After hanging the hammock he re-
turned to the steps to see IL Mrs. Bow
Ser had anything more to say, but she
had dropped the subject to talk about
green watermelons end how the sell
ers OF them ought to be prosecuted.
When 10 o'clock came and the neigh
borhood grew quiet sne went upstairs
and he retreated to the yard. Clothed
in shirt and trousers, he sauntered
about for few minutes to see il he
felt lonesome and, finding that he
didn't, he dropped himself into the
hammock with grunt of satisfaction
and began counting the stars in the
blue vault above
Unnoticed by the camper out. the cat
had followed at bis heels. Ten peace
full minutes had passed, when Mr..
Bowser felt sneeze coming. He held
his nose in an effort to prevent it, but
it came along with such a roar as to
set the hammock swinging and startle
half dozen neighbors. The sound was
still reverberating when a strange cat
looked over the fence. For a few sec
onds the Bowser cat and the stranger
exchanged glances of hate, distrust
and defiance, and then all was peace
again. Mr.. Bowser lay on his back
and stretched himself at full length
and felt the night dew restoring his
health at the rate of forty rods min
ute. Ten blissful minutes had licked
themselves away when the strange cat
jumped down into the yard in search
Of adventure. She found one ready
made. She had scarcely alighted on
the grass when the .Bowser cat alight-
ed on her back, and there was a Fourth
Of July right off the reel.
'By the seven saints, but can't q
man get five minutes rest in his own
back yard?'' shouted Mr. Bowser as he
rolled out of the hammock and looked
around for clothes prop to kill some
body with. The cats separated, with
honors even, and after growing around
for spell the camper returned to his
hammock. There were no whippOor-
wills to sing him to sleep, but after
mentally counting up to GOO he was
doing off when that strange feline
came back for some more Of that row.
She knew she could lick the Bowser
cat if given a fair show, and in her
enthusiasm to begin business she
leaped down on Mr.. Bowser instead of
the grass OF course the Bowser cat
resented this as an additional insult,
and she took Il flying leap for the ham
mock, and for brief moment man and
cats were Us badly mixed up as If
there had been railroad collision.
'NoW. may | perish if | don't have
blood for tlis.'' shouted Mr.. Bowser
as he rolled out from under teeth and
claws, while the fight in the hammock
went to the second round.
He had got hold of a clothes prop
and was preparing to slay when boy
who was going home through the alley
felt it his duty to do something for his
country There is always an old tin
pail lying around handy for such a
boys use, and Mr.. Bowser was just
raising the pole for a whack when
something struck him full in the chest
and sent him to the grass. He thought
it was another cat-two, three, four
other cats-and as soon as he could
scramble to his feet he made race for
the kitchen door and disappeared into
the house. Mrs. Bowser had come
back downstairs and was reading a
book, and as he appeared at the head
of the basement stairs she inquired,
"Well, do you think you will escape
heat apoplexy for the rest of the sum-
mer?'
"Woman, how dare you look me in
the face?' he demanded, with blazing
cheeks. Don't you suppose am on to
your little plot to have me murdered
in my own back yard? I say, how
dare you
81 think we had better go to bed and
let the night dews work On some one
else," she interrupted. And his indig-
nation was so great that he could not
utter another word as he followed her
upstairs. NJ. QUAD.
Not Likely.