The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-29

Think know I have. I have
known it for years. One can't deceive
himself about such things. There isn't
the slightest question in my mind but
that was born for great artist"
Was that why you were going to
paint the front fence blue and the
gate red this spring."
Mr.. Bowser was walking around
the sitting room with his hands
crossed behind his back At the words
his face got red and he stopped short
and gave Mrs. BoWser a look that
would have swept all the towels off
the clothes-line on a wash day, and
followed it by saying:
How could / expect that a mind
like yours could understand one like
mine? You can sit down to a dish of
pork and beans and yum-yum over it,
but you'd stand by hollyhock the
whole afternoon and never think it
was any different from a cornstalk."
well, dear, let's not dispute" re-
piled Mrs. Bowser after moment.
You have said that your grandfather
was an artist, and perhaps his mantle
has fallen Oh your shoulders. Are you
going to try to paint a landscape?"
1t took Mr.. BowSer five minutes to
get over his injury, and he was still
sulky over it when he said:
mo, I'm not, but I've bought
kodak and propose to take a few
pictures this summer. Any objections
"None whatever. I think it a good
thing, and I believe you will make a
success of it. I will learn how to
operate it, and when you are at the Of
fee t.
mot much you won't! It's so.Aa-
thing not to be fooled with. You'd use
it just as you would a coal bod. 1
shall do the artist work for this fam
ily."
He cut the strings of the package
i
planned that he had paid only forty
dollars for it because he had once
served on coroner's jury with the
man who sold it. 1t would have been
fifty to any one else.
wouldn't one for five have done
just as well?" queried Mrs. Bowser af-
ter looking the instrument over. 81
mean wouldn't it have been just as
well to get a cheap one until you were
sure about the artistic instincts?"
mot by a burned sight A cheap
kodak may do for a scrub person, but
I want the best So you still doubt the
instincts? You hear me, Mrs. Bowser.
when L tell you that there is more of
there is in all your relations for ten
generations back Enough, however,
I am now going out into the back yard
to take a few f1ashlight pictures. You
and the cook can hold one of your
heart-to-heart talks and wonder if
I'm not crazy"
Mr.. Bowser had taken the picture of
a cat walking on the fence when the
neighbors got on to him. The fathers
and mothers stopped at curiosity but
the boys went farther. They rained
bottles and cans into the Bowser yard,
and one missile struck the kodaker
on the head and drove him inside the
house. In the kitchen he tried to get
the cook to pose for a study he was
going to call Industry" but she flew
the coop at once.
an Internal machine" she protested,
"and I'm not going to take any
chances. I had an aunt once, and all
of a sudden there was a hzz-bang, and
all they found of her was one rib and
a scream of terror
i When Mr.. Bowser passed through
the house Mrs. Bowser asked where
he was going. He replied that he
would take a little wander around the
streets to catch some character studies.
He did not have to go far to find them.