The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-02-28
erybody had iron or brass bedsteads

eryDody had iron or DraSS DedSteauS
these days." replied Mrs. Bowser.
"But Gid Charlemagne have an iron
or brass bedstead:
'They were not made in those days.
"Did Marie Antoinette sleep On an
iron or brass bedstead:"
t'Probably not, but I wish she had to
sleep on this old thing now. How on
earth are you ever going to get it up
stairs? Even when you get it up there
it will take up all the room in the bed
room"
Don't you worry about those trifes.
Ny idea is that in buying furniture we
might as well buy something of his
toric interest. If I'd had more money
with me today, should have bought
bureau belonging to Queen Elizabeth"
81 wish you hadn't had enough to
buy this bedstead. If I'd known you
were going to do such thing, I'd have
bought Il brass one yesterday out of
my own money. If any secondhand
man would buy it,
He Is Obdurate.
"What! Sell this Marie Antoinette
bedstead to 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
'sBut I'm telling you that this was
Marie Antoinette's bedsteadp' shouted
Mr.. Bowser as his anger began to rise.
"And who cares for that?" retorted
Mrs. Bowser.
ssLook here, woman, my name Is
Bowser. I am at the head Of this
house. I run things. I discover that we
want to throw out three-quarter bed
stead and replace it by a full size. I
drop into an auction room and find a
historic piece Of furniture worth 5000
going for $15 and send it home. You
kick. You even tell me that I couldn't
sell it again for dollar"
ssAnd neither can you. You have just
thrown away SIS, and s15 more put
with it would have bought the bed
stead wanted"
Mr.. Bowser walked down the hall
and put on his hat and overcoat.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Down to the nearest furniture store
to sell this bedstead for $25. You can
get 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 mahogany bedstead up at
the house that Marie Antoinette used
to sleep on. It's worth every cent Of
5000, but you can have it for s25."
Il wouldn't give you % cents" was
the reply
''Do you mean that?"
Certainly. If you have got fur
mace in your house, you had better
split the bedstead up for firewood."
''But it once belonged to Marie An
toinette'
''Or your grandmother
Mr.. Bowser glared at him and want
ed to call him q sordid minded wretch,
but, choking back his temper, he walk
Of secondhand dealer.
II have got wooden bedstead'- he
began, but got no further when the
dealer interrupted him with:
'fThen keep it."
"But it's mahogany bedstead."
t'Might as well be pine
"And it once belonged to Marie An
toinette'
Cor Susan B. Anthony. I'll draw it
away from your house for So, but not
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 as be asked:
''Do you want to buy mahogany
bedstead?"
Not on your lifer'
''Why not"
''For the same reason that. don't
want to buy any last years cabbage
heads"
will you take it and draw it away"
':Not much. You might try. 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 war whoop and blows Of the
AK Whoop followed whoop and blow
followed blow, and she gave him fif-
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
fair.lr fiendiSh They looked at each