The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-09-04

EXTENSIVE Wardrobe.
Papa" asked the boy. looking up
from his book, ''can a man grow real
beard in one day?"
~ should say not" answered the
father cautiously, being mindful Of the
fact that within a week the boy had put
to him this question-"Why does a
woman walk on her heels in crossing
muddy street." and when he answered
that he did not know, the boy had said.
"To 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 night?"
she 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 I don't know who is
who, and l don't see how they know
each other half day running"
The book was "The Swiss Family
Robinson" and the title page declared
that there were 100 illustrations" 1t
was worth while to follow the ''family"
through the pictures.
Putting aside colored frontispiece
which depicted lusty barelegged boy
on rock, with polo cap browning a
bow in his hand and his eyes fixed on
spouting whale that looked like sar-
dine sneezing violently, the panorama
opened with the 'family" kneeling in
grateful prayer for its escape. The
father, with head bald on top, smooth
shaven 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.
A few hours later, in the afternoon,
behold the change! The father had grown
fine, closely trimmed side whiskers, and
he and his sons had changed their straight
locks for crisply curling hair. From a
gentle faced Madonna the mother had
been changed into vivacious looking
Jewess, and, strangest of all, two st.
Bernards 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 a 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 a
stone jug that might have held molasses
and might not. The father looked like a
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 ap-
pear, but was probably in seclusion, set
Ting on the breed in which he would
next appear.
The pair were on a hunting excursion
on their deserted island. A few hours
later Fritz had gotten his shock of vel
low hair back, and traded his Dantor
costume for knickerbockers, 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. Tne Jug mad disappeared.
PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
That night the father shaved himself
down to the side whiskers, dyed his owl
and Fritz's hair black, put a sailor shir
on himself and a pair Of striped lawr
tennis trousers on Fritz, and the mex
morning went out sailing. While they
were absent the Jewish faced mother
changed her countenance for subduet
Irish, arrayed herself in a dark blue
gown that disclosed red petticoat, an(
put yellow handkerchief on her head
Taking Jack, one of her other sons, an(
putting trim polo cap on his yellow
locks, the two, accompanied by one o
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 a hound. But if you hoped tn
father would stay that way long enough
for you to get acquainted with him, di
vest your mind of that thought. Befor
night he had returned to his trim sid
whiskers and curly hair, while Fritz ha'
shrunk in length, broadened in girth
and put on long trousers that were to-
short for him and heavy shoes.
And so the pictures run. The fathe
changes his clothes, his beard and his hal
at least once, and often two or three time
a day, Fritz is good second in thi
kaleidoscope performance, the mothe
facially runs through all the races an
exhibits bewildering number of differ
cnt costumes. the little boys must hav
been branded or their parents woul
never have been able to keep track c
them, so extraordinary were the change
| they underwent, and the dogs offere