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Show i ' .... MM" j Bowser's I Will-Force j : " ; But a Jumping Tooth j j Prevails ; i ! ! . ) (Copyright. 1917, by the McClure Newspaper Newspa-per Syndicate.) (By M. QUAD.) Mr. Bowser hud sat for a quarter of an hour without saying anything, when he queried in tones which he tried to make careless : "Mrs. Bowser, have you noticed anything any-thing rather queer ahout me for the past three evenings?" "Why, I have noticed that you were rather silent and preoccupied." "And you didn't suspect the cause?" "I thought perhaps ton were lonesome lone-some to see mother," she smiled. Mr. Bowser didn't even look as if he would like to devour her. He didn't even utter a "humph !" He didn't say a war-3 '-.gainst the dear old lady, who came down from her home, now and then to give him a few jolts. He simply said : "I've had a slight toothache for the last three days and I feel like exercising exercis-ing my will-power against it. That is, Mrs. Bowser, it has been a slight toothache for me. It would have been different with you, or most anyone else. You would have been dodging around and screaming half the time. I have pretty near conquered it by sheer force of will." "But I think you ought to do something some-thing for it," she said, with some concern. con-cern. "Oh, I shall will it to go away, and Indignation and even smiled as he replied re-plied : "I do not wish a "full head of hair. I have been told by thousands that I look better without any at all. I may, however, try my wl'l power that way some day. Ouch !" "Does your tooth jump?" she asked, as he rose and held up one leg and pressed his hand to his cheek. The jumping tooth was not satisfied satis-fied to jump only once, and to jump a foot or two. It went right on jumping five or six times, and at the last jump it seemed to Mr. Bowser thnt it jumped clear to the celling. He struck a gait something like a waltz, and went around the room twice before the tooth settled buck to its old habits. Then he was pale, and looked exhausted, exhaust-ed, and Mrs. Bowser exclaimed : "Mr. Bowser, I know you are a very brave man, but I hate, nevertheless, to see you go through this needless suffering. suf-fering. I do not think we have got anything in the house to help you, but please go over to the drug store and find something. I think you have got an ulcerated tooth and it may lead to serious consequences if you don't have it attended to." "Of course, I do not care anything about it, but I do not wish to cause you any anxiety, and I will therefore go over and have a chat with the druggist. drug-gist. We may talk politics all the time I am there, and never once mention toothache, but I will go over to oblige you." He went over. He lingered. He stepped very softly and very slow. He arrived at the drug store ten minutes before he intended to. He intended to go In with a jovial salutation, and to talk about the war and other things, but when he went in there was nothing jovial about him. He was so far from being jovial that the druggist called out at sight of him : "Hello, Bowser. Did they steal the stone dog out of the yard last night and has it almost broken your heart?" "Shut His Eyes and Hung On." j "N-no," was the reply. "But, say, doc; " "Oh, you needn't say it," said the druggist after Mr. Bowser had gol through waltzing. "I know what ails you. You have got the toothache and you're afraid of the dentist. Mere, let me open your mouth. Bad ulceration. It will get into your jaw and you'll be In a bad way. The dentist Is upstairs, Go right up and tell him to yank out lluit tooth. If you don't you are the biggest coward in America !" Bowser went up. He climbed the stairs slowly oh, so slowly! He hoped to find the dentist dead when he got up, but there was no such luck for him. lie climbed into the dental chair. It will probably be gone in the morning. morn-ing. I was just explaining to you why I was silent." "Your tooth may grow worse," said Mrs. Bowser. "They say that hot salt will stop the ache." "But, as I told you, it don't amount to anything, and the man who can't stand a little toothache hasn't got much sand." "Why not try the- hot water bag?" "And why bother about a trifle?" Just then the tooth, having been getting ready for the last ten minutes, gave a jump which brought a groan from the owner. Mr. Bowser tried to hide the groan with a sneeze, but he could not deceive Mrs. Bowser. She came over to him and said: "My dear, open your mouth and let me see tho tooth. Perhaps I can stuff ome cotton in the hollow." The jump got through jumping and Ir. Bowser smiled and said: "Of course, I thank you for your offer, but please don't concern yourself any more. I was talking and forgot my force of will for a moment and the blamed old tooth took advantage of It. There, it is as quiet as a June morning. Mrs. Bowser, what book were you reading?" "Well, It Is a book of romance," she answered as she went back to her chair. "Then it is a love story?" he asked. "Well, I suppose you might call II I hat, but there are some historical facts connected with it." "I suppose that every woman, no matter what her ago, must read more or less about love?" remarked Mr. Bowser, Bow-ser, "hut she hud heller be thinking of sonielhing else. For Instance, you have soft corns?" "Yes, I have had them to my sorrow." sor-row." "But you did not exercise your will power or you could have made those corns vanish. Do I ever have corns? Never! Why? Because I will that I hhouri not have. Here is a great study for you, Mrs. Bowser." "Hut you have backaches," she protested. pro-tested. "That Is only when my will power goes wandering." "I should think, Mr. Bowser, If you could will all those things you could will most anything. For Instance, why lon't you will a full head of hair?" When Mrs. Bowser touched upon Mr. 'towser's bald pate she.' touched upon i lender spol, but Just now he had a ,)okit to .sustain and he repressed his "Does Your Tooth Jump?" He commended his soul to some place or other, shut his eyes and hung on and pitied Ihe murderers who had waited in the death chair at Sing Sing. Mrs. Bowser heard someone open the front door and come down the hall. That someone was trying to whistle a gay air. That someone proved to be Mr. Bowser. "Well?" she asked. "Oh, it was nothing a mere trifle. You would have been sick a month with It, but my will power has sent It to the right-about and It will not come back again. Now, then, Kit's talk about raising chickens, for I know there Is big money In it!" Mrs. Bowser suspects, but she novel may know If Mr. Bowser keeps hh mouth shut. |