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Show MR. BOWSER'S 8 3 OFFICE BOY p He Thinks Mr. Bowser Is Q p Crazy. Q g By M. QUAD. 1121. by McClure tNvsvipc'r Syndicule.1 When Mr. Bowser reached his office ten minutes ahead of time tin; oilier morning he found Theoimlus, the otliee boy, making au examination of one of the drawers of his desk. Twice before he had caught the hoy at it. and took him by the collar and shook him. and taidi "Yuu young rascal you! If 1 ever catch you at this again. I will break your neck !" On this occasion Mr. Bowser smiled a fatherly smHe and kindly said : "Theopulus, you are arranging uiy papers. You are a good boy to put in your extra time that way. I do not think I quite appreciated you in the past, hut I shall in the future. Hero is a half-dollar for your extra time and 1 shall raise your wages next week. 1 surely have a prize in you I" "But but but " siamiuered Theopulus, Theop-ulus, more taken aback than as if he had received a cuff on the ear. "Oh. I want no thanks," said Mr. Bowser. "1 see a good boy when I eee you. Should any other offices in this building offer you four times what I am paying you, let me know, and I will give you more than- tlwy will. It seems to me that you look tired and exhausted. I do not wish to overwork you. Take the morning paper and sit down and read for a couple of hours." The look of amazement on the boy's face was a study. He tried to say something, but no words would come. He finally backed out of the room and went down the ball, to where a chum of his was sitting on the window sill. "Say," be whisjiered to the boy, "my old boss has become dangerous 1" "How, dangerous?" "Why, lie got here ahead of time this morning and he caught me looking through his desk." "And be knocked one of your ears off? I thought I heard you yell out. Let me see." "'o, he never touched me. He just smiled and called me a good boy. and gave me a half-dollar and said lie was troing to raise my wages next week. That's how dangerous he is. Wouldn't you call that crazy?" "Of course I would !" replied the boy. "You hadn't better be In there alone, or he may rattle you. That's the way with some lunatics. They talk mighty soft to anyone, for a spell, and then turn around and grab them by the throat. Hadn't we better get a cop?" . "I guess not, but you better tell your boss not to go In there. We don't want any bloody tragedies up here." "Does he grate his teeth?" "I didn't notice." "Docs he roll his eyes around?" "Maybe he did but I wasn't' looking." "Didn't you see any froth on his mouth?" "I don't remember." "Yon should look out fop such things, because you are a poor, helpless help-less boy and don't want to be murdered. mur-dered. When you go hack to his room, be prepared to spring away and save "I Shall Raise Your Wages Next Week." your life. If he makes the least motion. mo-tion. If he keeps smiling, it's a pretty pret-ty sme sign that he is going mad." Thus it became known in three or four offices, that Mr Bowser was acting act-ing queerly, and three or four men made excuses to call or. him and talk more or less. None of them found him very strange hut he was unusually unus-ually polite and he talked about the l'eace League in a way tr, surprise them. As they came out inio the hall, one said to the other: "I don't til ink he's going crazy, but he is so polite and dignified that I ran't quite make him out. I never saw such a fatherly smile on his face before." "No, nor I. either. Hadn't we ought to try to get him to send for a doctor?" doc-tor?" "No. not yet. He .night teel hurt about it." A little Inter a tailor camp up with a bill and he asked of Theoimlus If Mr. Bowser was In his room. Theopulus Theopu-lus saw a chance for some fun If Mr. Bowser half killed that tail ir ii would be a great amusement, and o he said : "Yes, he's right In and will lv glad .to ef you. He Is prompt on-. and ii ne uh wju uay:'.:.n -e e--. it." The tailor was ushered in. Mr. Bowser swung around and smiled at him and said : "Ari. 1 was wondering why you didn't come. Two weeks ago I called at your shop with a pair of pants to In-cleaned In-cleaned and pressed. You said the work would cost me half a dollar and that I was to call two days later. 1 called, but you were not in. Your boy permitted me to take my pants home and said you would come with the hill. You are here. Here is your money. I am very sorry if I have pWt you to any inconvenience. Some folks seem to (link that tailors have no feelings, hut 1 am not of that number. You have feelit.gs. the same as the ('resident of the I'nited States, and I take you by the hand and wish you all happiness and prosperity." "Yes, sir." replied the tailor, timidly tim-idly offering his hand. "I just called, you know " "Y'es. I know. You called tor your money, as any gentleman should, and here It is. 1 musi tell yon that I am satisfied with your work. You cleaned and pressed my pants in a noble manner. man-ner. 1 doubt if there is a senator in Washington who could do the job as well. Keep right on. tailor, am! you will arrive at the zenith r.f prosperity. I WT "Wish You All Happiness and Prosperity." Should It ever happen that you were in want of $.", come :o me. and I will lend it to you. Oood-by, tailor, adieu to you." When the tailor came out into the hall. Theopulus looked him over carefully, care-fully, to see if lie had any mortal wound, and theu said to himself: "Well, I never! I thought all of Bowser's room would be spattered with blood, and here 1 shall not find a single drop. Those men may say all they want to. but he is crazy, if ever a man was !" When Mr. Bowser took the car for home, the conductor was rather timid about holding out his hand for the fare. Several times Air. Bowser hnd used sarcastic words to him and he was afraid he might get more of them. He didn't, however. He was welcomed with a smile and the words: "So you are after my fare, are you? Well, you have got a wearisome job. and I think you ought to be cheered up. Here's a quarter and you may keep the change to buy candy for your children. chil-dren. Y'ou are a good, patient man and I am going to speak to the president presi-dent of the company to promote you." The conductor hl'-shed and thei: went away. He could not quite make out what was coming, and it was with a sigh of relief that he reached the rear platform. Mrs. Bowser noticed a change the j moment Mr. Bowser stepped into the hall of his house. She noticed it nt the dinner table, and she noticed It j when they returned to the sitting j room. She was as puzzled as Theopu- j Ins, but she kept her thoughts to her- I self. j When Mr. Bowser fell asleep, she j rose up and look n long look at him. j The smile was still there and she i sighed in despair, as the drowsiness i of sleep iT.aip over her. What did It all mean? Was there going to be a new Mr. Bowser? |