The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-02

| He waved her out and spat on his
| hands and surveyed the springs from
| six different directions. 1t suddenly oc-
Cured to him to drop the foot Stats and
let the springs fall bodily to the floor,
and he was rubbing his hands and
smiling when Mrs. Bowser came IN
| again.
| L thought the plaster was falling
| off, she exclaimed.
Nothing is falling off, and everything
is sailing along like a duck. You may
retire, Mrs. BowSer."
According to the statistics of the ag-
| ricultural department, there are II diff
ferent ways of takin down a bed
stead. Mr. Bowser knew Of but one.
! Although so long a married man, he
| had given full attention to moving bu-
reaus and let the bedstead question
slide. That one way was to pick a bed
stead up and shake it apart. He tried
| No good The bedstead wouldn't
shake.
Then he tugged and twisted and wob-
bled and grunted.
No use.
Then he grabbed that doomed bed
stead by the neck and hauled it around
| the room-and slammed it-and kicked
1t-and registered VOW that
Then both ends of a rail suddenly
loosened and it dropped to the floor
with a crash. On the way down it
struck Mr.. Bowser's foot, and when
Mrs. Bowser came running he was
hopping around on one leg and getting
ready to say things.
What is it noW?''
'NOthing-nothing whatever. When
you are wanted to boss this job you
will be notified"
When she had departed he put the
foot down and investigated the other
bed-rail. He lifted UP on it, and it
came loose and with it Rugged to his
,IvNf Il
with a jar. He had locked the door
Mrs. Bowser, and when she came
knocking and rafting he was saying
to himself:
Now by the great horn spoon, but
/ will do somebody a mortal injury!
The idea that free-born citizen Of
the United States can't take down an
Internal old bedstead in his own house
without being insulted and Inundated
calls for blood,''
He rose up and slammed the mat
tress around. He kicked the rails. He
banged the head and foot-pieces, and
every time he slammed or kicked or
banged he uttered a whoop.
There was a picture of Napoleon
crossing the Alps on the wall. Mr..
Bowser jumped for it and pulled it
down and kicked Napoleon in the stoIn-
ach and wrecked him.
There was another picture called Re
becca at the Well. He made jump
for Rebecca and scared her off the
roost and kicked the we'll and its old
oaken bucket sky-high. Then he un-
locked the door, that Mrs. Bowser
might put her head into the room TIC
exclaim:
Mr.. Bowser, you have frightened
the cook into a fti'
I don't care a durni" he shouted.
And the neighbors are ringing the
doorbeII,''
Let 'em ring
But what is it 2'
In reply he looked at her for a long
minute in silence. His face had "a
chloride of lime color, his ears were
working dangerously, and it was evil
dent that he was boiling within. Then
he hoarsely whispered:
Mrs. BoWser, you knew how this
thing would result. and you put up a
job on me-
why Mr.. Bowser, I warned you at
the outset that"
You never did-never! Woman, no
leave the house, You can dabbIe yoar
hands in the cats hearts blood if you
wish-but not in mine-not in minei"
And he left the house to walk in the
wind and cold-and to be greeted as
"OId Pop" by joyous young men-and
to have a policeman call him suspic-
ious character-and to sneak back and
up to bed and fall asleep without say
ing word to Mrs. Bowser about ali
mony and DIVORCED Copyright, 1912, by
Associated Literary Press.)