The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-02-23


these days." replied Mrs. Bowser.
But did Char!enagne hav en- iron
or brass bedstead:"
They were not made in those days. :
did Marie Antoinette sleep on an
iron or brass bedsfead!"
Probably not. but | wish she had to
sleep on this old thing now. How On
earth are You ever going to get 1t up
stairs: Even when you get IL up there
It viii take up all the room In the bed
room"
Don't you worry about those tribes.
Ny idea Is that in buying furniture we
might as wei buy something of his
toric interest. II Id had more money
with me today. | sho'ld have bought a
bureau belonging 10 Queen Elizabeth"
Il wish you hadn't bad enough 10
buy this bedstead. Ii I'd known you
wei~ going TO do such a thing. I'D have
bought a brass n yesterday out Of
my OWL money. Ii any secondhand
man would buy it,
He Is 0bdurate.
"What! Sell this Marie Antoinette
bedstead 10 a secondhand man? New
er. His touch would be pollution. No
secondhand man should have it for
5000"
But no one would give you even a
dollar. There is no sale whatever for
wooden beds"
But I'm telling you that this was
Marie A~ntoinette's bedstead!' shouted
Mr.. Bowser as his anger began to rise.
And who cares for that?' retorted
Mrs. Bowser.
Look here, woman, my name is
Bowser. l am at the head Of this
house. l run things. I discover that we
want to throw out a three-Quarter bed
stead and replace it by a full size. /
drop into an auction room and find a
historic piece Of furniture worth $500
going for SIS and send it home. You
kick. You eve tell me that l couldn't
sell it again for a dollar"
And neither can you. You have Just
thrown away S15, and SIS more put
with it would have bought the bed
stead l wanted"
Mr.. Bowser walked down the hall
and put OH his hat and overcoat.
Where are you go:ng?' she asked.
Down to the nearest furniture store
to sell this bedstead for sos. You can
get a brass bedstead on which Captain
Kidd has slept if you want to-"
After a walk of two blocks he turned
into a furniture store and said to the
proprietor:
i've got a mahogany bedstead up at
the house that Marie Antoinette used
to sleep on. It's worth every cent of
$500, but you can hcve it for S25."
Il wouldn't give you Is cents" was
the reply.
ID you mean that:'
certainly. If you have got a fur
mace in your house, you had better
split the bedstead up for 6rewood."
But it once belonged to Marie An
toinette."
OR your grandmother
Mr.. Bowser glared at him and want
ed to call him a sordid minded wretch.
but, choking back his temper, be walk
ed out and along to the establishment
Of a secondhand dealer.
Il have got a wooden bedstead"- he
began. but got 10 further when the
dealer interrupted him with:
Then keep it."
but it's q mahogany bedstead."
Might as we'll be pine"
"And it once belonged to Marie An
t~oinette."
"Or Susan B. Anthony. I'll draw it
away from your house for So, but not
q cent cheaper"
Mr.. BOwser was red in the face when
he passed out and along to another
shop. and there was a menace in his
voice rs he asked:
DC you want to buy a mahogany
b~eC"tcad:"
"Not on your life"
"Vhy not?'
"Eo- the same reason that / don't
want to buy any last years cabbage
heals
"Wil you TAKE it and draw it away!'
"Not much. You might try a wood
yard man."
Mrs. Bowser was upstairs crying
again when Mr.. Bowser returned. She
heard him Gathering down the cellar
stairs and Gathering up again. Then
came a war whoop and blows of the
ak. Whoop followed whoop and blow
followed blow, and she gave him If
teen minutes before coming down. She
found him standing amid the wreck
and ruin of that Marie Antoinette bed
stead, and the look on his face was
fairly fendish. They looked at each
other for a minute, and then he drop
ped the ak and folded his arms and
said:
"Well, madam, / hope you are salts
fiod noww N OMAN