The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-09-10
THE LEMONADE MANS STORY.

THE LEMONADE MANS STORY.
There is a queer boy living on Elm
Street who sees the moon only to won-
der what is inside of it, and never sees
a circus without wondering if you could
make an automaton elephant.
Last summer pleasant old man set
up lemonade stand on Elm street un-
der the trees. Before the old man had
been there half an hour that queer boy
had bought a glass of the very good
lemonade, and wanted to know who
discovered or invented lemonade.
OF course the old man couldn't tell;
but day after day the queer boy drove
him nearly crazy with that question.
Finally, one day the queer boy bribed
sixteen of his schoolmates, by offering
TO treat them to lemonade, to go with
him and persuade the old man to tell
them who did invent or discover lem
onade. As the old man had the rheu-
matism and couldn't run away, he told
them to sit down on the grass and he
would tell them of the discovery of
lemonade in the PARKWAY Country. His
story ran on this wise.
Avenerable Wizard lived there, who
had such shocking bad memory that
he forgot all his tricks and became very
poor. One morning hetook his donkey
Thistle and rode away to the East to
improve his memory and make his
fortune. No one went to bid him good
bye but an orphan boy, Alden, to whom
he had been kind, and the Kings chief
cook, Benoni, whom he had cured of
the measles. Benoni promised to be
kind to Alden, and took him to the
palace.
Several years after the venerable
Wizards departure the Kings usual
summer fever came on him worse than
ever before. The Kings young and
beautiful daughter, the Princess, sent
men and letters everywhere offering i'm
mense sums for mixture to quench the
Kings thirst; but nothing effectual was
offered. Alden, who had risen to be
royal keeper of the Kings bootjack, was
one day seated on the back palace wall
thinking of the poor King, when he saw
an old man covered with dust riding
toward him on weary donkey. Alden
knew the venerable Wizard at once, and
greeted him, but he was not sure of the
donkey.
"Sulemwa? That wasn't the old
donkey's namer' said Alden.
.. No, you're right; his name then
was-was-what was it?"
His memory is just as bad as ever"
thought Alden. at was Thistle, you
know"
$50 it wasr' said the venerable Wiz
ard, slowly. ''But, dear Alden. you
must get me to the King-I can save his
life."
With the help of Benoni, Alden then
took him where the King lay sick.
Asking for goblet of ice-water, the
venerable Wizard threw back his tat
tered cloak, and from long-necked,
peculiar shaped flask poured into the
goblet a quantity of thick, whitish
liquid.
"Don't drink itr' shouted the very
learned doctors, but the King emptied
the goblet in twinkle. So much re-
freshed was he that he whirled the
empty goblet three times around his
head, and, before the terrified doctors
could tumble out of the room, sent it
spinning at them. The King began to
recover at once--Fhe venerable Wizard
-Yasmade a nobleman and his donkey
was pastured on plot of ground over
looked by the kitchen windows, which
for its especial benefit was ordered to
be planted with thistles.
The venerable Wizard told Alden and
Benoni that he had begun to write out
the recipe for making the mixture, and
would finish it tomorrow. But when
that tomorrow came the venerable
Wizard was dead; and no wonder at
all, for by memorandum in his pocket
they found he was one hundred and
thirty-three years old. Among his
papers Alden and Benoni found one
which was written:
Recipe for the mixture which / Sc
cretly call Sulemwa: earnestly be-
seech that you will treat my good dom
key with all manner of kindness, par
ticularly giving him plenty of thistles
and salt. Without him could never
have returned to this country, and with
out him you cannot find your way in
the long journey necessary to travel
after second supply of the mixture.
You will never forget how to make the
mixture, by remembering his name,
Sulemwa, because"
Here they supposed the venerable
Wizard, as was his bad habit, poked
the pen behind his ear and then forgot
what he had done with it.
OF course the King was anxious to
know if the venerable Wizard had left
recipe. After Alden and Benoni had
consulted together the latter told the
King that there was very peculiar rec
ipe. but with his Majesty's consent he
would start at once with Sulemwa to
the country where the ingredients grew,
But such long, long time passed with
out Benoni returning that the flask was
emptied before he stole into the palace
one night and came to Alden. Benoni
confessed that his journey had misera-
bly, failed. Sulemwa had led him a
wearisome journey to strange country
aud city, aud coming to fruit-stand