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Show , . MR. AND MRS. BOWSER. Mrs. Bowser Tells About a Vain Search for Gentle Spring;. "Well, net ready!" dd Mr. Bowser as h-mlered h-mlered the house the other evening in ap 1 ,arent great good humor. "Who's coming?" I asked. . "Somebody has cornel" "Aunt Jane?" "No spring. 1 fain would sing with tle poet: ' ' Oh: tlie merrle, inerrie springtime. With Its many buds and blossoms!" "Mr. Bowser, I was Hlready possessed of tho knowledge that spring had appeared." "Well, get ready. Smith and I have planned that the two families of us will take a trip to the green woods to-morrow. We are going to drive out with his team. We'll take lunch along and ramble and cull flowers and climb trees and have a day out," "Mr. Bowser, tho woods are wet that is, the ground is wet. There may be one bud inewhcre within fifty miles of Detroit, but you won't And it. It is also too early for flowers." It was settled that wo should go. It had to be sottled that M ay, of course. Mrs. Smith camo over during the evening and t mo know that she was also opposed to it, but had promised to go for the sake of Lhe ride out and back.. Kach of us put np a lunch, and as soou as breakfast was disposed dis-posed of next morning we were all ready to go. Mr. Bowser got up singing something some-thing about "the flowers that bloomed in the wildwood," and even when he found a cold northeast wind blowing and a winter overcoat necessary his enthusiasm was not diminished. I noticed that as we passed tree after tree without sign of buds he liegan to hitch about uneasily. I finally inquired of him: "Mr. Bowser, how far is it to the green forest?" " "You will probably get there when the rest of us do," he sweetly replied, as he turned up the collar of his overcoat. We got there at Inst. That is, we reached a piece of woods. There was nothing green about them, and Mr. Smith seemed a hit disappointed. Mr. Bowser wouldn't give in, however, but declared that he felt like a new man. Ho said that the scent of wild flowers which came to him carried him back over a period of twenty yeara. We couldn't see any of tho flowers mentioned, men-tioned, but after making the team secure we set out to look for them. Wo hadn't gone five rods before Mr. Smith discovered a bunch of green moss, and Mr. Bowser found a leek. These discoveries filled them with enthusiasm, and they pranced around like two colts. The only mishap which occurred oc-curred before luncheon was brought about by Mr. Bowser's riskiness. He saw au old bird's nest on a bush and galloped off to get it, and falling over a log he broke both suspenders, ripped his coat up the back and covered himself with black dirt. I helped to brush him off, and he appeared to enjoy the joke as much as Smith did, but as soon as he could find opportunity he said to me: "It has turned out just as I said it would!" "Well, didn't I tell you it was too early to come?" "No, ma'am! But for you I never should have thought of coming!" We ate our luncheon sitting on a log. The children's teeth chattered as they waited, and when 'Mrs1. Smith found hei feet wet she insisted that Smith build a Are. He complied, and wis rewarded bj thanks all around afad the fall of a few snowflakes. At that moment a farmer appeared before be-fore us, coming out of tho woods, and after looking the crowd over he queried: "What asylum, please?" "H-how?" asked Smith. "What lunatic asylum have you escaped from?" "We came out for a a picnic." "Ohl Did you find one?" "No." "Sorry for you, but I can't have people building fires and galloping over my land for nothing. My charges are t. What's tho matter with youtf hired man?" . "Who?" ' "Why, him," pointing to Bowser. Bowser Bow-ser retorted, and ono word led to another until it took all of us to prevent a fight. The farmer got his 13, however, and be sat on the fence as we drove away, and called out as a parting shoV:' ! "I'll bet that old daffodil with his neck driv up had the planning of this campaign." '. . . The Hbove represents tho peaceful and starry decked sky now covering our family circle. Mr. Bowser did not leave nie and apply for a divorce, and ho and Smith were playing euchre together last night. |