The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-12-21

For week dlteE IcduihS "o
dith, 16-year-old Edith, with long
brown curl over one shoulder, and the
collar of her gown turned In, was
Janice. For two weeks after the initiai
performance by the members OF the
Sbakespearian club, Edith In the
spare-room counterpart and the GRIM
son piano cover, was Juliet. The ram
ily shrewdly suspected that, during
this period the iceman was uncon-
sciously doing duty as Romeo; LOT Oh
more than one occasion Edith was
seen to gaze tenderly down upon MN
from the safe vantage of the hover
box in the attic window, that being
the nearest approach to balcony that
the house afforded.
The family bore up under all this'
with commendable fortitude.
Before September was over, Editn
was Queen Elizabeth, in the spare
room pillow-shams, Marie Antoinette,
in cornstarch ana impossible heels,
and even Charlotte Corday, behind the
grimy bars of the family gridiron. Sne
was Joan of Arc at noon, and her rela-
tiyes would say good night to Lady
Jane Grey at bedtime, only to De con-
fronted by Lucrezia Borgia at the
breakfast table.
| Had this been all, the Bannerings
might have borne up under IL; Du'
there was worse to come. Edith,
wearying of solitary heroines, began
to look about for heroes. Wnat
was Josephine without Napoleon, lsa-
bella without Ferdinand, or Mary
Queen of Scots, without Rizzio!
The iceman, having vanished with
the summer, was unavailable for ro-
mantle purposes; but the black-eyed
neanut yender, whom Edith passed
every morning on her way to school,
made an admirable Napoleon; the
tall Young man in the florists shop
did very nicely as Ferdinand; ana
Edith's imagination was sufhcientiy
elastic to clothe the grocers assist
ant in the picturesque garb OF hizzo'
One day Dayton, Edith's older broth
or. who was about as sentimental as a
lobster, happened to walk home from
school with his idealistic sister. he
saw the peanut vender exchange
glances, not with the Empress Jose
phine. but with his-Dayton's-pre
, cious sister Edith. He saw the nor
/ lists assistant touch his hat boldly
: not to Isabella of Spain, but to Edith
. of America. He heard the grocer
y young man say, not by your leave
, your majesty" but How do you dc
Miss Edith" and Dayton was no
, pleased.
You SEEM" said Dayton, with tn
unqualified severity of an outrage'
s elder brother, ito have a circle OF az
t ouaintances. Are you in the habit Q
d exchanging bows with all the Doo'
v blacks and street fakirs you meet o
d your way to SCHOOL," :.
v Il know those young men quit
:. WE'LL" replied Edith, loftily, and the
are not bootblacks. / often buy thing
from them. They are very pleasar
II young men. Don't YOU think tina
8, Young Italian looks wonderfully liz
e Napoleon?"
T. mo. / don't" returned prosaic Da
Dr. ton. HE looks more as if he needle
a bath"
A few days later, Dayton discovere
Edith with bag Of peanuts In OF
NJ hand, a bunch of carnations In Il
a other, standing upon the grocer's doc
81 step. conversing with the grocer
It. young man. When Dayton reach'
n. home he told his mother about 1t.
Az "She's such dear, friendly lit
:. soul" said Mrs. Bannering, that
hate to tell her that she mustn't ma
10 a bosom friend of every person
We happens to meet, even if that pers
All does chance to resemble royalty"
ne But when Edith's schoolmates
VS. gan to tease her about her tongues
ee- when the neighbors began to hint
Ter Mrs. Bannering that the girl was
,,x too particular in her choice of as
he ciates, and when the peanut vend
the florists assistant or the groce
young man was continually at hand
escort Edith to or from school, M
lcn Bannering realized that the time
lat come for interference.
of IF she we're my daughter s
the Dayton, shaking a threatening fist
nts bunch of violets presented by
ing young florist, I'D lock her up In
sre room and keep her there. I'll thru
:, those three chaps If you say
Shall To-
Certainly not" said Mrs. Banr
ing, quietly. Il want you to Inv
led them here to dinner"
ars What" gasped Dayton.
"a 1--WE decided" said Mrs. Bannerl
,r ito let Edith invite them all here
dinner, tomorrow night told n
wished to meet her friends"
w aJc n a franz"