The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-09-18

But couldn't you hunt up a reg
ular wash woman"
There isn't nc need of that Both
the tramp and 1 know all about wash
ing. You just be coed girl and in
an hour or two, you will feel better
1t will only be fun for me to do the
work for one day We may hear from
Maggie before noon, ard then she can
take care of you.
Mr.. Bowser had made up his mind,
and protests would have been useless
Mrs. Bowser realized that the wash
ing would be something awful to
'ook back upon for the next twenty
ears but she fell back upon her pill
low and closed her eyes
When Mr.. Bowser got down stairs
he tramp had just finished the, last
crumb of his breakfast and standing
up to shake it down. In tones of do
or die, he said:
washing, and see the dust fly
There was a hcaping basket of
clothes on the tubs in the kitchen,
and after looking them over, the
tramp said:
II will have to run out for bluing
and chloride or lime. They are what
makes the washing so dead easy" He
soon returned with the articles re-
quired. While he was absent, Mr.
Bowser dumped the clothes into the
first tub, and drew water to cover
observed Willie 9! see you have
been there many a time before Now
then, in goes the bluing and the
chloride and your part of it is to
stir the clothes around with broom
stick"
Mr. Bowser stirred. He stirred Wig
orously. He stirred with all his
might, and when he had to pause for
breath, he said:
Il never saw such darn blue water
as this in all my life before! Didn't
you put in too much %
-'I should have put m a second box
if we had had it. It's the blue that
does the business"
But Mrs. Bowser-"
Never mind Mrs. Bowser." inter
rupted the tramp "A woman does
another. 1t all comes to the same
thing in the end. Now, then, you get
those buds into the last tub, and we
will give them the final performance"
Mr.. BowSer did so, ana when he had
finished, if he had had a glass to look
into, he would have probably taken
that tramp by the neck then and
there. He was a blue man from top
to toe. His hair, what there was of
it, was as blue as the blue Danube.
His eyebrows were blue. There were
fifty streaks up and down his face,
and each was bluer than the other
He had introduced a new style of car
pet slipper to the markell blue one.
Cold water was let into the tub, and
the clothes stirred around, and after a
quarter of an hour, things didn't look
quite as blue under the tramp's or
ders. Each garment was lifted up,
and put through the ringer. The
ringer had always been of a pearl
color. 1t was now blue. AS the last
garment was passed through, Mr..
Bowser stood back and said:
Il believe we have made some thun-
dering mistake about the thing!"
1T can't be-" was the reply.
But look at the blue! Am 1 going
to wear blue shirt around after this.
and sleep on blue pillow"
You simply don't understand up
to-date methods of laundry work. We
will now hang the washing on the
line, and you will see that blue fade |
away like a scared rabbit before a |
hound dog"
Together they had hung out part of
the clothes, when two things occur |
red to interrupt them. Back windows !
went up, and heads and shoulders |
were thrust out, and the alley fence /
began to be lined with children. There
was laughing and tittering and call
ser got the idea that they were polk
ing fun at those blue garments.
Also, the cook came along. She had |
fallen and hurt her Knee, the previous /
night and was too lame to walk. She /
the kitchen, Anc saw the blue
the blue tramp-the blue Mr.. Bow
ser, and she looked out and saw the |
blue clothes on the line. With a
shrek she ran upstairs and five min
ltes later, when Mr.. Bowser followed
ner, he found her and Mrs. Bowser
cooking out of one of the back win
lows. They turned at his steps, and
ooked him up and down. Then both
sank to the floor and broke into
lysterical laughter.
what is it 2" innocently asked Mr.. II
3owser H
But they could not answer him He
urned and walked down stairs, not
but little grieved, to take
t out on the tramp, but Willie had
departed. So had the silver butter
lish and the sugar bowl. He could
tay no longer. A feeling OF blue de-
preston had come over him and he
bought Mr.. Bowser might be a hard
hearted man if aroused.
Half an hour later, Mrs. Bowser
md the cook came down, and got that
Washing out of sight, and then pitched
n and got Mr.. Bowser a fine luncheon.
hrs. Bowser had laughed her illness