The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-09-13
A BOOK OF PICTURES
REMARKABLE CHANGES SEEN IN
SOME ILLUSTRATIONS.

Points That Puzzled an Inquisitivs hey
and Convulsed His Humorous Father.
Characters That Appear to Have an
Extensive Wardrobe.
Papa" asked the boy, looking up
from his book, "can = man grow real
beard In one day"
~ should say not" answered the
father cautiously, being mindful Of the
fact that within week the boy had put
to him this question-"Why does .
woman walk on her heels In crossing .
muddy street" and when he answered
that he did not know, the boy had said
ITO get across" But there was no sell
about the question the boy asked, nor
about the next one. which was this:
"Can a man get bald in one nightT
HE might in an Indian country an
swered the father, whereupon there was
silence for little time. Then the boy
impatiently said:
81 don't understand these pictures at
all. Everybody in them keeps chang
ing around, and don't know who is
who, and / don't see how they know
each other half a day running"
The book was 1.-THE Swiss Family
Robinson" and the title page declared
that there were 100 illustrations" IL
was worth while to follow the family
through the pictures.
Putting aside colored frontispiece
which depicted lusty barelegged boy
on a rock, with a polo cap crowning q
shock of yellow hair parted in the back,
bow in his hand and his eyes fxed on
a spouting whale that looked like a ssr-
dine sneezing violently, the panorama
opened with the family" kneeling in
grateful prayer for its escape. The
father, with head bald on top, smooth
shaver face and long locks Of white
hair falling on his shoulders was the
central figure, and made an ideal vicar
Of Wakefield. Fritz, the eldest son,
wore long coat and long trousers, and
Franz, the youngest, was distinguished
by large button on his coat in the
small of the back. This was In the fore
noon.
LIGHTNING CHANGES.
A few hours later, in the afternoon,
behold the changed The father had grown
fine, closely trimmed side whiskers, and
he and his sons had changed their straight
locks for crisply curling hair. From
gentle faced Madonna the mother had
been changed into vivacious looking
Jewess, and. strangest of all, two st.
Demands in the first picture had become
trim bulldogs, with every appearance Of
being able to make good fight.
Then there came lightning change.
In FIVE minutes their fathers whiskers
had grown an inch or two, Fritz and he
had gotten into knickerbockers, termi-
mating in the fathers case in blue stock
ings and buckled shoes, both OF them
had lost the curl out of their hair, and
one of the bulldogs had been metamor-
phosed into setter standing over red
ish brown rabbit that was declared IN
the text to be an agouti.
Noon, the next day, and the father and
Fritz were again presented, seated this
time by brook, but conveniently near
stone jug that might have held molasses
and might not The father looked like
Highlander in farmers clothes, and
Fritz, who had grown three or four
years older, was dressed like DantOn
when that gentleman was Of some con-
sequence in Paris and looked like him.
One Of the dogs had become a King
Charles spaniel. The other did not APP
pear, but was probably in seclusion. set
ting on the breed in which he would
next appear.
The pair were on hunting excursion
on their deserted island. A few hours
later Fritz had gotten his shock Of yell
low hair back, and traded his Danton
costume for knickerbocksrs, blue stock
ings and a sack coat, while his father
had somewhere picked up Russian peas
ants dress, and grown a full brown
beard, and the King Charles had become
a setter. The jug had disappeared
PERSONAL APPEARANCE
That night the father shaved himself
down to the side whiskers. dyed his own
and Fritz's hair black, put sailor shirt
on himself and a pair Of striped lawn
tennis trousers on Fritz, and the next
morning went out sailing. While they
were absent the Jewish faced mother
changed her countenancs for subdued
Irish, arrayed herself in q dark blue
gown that disclosed red petticoat, and
put a yellow handkerchief on her head
Taking Jack, one Of her other sons. and
putting trim polo cap on his yellow
locks, the two, accompanied BY one OF
the st. Demands. went out for walk
A day or two later the father had got
ten back his full, yellow beard, which
he seemed TO wear with his peasant COS
tune, and one Of the dogs had changed
into n hound. But if you hoped the /
father would stay that way long enough !
for you to get acquainted with him, d. |
vest your mind Of that thought. Before
night he had returned TO his trim side |
whiskers and curly hair, while Fritz had |
shrunk in length. broadened ia glrth, |
and put or long trousers that were TOO /
short for him and heavy shoes.
And so tbs pictures run. The father
changes his clothes, his beard and bis hair /
st least once, and often two or three times
day, Fritz Is good second in this !
Kaleidoscope performance. the mother 1