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Show s bsiic o e e mmm e j la : Bowser Starts TT TIT : mi War ; e c But Returns ; I Again i U - (Copyright, 3917, by tho McClure Newspaper Newspa-per Syndicate.) Mr. Bowser was half an hour late In coming up to dinner and Mrs. Bowser Bow-ser hud begun to worry for fear of uccirtent, when' he arrived. He came along in a brisk, excited sort of way, and he had not yet entered the door when he called out : "Is Unit dinner ready? I have only ten minutes to spare." "What is it?" she asked, as she followed fol-lowed him down to the dining room. "It has come, Mrs. Bowser. I have held myself back long as possible on .'our account, but it has come now." "What do you mean. Mr. Bowser?" "I mean that I am going to war. Yes, sir, five of us in the office enlisted en-listed this afternoon. We are going to take the train In about an hour and I haven't got a minute to spare. I shall have just time to pack a few things and kiss you good-by and, the, In an awful way and, of coarse, yua want handkerchiefs." Mr. Bowser sat down on the steps and, when she had brought the handkerchiefs, hand-kerchiefs, he seemed in no hurry about going. The cat came up to hiro and he stroked her back in an affectionate affec-tionate way and said: "Of course I must uphold the honor of my country, but I do love you and the cat. .She seems to realize that I am going away to be fodder for gunpowder." gun-powder." "Yes, you may be killed," replied Mrs. Bowser, "but other men will be killed, too. It isn't so very dreadful to be a war widow." Mr. Bowser stood up. lie looked all around. He looked up and down. He hated to go, but his country called him. He shook hands with Mrs. Bowser, Bow-ser, gave her another kis and was off. He went up to the corner again and recovered re-covered his suitcase and went marching. march-ing. He marched about 50 feet and then came to a halt and leaned against the fence. Half a dozen men who know him came along and stopped and asked him If he was going on a journey, jour-ney, and his reply to each was : "I have started for the war." And their exclamation In each case was : "Good for you, old man ! You are 1 the stuff. I have been expecting to see you go for the last year. Let yourself loose when you get there. Remember Lexington nad Bunker Hill. Don't let your heart have any pity. Slay and kill kill and slay. Durn my M-teA: ,.i . h& I "Other Men Will Be Killed, Too." hat if I don't wish I was going with you ! I have got kidney trouble or I'd have enlisted long ago. Well, good-by, good-by, old man. If you never return wt will hold you in memory as a gallant man." : Mr. Bowser's butcher came running over, as he stood there, to say : "Mr. Bowser, are you going to war? "Yes." 'There is a little bill of fifty cent-against cent-against you, but, if you are killed, 1 shall not ask Mrs. Bowser for It. 1 like brave men and you are certainly mighty brave." Mr. Bowser had thoughts as he leaned against that fence. He thought of Mrs. Bowser and the cat. He thought of the good dinners he was getting every week. He thought ot the grave. He thought of having his two short legs carried off by a cannon ball. Slowly very slowly he assumed as-sumed an erect position. Slowly-very Slowly-very slowly he walked down to tlu corner, from where he could see his front steps. Mrs. Bowser was not out there. Slowly very slowly he walked down to his gate and entered. He heard Mrs. Bowser singing, and the cook laughing, while the cat was in the back yard looking for trouble. Mrs. Bowser heard his step, and called out: "Is that you, Mr. Bowser?" "Yes." "I was expecting you back. Take your filings right upstairs and put them back in your dresser." And Mr. Bowser went upstairs with his suitcase knocking against bis ley at every step and climbed up into the garret, and sat down on an old trunk, and thought and thought and thought It was eight o'clock at night and tlr whippoorwill was telling its lonesomi tale when the warrior came sol'tlj downstairs and lighted his cigar and took the seat he had always occupied in peaceful days, and Mrs. l'.owser good woman that she was, never spoki of war during the whole evening. next thing you hear of me, I shall be on the bloody field and, perhaps, have fallen with the others." If Mr. Bowser expected Mrs. Bowser Bow-ser to faint away, or burst into sobs and tears, he was disappointed. She took the news very calmly. Indeed, she rather smiled than grieved as she said : "I have been wondering for some time why you didn't go to war. You are an able-bodied man and it is really your duty. When the honor of your country is at stake, you should be one of the first to uphold it. I will gladly help you get ready." ' "Yes, I am going to war and shall do my best to rout the enemy," said Mr. Bowser, in less enthusiastic tones. "It's one chance in a thousand that I ever return, for I shall ask to be sent right Into the first battle which takes place." "Of course you will," replied Mrs. Bowser. "There will be no such thing as keeping you out of battle. As for your being killed, you must run the risk of that. Won't it surprise the neighbors around here. I can boast that. my husband has gone to war and thut he will kill a terrible number of the enemy. Are you through with your dinner? If so, I will help you pack." "Yes, I've got to pack," said Mr. Bowser, but he was rather slow about it. Indeed, In- did not get up from the table for about five minutes, and then he did net rush upstairs. "About my writing you?" said Mr. Bowser, as he scratched his head. "Of course, I want to write you as often as I can, but you mustn't expect a letter let-ter every day." "Oh, no, no, no. If you write me once !n two weeks, I shall try and lie patient about it. You will be in battle bat-tle every day, probably, and, of course, ; you won't have much time to write. ; Tell me in every letter how many of j the enemy you have killed that (lay. ; Now you cau be off us soon as you like." "But I was going to say something Important, ae.d it lias gone out of my mind." "Never mind. It will probably come back to you after your first battle, and you can write it. You have only a Utile Ut-ile time to g( t to the depot. I wouldn't have you miss the train for anything." any-thing." Bowser was not enthusiastic, lie followed Mrs. Bowser downstairs nail gave her a formal kiss, and picked up the suitcase and walked down to the i;ate. When he reached the corner, he left his suitcase against a tele-iraph tele-iraph pole and returned to the house. Mrs. Bowser was still on the front iteps, and she hulled him with: "You will miss your train if you Jon't walk faster thun that. Whut jrought you back?" "Say, did you put In a couple of ;I?hii handkerchief's?" lie asked. "I don't think I did, but I will run right up and get two or three for you. They say that men In battle perspire |