The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-01

| of you take a lozenge in your mouth
and let it slowly dissolve. In two min
utes your blood ought to be the same
| temperature as the weather. In five
you ought to imagine that robins are
singing and daisies blooming around
you.''
| As Mr.. Bowser wasn't experimenting
| on himself, he discreetly retired to the
| warm atmosphere of the kitchen and
took his stand at a window. He had
| scarcely begun his observations when
! one of the tramps rolled over and be-
| gan to kick like horse tangled up in
his harness, while the other sprang to
! his feet and spat and spluttered and
coughed, and crammed his mouth fun
of snow.
What are you fellows up tor
shouted Mr.. Bowser, as he rushed out.
They gave him no heed. They seemed
to be acrobats let loose, and they went
through mere antics than if they had
picked up a dozen hot horseshoes. 1t
was five minutes before either of them
could speak, and then one cooled his
mouth with an icicle hanging to the
clothesline and suffered:
''B-b-boss, what s-s-sort of a
gg-game is tEis?''
Yes, what sort of a g-game?'' added
| the other, as a SNOWFALL melted in his
mouth.
It's no game at all. It's an expert
ment, as 1 told you. What have you
| done with those lozenges?"
'S-s-spit 'em out, durn ye!''
Yes; Sp-spit 'em QUIT!
| But you mustn't do it. These are
/ to raise the temperature of your blood
until it equals the temperature of the
atmosphere. If you'd kept sucking
! the lozenges, you'd have been perspir-
ing by this time. Sit down and try
it again.
Bill" said the first, as he con-
To long
breaths of the frosty air, docs it look
like a -blooded attempt to burn
up the -vitals of two respectable
gents!"
1T do, Sam, it do"
"And by burnin up our vitals, take
away our appettes?
That's the game!'
eff 1 was playing any game, would
promise you quarter apiece? asked
Mr.. Bowser.
TITS my solemn opinyun that ye
would"
That's our solemn opinyun.'
Mr.. Bowser was about to protest
and increase his cash offers when the
two gentlemen with burned vitals fell
upon him. The three went down to-
gether, and Mrs. Bowser. looking from
q back window, and the cook and cat,
looking from a back door, could see
nothing for the next two minutes for
the cloud of snow in the air. Then
the two tramps detached themselves
from the circus and climbed the YARD
fence and the household went out to
look for Mr.. BOwser. There were
thousands of traces of him at hand,
but it took three minutes to discover
his actual presence and dig it out
from under the snow. He had been
thumped and kicked and choked, but
life had not departed. He soon raj
lied and sat up, and after being helped
to his feet he made his WOODY way TO
the kitchen and thence upstairs. lie
did not ask what had happened, and
Mrs. Bowser gave him a rest of 10
minutes on the lounge before she said:
Il suppose the government ought
to be notified at once, and if you don't
feel well can do it myself"
An ugly glare, followed by gritting
of his teeth, and it was 10 minutes
before she observed:
I've told the cook to heat some
witch hazel and wash off the blood.
Do you wish for any temperature ~
But Mr.. Bowser had grown weary
of North Pole weather and fallen
asleep.-(Copyright 1912 by the Asso-
ciated Literary Press.)