The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-09-26

are coming along here from daylight
till dark and everyone yells just like
4 this man."
but it's against the law. and !
know it is!' shouted Mr.. Bowser. az
| he struck the wall with his fist
well, there's lots of things against
| the law. but you can't change EN-. II
the police permit these peddlere to
yell and scream they won't stop their
! noise for anything you say.
| Then I'll break some ones neck!
| Mr.. Bowser went out and sat down
grinned at him and moved on. but II
was scarcely a minute before an old
| clothes man turned the corner and
set up his yells. He had yelled about
16 times before he reached the Bow
ser gate, and there stopped and look
screamed out in agonized tones:
old clo'! Old clio! Cash for old
clo'!"
Move on, you scoundrel!" shouted
Mr.. Bowser as he rose up.
old clo'! Old clo'! 1 buy old clio
for CASH.
! by the beard of Plato. but I'll have
your life II you don't move on!" ex-
claimed Bowser as he clattered down
| the steps with a tragedy in either eye.
| The old clothes man ran across the
street. but no farther and from his new
position he shrieked and shouted and
yelled until he had collected q crowd
| of half a hundred people and Mr. Bow
ser had been forced into the house.
you see you can't do anything, %
said Mrs. Bowser.
But will do something!" he holly
replied. Are all the ordinances of
this city made for the benefit of such
bowling demons as that? Has tax
payer and property owner no rights
If there are no laws to protect me,
then I'll protect mySelf!'
Out he went again, and he was just
| in time to encounter a man who had
turned in from Fourth street yelling:
KNIVES to grind-o! Knives to grind
o! Bring out your knives to grind-o!'
Mr.. Bowser walked down to the
gate. He looked like a dangerous man.
but the knife-grinder was willing to
take chances if he could make nickel
He halted his grinder on wheels and
uttered his yell of "Grindo'' as if Mr..
Bowser was forty rods away. He was
still hanging on to the 80 when he
was seized and banged against the
fence, and a voice rang in his ears:
You internal nuisance. shut up or I'll
break your neck!
The grinder shut up. He looked into
Mr.. Bowser's eyes and became afraid.
However, as he was released after q
minute and told to move on his courage
returned, and he hadn't got more than
ten feet away before he turned and
said:
"Pou knocka me and banga me, and
TAXA de law on you!"
Mrs. Bowser opened the door and tried
to argue the matter with Mr.. BOwse~
but he declared he'd wet his hands in
the life blood Of the next nuisance who
came along. He didn't have over ten
minutes to wait. A junk dealer, an UNI
brella mender, tinker and q pop corn
man suddenly appeared in company,
and all were yelling to drown the notes
OF the band on the corner. Mr.. Bowser
rose up like a buffalo bull about to
make his last charge, ard he was at the
gate as they halted.
your pans! Fresh popcorn!" shouted
the four at him as they waved their
arms about.
Mrs. BOwser tire up the window ~
call out but she vas too late. Mr..
Bowser had sailed in. He upset the junk
cart and Junk dealer; he overturned
pop corn cart and pop corn dealer; he
filled the air with old umbrellas and
tinker tools and it was Spion Kcp over
again with Mr.. Cowser in place the
Beers. He met the enemy as they were
his and in five minutes he was in pos
session of the Fl Id of battle. de was
cheered by the crowd which gathered.
and dozen over-enthusiastic taxpay-
ers insisted on a speech. A man had
arisen who had taken up the cudgel for
reform, and they wanted to know his
policy toward firecrackers, baseball
and kite-flying. Mr.. Bowser backed up
against the gate and might have given
them an outline, but before he could
collect his oratory a fat policeman
burst through thecrowd and siezed him
and said:
You old ruffian! But you want to get
up riot and disturb half the town, do
you? Come along with mel"
Mr.. BOwser was walked to the police
court and left in the "pen" till the
judge was ready to hear his case ans
say:
You may be a citizen and a taxpay-
er and reformer. but you have no
right to break loose and take the law
into your own hands. I fine you $40,
sir, and II you are brought here before
me again on the same charge shall
feel 1t my duty to put you where you
can do no mO-c ham for the next six
months!"
Didn't I tell you how it would end?'
asked Mrs. BOwser when he got home.
But he said no word in reply. He
realized that II he ever .pened his
mouth ne would drop dead.-(Copy-
right. 1914. by the Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)
Sometimes there are rude
boys In Sunday school who g19gle and
smile at little girls and sometimes little
girls smile back at them, but I hope my
little girl does not behave IKE that"
Small Daughter-'No. indeed, mamma;
ton Transcript