The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-07-16
cURFEw RANG TOO EARLY.
80 the Ingenious Young Man Got Up
scheme to Outgeneral His
Girls Crusty Dad.

1t may be fact that the course of
rue love never runs smoothly, but it
Is not the less susceptible of proof that
love laughs at iocksmiths and stern
parents, always finding some way to cir
.umvent the latter when they come be-
tween young hearts. An elderly BUSH
ness man on the west side has just come
to full realization of this, and though
be is known to his friends as man of
somewhat crusty exterior generally, he
seems to enjoy his defeat. He has
three daughters-geniai, maideniy and
lovable girls, who since their early
teens have had admirers galore: The
bane of their lives was that when the
young men made evening calls the old
gentleman invariably limited at ten
o'clock that the hour for parting had
arrived. Now, this was an unchristian
time to set the young fellows packing.
They knew it and the girls fully agreed,
but none of them knew just how they
could overcome papa's objections to a
later session. A couple of weeks ago
three young men called in company to
see the girls, one of the visitors being
a hearty and sincere admirer of the eld-
est daughter. The six young people
were having the jolliest time imagin-
able WI On a clock on the mantel chimed
ten. The girls sighed, knowing full
well that in few minutes they would
hear their fathers unwelcome call
downstairs:
"Girls, it's after ten o'clock"
1t came sure enough and the young
men reluctantly took the hint. At a
nearby drugstore where they pur-
chased goodnight cigar the admirer
of the eldest girl was struck with an in
spiration and communicated his idea to
the other two. They were delighted
with it. and promised cordial coopera-
ton. A few evenings later the three
called again one pleasant evening and
found the three girls sitting on the
front steps. Although the evening was
pleasantly warm, each of the young
men carried on his arm light overcoat.
One of the girls offered to carry the
coats inside, but the instigator of the
plot said:
Never mind, know where to hang
them"
With that he took from two compan-
ions their coats and went into the hall.
Here he hung the garments up, first
taking from the folds of each the big
gest and noisiest alarm clock which the
conspirators could find. The clocks
were carefully set at ten minutes after
ten by the timepiece on the mantel in
side. All were placed on the lid of the
hall tree. Time passed rapidly and all
too soon the chime rang ten. A few
minutes later the old gentleman came
10 the head of the stairs and said as OF
yore:
''Girls, it's after ten o'clock"
just at that moment the horrible rat.
tie of the three alarm clocks rang out.
The girls sprang to their feet in alarm,
not knowing whence came the unearth-
ly disturbance. The young men kept
sober faces and left the house at once.
Then the old man came downstairs and
was assaulted with reproaches from the
girls, who declared that the young men
were insuited andwould not come back.
Il think you're mean, papa" said one,
Ito ring those horrid gongs that way"
''Great guns" yelled the old man,
"you don't suppose know anything
about that internal racket, do your"
He was evidently in earnest, and
search was begun. In q few seconds
papa found the three alarm clocks. On
seeing them the girls exploded in fits of
laughter, in which, after vainly endeay-
oring to look stern, the old man joined
heartily.
well, girls" said he, ''the young fell
lows who devised that rebuke are
bright enough to be forgiven. You can
name your own quitting time from
now on"
The joke was too good to keep and
papa has been telling all his friends
Chicago Chronicle.