The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-10-06


I nm your hairpIn. old man. Just
keep right along this road for mile,
and you'll come to what you are look.
Ing for
And huckleberries are ripe. Of
course?"
"Yes, and have been FOR week
past Yum! Yum! l turned into the
swamp this morning and filed up on
'em. Great big fellers there as big
as the end of your thumb You can
Ill that pail In an hour"
Could Not Find Berries.
Mr.. Bowser whistled as he walked
on. He also pitied Mrs. Bowser. He
also determined that the note to Truth.
ful John should be couched In the most
abject language. For once In his life
he had met tramp with some graft
tude about him. After walk OF TWEEN.
ty minutes, he reached swamp oppo-
site farmhouse and plunged into II.
Not huckleberry greeted his vision,
but he knew the traits OF the berry.
They remained In ambush as long as
possible. He found mud and water
and mosquitoes and flies. but he was
not discouraged. He said to himself
that when Samuel Bowser strnck the
trail of huckleberry he was a man
that never let up. He was still slosh-
ing around when farmer came down
from the house to the road and called.
"Say, old party, what you looking
forp
"Huckleberries," replied Mr.. Bowser
as he approached the other.
"Huckle-what?"
"Huckleberries. You must know
what they are"
"Well, I've seen one or two In my
time, but you are making fool OF the
thing. In the first place. there is not
bush in that swamp, and,
In the next 1t will be weeks before
the berries are ripe"
II say they are ripe now"
"Oh, you do, eh? Well, I say that
II you are looking for frogs come right
out o. that They are my property,
Huckleberries! Say, Bill, come down
here. Here's an old Jay looking for
huckleberries at this time O. yearl"
Gets Beating.
In response to his call his son, who
was strapping young man of twenty
three, loafed down to the road and
said:
dad, don't let him fool you. II he
ispt frog stealer then never saw
one. Come out O. that or I'll fetch you
out!'
Don't talk to me that way" said
Mr.. Bowser as he quit the swamp and
stood before them. II am no frog
stealer or any other stealer. simply
came out here to gather a few quarts
of huckleberries to convince my wife
that they are ripe at this season"
"Then she must know that she's got
fool for a husbandv' said the farmer
81 tell you they won't be ripe for
weeks yet"
"I'll bet his wife knows ten times
as much as he does," added the son.
"Don't talk that way to me or-or"-
"Or whatY from father and son.
OF course there was a row. Mr..
Bowser did the best he could, but he
was their huckleberry. They got him
down and sat on him and called him
names and rubbed dirt on his bald
head, and dog also came down from
the house and bit him, and when he
got up to take the road home he was
a wrecked man. He had thoughts as
he limped along, leaving the battered
tin pail behind him, but why humil!ate
him further? At midnight that night
he let himself into the house and
passed the night on the lounge. When
Mrs. Bowser came down In the morn
ing and saw him she simply remarked
that the vegetation seemed to be COM
ing on in a wonderful way, and he ut
tered a grunt, and the huckleberry In
cident was closed. NJ. QUAD.