The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-08-20

sy we must 60 back TO first principles
and take the birds for u pattern
Birds don't fy with their bodies. bur
with their wings. Put the right sort
Of wings on a man and Re flies. iru
fy-I fy-everyhody flies. BY thun-
der. By thunder
But those wings have got TO be
Invented" | protested. a bit startled
by his ear~nestness.
Easy as rolling of a LOCUST Il
matter Of three days practice. Mrs.
Bowser. You will see me leaving
this house for the office on wings with
In a week. You will see me sailing
ove houses and trees and the river
like an albatross. You will see the
streets full OF people looking up at me
and shouting the name OF Bowser. 4
thousand reporters will be trampinC
through the house and looking into tie
closets and under the beds and up the
chimneyS and asking you whether the
mole was on your grandmother's chin
or cheek. The fame Of it, And the
millions and millions of dollars"
I have seen Mr.. Bowser enthusiastic.
but l never saw him so far gone be-
fore. Almost any second ! expected
to see him spread his wings and ty
away. l started out TO discourage
him, but l made a failure OF il. Boys
might throw stones Inc men might
bring out their shotguns, but he had
q way Of lodging them. He knew
just how those wings ought TO be
made and just how they should be
worked, and he sat down ON all my
arguments and lattened them out. I
got him to fly to bed at last. but IT
was a long and sorrowful night for
me. When he slept it vas to work
his legs as if flying, and when he was
awake it was to tell me how many
eagles and wild geese he would over
haul and bring to market. Just before
daylight l fell into a sound sleep, and
when | aw1ke he was gon l CUES
toned the hired girl about him, and
she replied:
II came down here, tapping his
| arms, an hour ago and was in such a
| hurry to get off that he would only
| wait for q cup of coffee. AS near as
I could make him out he expects to be
come a bird. Begging your pardon.
ma'am. but a fine, fat. baldheadea
bird will he make. Will he be called
the Bowser bird:'
I was on my dignity and didn't an
swer, out as the forenoon dragged
away | became very anxious. | fig
ured that he had gone to some machine
shop to get his wings made, and |
could not tell at what moment he might
come flying home and drop with a
plump on the doorstep or be brought
to the gate in an ambulance. At mid
afternoon | gave a boy a quarter to
circle around and see if be could see q
large bird sailing to and fro in the air
No bird.
Then l gave another boy 10 cents to
walk about and inquire if any one had
been hurt or killed.
No news.
Night came on and no Mr.. Bowser.
"When a man gets to thinking he's
a bird what can you do with him p
asked the girl as l sat down to my
dinner.
Nine-1O-11-12. No Mr.. Bowser.
He had probably started for Boston or
Philadelphia OH wings.
I awOke next morning to go up on
the roof of the house, but there was no
clew. Mr.. BOwser is sure to leave
tracks wherever he goes, but he had
left none on the roof.
At noon that day I had the police
send out a general alarm. The officer
who came to the house to get the par.
ticulars said that Mr.. Bowser and his
wings might be hanging to the tele-
graph wires out in the country or have
been caught in some treetop and that
the police would do their best to let me
know whether l was a widow or not.
The afternoon and the night passed.
and still no news.
It is now three days and nights
since Mr.. BOwser flew away and yet
the mystery is unsoived. His wing:
have either carried him upward be
yond the ken of man Or they have fail
ed him and his body is lying in some
thistle patch and awaiting discovery
Any news from him. dead or alive. vii
be thankfully appreciated and a liberia
reward paid by
MRS. SARAH BOWSER,
Wife of the Only Bowser
Per NJ. Quad.