The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-07-29

'Nht'ph W liz NSdIcI. MIS-. ScUOUel0
had considered giving 1t to Della, the
cook. but had decided not to do so, be-
cause you never could tell how Della
was going to take things. and cooks
were scarce.
1t may have been the word ''medi-
eval' lin Mrs. Lora Rewbush's rich
phrase) which had inspired the idea
for a last and conspicuous usefulness.
At all events the bodice Of that once
salmon dress, somewhat modified and
moderated, now took a position for
its farewell appearance in society upon
the back, breast and arms OF the Child
Sir Lancelot.
The area thus costumed ceased at
the waist, leaving a Jaeger-like and I'M
medieval gap thence to the tops Of
the stockings. The inventive genius of
woman triumphantly bridged 1t, but in
q manner which imposes upon history
almost inSuperable d~elicacies of mar
ration. Periods father was an old
fashioned man. The twentieth cen
fury had failed TO shake his faith in
red flannel for cold weather. and 1t
was while Mrs. Schofheld was putting
away her husbands winter underwear
that she perceived how h~opelessly one
of the elder specimens had dwindled.
and simultaneously she received the
inspiration which resulted in n pair of
trunks for the Child Sir Lancelot and
added an earnest bit of color, as well
rs n genuine touch Of the middle ages.
10 his costume. Reversed, fore to aft.
with the greater part of the legs cut
off and strips of silver braid covering
the seams. this garment, she felt. was
not traceable to its original source.
When it had been placed upon Pen
rod the stockings were attached to it
by n system of safety pins, not very
perceptible ut n distance. Next. after
being severely warned against stoop-
Ing, Penrod got his feet into the slip
pers he wore to dancing school-"pat-
ent leather pumps" now decorated
with large pink rosettes.
"If can't stoop," he began smolder-
ingly, "Td like to know how'm l goin'
to kneel in the pag'-
"You must manager This. uttered
through pins, was evidently thought
to be sufficient.
They fastened some ruching about
his slender neck, pinned ribbons at
random all over him, and then Mar
garet thickly powdered his hair.
"Oh, yes; that's all right" she said,
replying to a question put by her
mother. They always powdered their
hair in colonial times"
ut doesn't seem right to me-exact-
ly," objected Mrs. Schofield gently.
"Sir Lancelot must have been ever SO
long before colonial times"
THAT doesn't matter" Margaret re-
assured her. "Nobody'l know the
difference, Mrs. Lora Rewbush least of
all. l don't think she knows a thing
about 1t, though, of course, she does
write splendidly and the words of the
pageant are just beautiful. Stand
still, Penrod!' CThe author of "Har-
old Ramorez' had moved convulsively.D
Besides. powdered hairs always be-
coming. Look ut him. You'd hardly
know It was Penrod."
The pride and admiration with which
she pronounced this undeniable truth
might have been thought tactless, but
Penrod, not analytical. found his spir-
It's somewhat elevated. No mirror
was IN his range of vision. and, though
he had submitted to cursory measure
ments Of his person a week earlier. he
had no previous acquaintance with the
costume. He began to form n not un-
pleasing mental picture OF his appear
ance, something somewhere between
the portraits Of George Washington
and a vivid memory of Miss Julia
Marlowe at n matinee Of Twelfth
Night"
He was additionally cheered by a
sword which had been borrowed from
a neighbor who was a Knight Of Pyth-
las. Finally there was q mantle. an
old golf cape Of Margaret's. Fluffy
polka dots Of white cotton had been
sewed to 1t generously; also it was or
namented with a large cross Of red
flannel, suggested by the picture Of a
crusader in a newspaper advertise
ment. The mantle vas fastened to
Penrod's shoulder-that is. to the
shoulder of Mrs. Schofeld's e~X-bodice-
by means Of large safety pins and ar
ranged to hang down behind him,
touching his heels. but obscuring no.
wise the glory Of his facade. Then It
last he was allowed to step before a
mirror.
1t was a full length glass and the
worst Immediately happened. 1t might
have been a little less violent. perhaps,
If Penrod's expectations had not been
so richly and POLITICALLY idealized. but
as things were the revolt was volcanic.
Victor Hugo's account Of the fight
with the devilfsh, in "TOilers OF the
Sea-" encourages a belief that, had
Hugo lived and increased In power, he
might have been equal to a proper
recital Of the half hour which followed
Periods FIRST sight Of himself as the {
Child Sir Lancelot- But MI. Wilson
himself. bastard but eloquent foe Of
Harold Ramorez. could not have ex-
pressed. with all the vile dashes at his
command. the sentiments which ami
mated Penrod's bosom when the in