The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1909-10-13

heart in her mouth. but deteTuhned
to make the best Of it If he had.
Mr. Bowser flushed Hp and then
broke into laughter and slapped his
ley and exclaimed:
'Hear the iitte one talk! A parrot!
Gee whlz: No. dear, 1 haven't quite
lost my senses yet. Come into the
sarior with me. l wanted to get the
things into the house without yoar see.
ing them, and l couldn't have managed
it if you had not been out. 1t must
have been the hand OF Providence that
guided you downtown this afternSel.
Behold!'
Mrs. Bowser beheld.
She beheld an old stand.
She beheld an old chair.
She beheld an old oil painting with a
broken. furnished frame on it.
She beheld an old blue pitcher with
the nose knocked off.
She beheld what seemed to be sill
yer salver covered with verdigris.
"W-what are they?" she asked as she
sunk into the nearest chair and sasped
for breath.
"Mementos Of our tweuty-secoAd
wedding anniversary. Mrs. Bowser.
and / am proud and happy to present
them to you. Each and every one OF
them will remind you Of each and
every day Of our blissful married life.
You will come to regard them as price,
less"
Sentiment Surrounds Each Piece.
"But-but"-
"Oh, | will explain them to you. l
shall have to In order to make you un-
derstand the sentiment and value.
When l saw them at tho dealers
took them for heap Of old rubbish,
but ten minutes later l. knew they were
just what l wanted. Listen, Mrs. Bow
ser. That stand once occupied the
place Of honor in the throne room OF
Julius Caesar"
Mrs. Bowser lost her breath and
heard dull roaring in her ears.
cleopatra sat In that chair when
she hugged the asp to her bosom and
was stuns to death"
q Mrs. BowSer choked with the lump
In her throat and wondered if she was
going to die right then and there.
That oil painting is by Aristotle.
He painted it while in prison and
awaiting trial for the killing Of a gir!
who Tilted him. When he came to trial
it was the picture that saved him. His
judges agreed that Il man who could
paint like that could not be guilty of
murder The painting was afterward
stolen from him and at the end Of
twenty years was found in the house
Of Chariemagne. who had g0bbled it.
Whether CharicmaGnc was punished
for his offense against the law is 4
matter lost in the lapse Of time. A!|
the old masters took this picture rs y
guide. III fact. it WAS the beginning Of
the old master business. Please re-
member what / have told yol. So as 70
pc able to explain it to your callers"
Mrs. Howser gave a sIIyer and lost
her memory in Il flash.
This cd blue pitcher has c;:r!on*
history Cicero first presented it to
Nero. After Il year or two Nero pre-
scntcl it to Claudus. Then it pissed
from ClaudiuS to Alexander the Great.
1t was while Alexander had il thai liz.
slipped on Il banana peel ;inl fell Down
and broke the nnSc OF. II WAS then
thrown on the scrap heap and waS not
heard Of again for Il hundred years. It
then appeared on tlle b,n;;'lrt table OF
Cyrus. king of Persia, and We can
trace it down through various hands
until it finally reached t:"'Se Of Bcnr-
dict Arnold. He left it behind when
he fled from West Point. and it is said
that this was the only sorrow he had.
1t is now in our possession, Mrs. Bow
ser and will remain here as long as
we live. That silver Salver simply be-
lonScd to William the Conqu"ror. If
YOU have anything to say you can
have the floor
Because Dealer Told Him So.
Mrs. Rowscr had been sitting and 81
lently praying for an earthquake or Il
cyclone to come. but neither is ever
made to order. She had to speak, and
after 4 great effort she said:
"Who--who told you about these
thinSs:'
"Why. the dealer bought them Of
"And how do you know that he told
you the 1ruth:'
"Why. what possible object could
he have in deccirins me: or course
he told nc the truth"
..p,t bi..t,r,- Ioc.,'; GOV 80. . riS-