The Topeka state journal., 1913-08-16
B0WSER, THE ARTIST.
He Travels About in Search of Land
SCapes.

scapes.
Il think I have called you a dozen
times" said Mrs. Bowser as Mr. Bow
ser came down to his breakfast almost
half an hour late.
As L am not going to the office to-
day 1 am in no hurry" he replied.
But aren't you feeling well?'
Il feel bully
There will be no house-cIeaning."
No"
mo tinkering with the door-bells?"
No"
Perhaps you are just going to sit
on the front steps?"
And perhaps l am going to walk
around in the cause of art and poster
ity.''
Il don't exactly understand
Mrs. Bowser, if there had been photog-
raphers 5000 years ago what a wonder
would be today
You, YOU" she replied as she sat
up.
Yes. L am an artist and 1 have
bought camera. It's over at the
drug store 1 am going to take some
views 1or future generations to look
at
What nonsense. You got what they
SAID was a kodak a few months ago,
ana don't you remember what happen
ed? All the pictures you took were
cross-eyed and wrong-end up, and you
what on earth possessed You to get
another"
My dear woman, it was no wonder
l couldn't take pictures with that thing
they called a kodak 1t was a rank
swindle and little better than corn
sheller- 1t was inevitable that 1 should
make failure In this machine, how
ever
You've got something different?" she
finished.
Il have 1 can take photograph to
knock the spot off the best of them, 1
was practicing all the afternoon, and
I'm tickled to death. The pictures are
so lifelike that you can see every hair
on dogs tail. In weeks time We
will fill our parlors with works of art
and you can point to them with pride,
and say that your husband did them
ALL"
Mrs. Bowser sighed and turned away.
and Mr.. Bowser gathered up his outfit
and left the house, saying that he
would be back in the course of a cou-
pie of hours.
He started off down the street with
the ambition of an artist surging up
in his soul, and the family cat sat on
the steps and looked after him and
wondered whether he'd come back on
the gallop or in an ambulance. Mr..
Bowser did not have to go far before
finding something that appealed to his
artistic temperament. An old umbrel-
la-mender who had taken a seat under
a shade tree had fallen asleep. His
hat had fallen off. his legs We're stretch
ed out on the sidewalk, and the pictur-
esque attitude would make famous
picture. Mr.. Bowser stopped and set
up his camera, and as he did so vari-
Gus appropriate titles for the picture
ran through his head. 1t could be call
ed a Modern Brigand." Innocence in
a Great city, Not Dead But Sleep
ing" or Wake Him Not" He had just
got the range when a man crossed t1e
road from saloon and asked:
What ye goin' to do to old Petro?"
Take his picture
What fur p
"Oh, just to make one of my collec-
ton. I'm out taking snapshots, you
know. think the old man Will work
out beautifully"
But I don't t'ink so. De old man
is me friend, and nobody's going to
play dirt on him if L can help it. Git
along wild dat squirt gun"
But don't you understand that 1
simply want picture of him as show |
ing my own work with the kodak"
protested Mr.. Bowser.
II understand all about it: De old |
man may take away yer umbreller to |
mend and furgit to bring it back, and |
y
and make trubble. Git along or dere'll !
be row!"
The man squared off and looked so |
ugly and SO much in earnest that Mr.. |
Bowser felt il wise to move on. 1t |
didn't take him long, however, to find |
another subject On the steps of a |
tum bic down old shanty there sat a /
baby. and in the doorway above him /
stood stood a goat. There was senti- |
ment and picturesqueness combined, /
and almost at the first glance Mr.. |
Bowser decided to label the picture 1
1.-The Baby's Guardian" The baby |
stared at him, and the goat kept a |
eye as he moved around and /
made ready. and in another minute the !
button would have been pressed but |
for an interruption. A woman sud-
denly appeared in the doorway beside |
the goat and called out:
Now, then, what's goin' on out /
there? %
I'm about to take a picture with
my camera replied Mr.. Bowser.
rs it of the baby and goat?'
Yes
Then you drop it like a hot per-
taty. or I'll come down on We as big
as a houSei'
My dear woman, let me explain the
situation. 1 am an amateur photogra-
pher. 1 am taking few pictures
for
Il understand perfectly" she inter
rupted. Me old man sat right here
one day two months ago a-smoking of I
his pipe and feelin' that it was good to