The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1915-07-22

w. oA4SSs dC cAtifc kCllluS VI
woman triumphantly bridged 1t, but in
a manner which imposes upon history
almost insuperable delicacies of mar
ration Penrod's father was an old
fashioned man. The twentieth CEN
fury had failed to shake his faith In
red flannel for cold weather. and it
was while Mrs. Schofeld was putting
away her husbands winter underwear
that she perceived how hopelessly one
of the elder specimens had dwindled.
and simultaneously she received the
inspiration which resulted in a pair Of
trunks for the Child Sir Lancelot and
added an earnest bit of color, as well
as genuine touch Of the middle ages.
to his costume. Reversed, fore to aft
with the greater part of the legs cut
OF 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 1t
by a system Of safety pins, not very
perceptible at 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 stoep," he began smolder-
ingly, I'D like to know how'm goin'
to kneel in the pag"-
you must manager This, uttered
through pins, was evidently thought
to be sufficient
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. "Ihey always powdered their
hair in colonial times"
1T doesn't seem right to me-exact-
ly," objected Mrs. Schofeld gently.
"Sir Lancelot must have been ever SO
long before colonial times"
THAT doesn't matter" Margaret re-
assured her "Nobody'll know the
difference. Mrs. Lora Rewbush least of
all. l don't think she knows a thing
about it. though. Of course, she does
write splendidly and the words Of the
pageant are just beautiful. Stand
still. Penrodv' CThe author Of "Har-
old Ramorez" had moved convulsivelyJ
Besides. powdered hairs always be-
coming Look at him. You'd hardly
know It was Penrod!'
The pride and admiration with which
she pronounced this undeniable truth
might have been thought tactIess. but
Penrod. not analytical. found his spir-
its somewhat elevated. No mirror
was In his range of vision. and. though
be had submitted to cursory measure
ments Of his person a week earlier. be
had no previous acquaintance with the
costume. He began to form 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 a matinee Of Twelfth
Night"
He was additionally cheered by
sword which had been borrowed from
a neighbor who was a Knight Of Pyth-
las Finally there was mantle. an
old golf cape Of Margaret's. FLUFFY
polka dots Of white cotton had been
sewed to it generously: also 1t was Or
namented with a large cross OF red
dannel. suggested by the picture of
crusader In q newspaper advertise
ment The mantle was fastened to
Penrod's shoulder-that is. to the
shoulder of Mrs. Schofeid's ex-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 at
last he was allowed to step before
mirror.
1t was a full length glass and the
worst Immediately happened 1t might
have been little less violent, perhaps.
II Penrod's expectations had not been
20 richly and POLITICALLY idealized. but
as things were the revolt was volcanic.
Victor Hugo's account Of the fight
with the devilfish. 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
Penrod's first sight of himself as the
Child Sir Lancelot But Mr.. 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
Simultaneous and unalterable conviction
descended upon him that he vas in
tended by his loved ones to make pub
lie spectacle of himself In his sisters
stockings and part Of an old dress Of
his mothers.
To him these familiar things were
not disguised at all. There seemed no
possibility that the whole world would
not know them at glance. The stock
ings were worse than the bodice. He
had been assured that these could not
be recognized. but, seeing them In the
mirror, he was sure that no human
eye could fail at first glance to detect
the difference between himself and the
former purposes Of these stockings.
Fold. wrinkle. and void shrieked their
history with a hundred tongues. invok-
ing earthquake. eclipse and blue ruin.
The frantic youths 6nal submission
was obtained only after painful tele-
phonic conversation between himself
and his father. the latter having been
called up and upon by the exhausted
Mrs. Schofeld. to subjugate his on
spring by wire.
The two ladies made all possible
haste after this to deliver Penrod into
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