Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1922-01-26
A T0OTHSOME TALE
ANNETTE C. sYMmEs.

1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.


g. 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
When Cousin Phrony Butterfield
made her annual visit to the Blakes,
little Phrony, as she still continued
to call her namesake, in spite of
that winsome damsers 20 years, was
unanimously elected to the pleasing
task of ''giving Cousin Phrony good
time" A rather bleak and cheerless
girlhood which merged into woman
hood filed with hard and unappre-
ciated toll as the bond-slave of
brother whose body was crippled by
rheumatism and whose soul was
warped worse than his body long be-
fore the latter knew a rheumatic
pang, had brought Cousin Phrony to
her mid-fifties with a girls keen
relish for good times-and she
wanted the kind /of good times girls
have, tool Only little Phrony could
stand her namesakes pace, when she
attempted to cram into fortnight
enough jaunting to last the other 90
weeks of the year-and little Phrony
frankly admitted that Cousin Phrony
was more fun than any girl she knew.
sTt's wicked. / know" little
Phrony said to herself" but Pm glad
Cousin Hiram is dead And / wish
he'd died beforel And do wish, too
that Cousin Phrony would sell that
wicked farm and move somewhere
where she wouldn't have to take her
amusement in chunks !" But Cousin
Phrony chung to the farm, and came
regularly after haying each year for
her visit.
This year the first few days passed
rather drably, owing to the
guests attendance at dental office,
where an under set of 'store-teeth"
were being fashioned for her. But the
night after she bore them home in
triumph, she announced cheerfully
that tomorrow she "wuz in hopes t
she'n Phrony could have a real good
time"
Little Phrony knew where to take
her cousin, and from the moment
when they descended from the trolley
into the gay crowd at the beach re-
sort, Cousin Phrony was in her ele-
ment. The changing music of merry
go-round drew her into the big pa
vilion, her eyes cllnging to the gaily-
painted beasts and their riders.
Little Phrony, knowing what the
woman really wanted, proposed a ride
and after very slight resistance
Cousin Phrony gave In, and settled her
generous weight upon gaudy ele-
phant, "because it'd take an ELEPHANT
to hold her upw The spectacle of the
dear soul. In her black-striped muslin,
her hat. a Discreet combination of hat
and bonnet, and her comfort" shoes,
careering in circle with delight,
written broadly all over her rosy,
wholesome face, was striking enough
TO compel the attention of a good
looking young man nearby. When
the ride was over, and the two de-
scended. he followed them.
And when they dined. lie sat at the
table next them.
Now Cousin Phrony had not yet sub
dued her new "store-teeth." The upper
set she was used to; but the new
lower set bothered her to that extent
that the delicious fried clans and
"French fried" potatoes lost half their
flavor for her. as she painfully con-
centrated upon mastication.
flake out these horrid under teeth,
cousin" begged little Phrony, at last.
"They're spelling your dinnerY
81 declare, I b'lieve l will!' sighed
the harrassed diner, and lifted q dis
Greet napkin to her lips. When she
removed it, the teeth were in its folds.
It was when they rose to go that the
catastrophe occurredl In her engross-
ment in the dinner. Cousin Phrony had
totally forgotten the teeth lying in her
lap. With a horrifying chatter they
struck the floor, and, not content with
that. "skittered," to use her own
phrase. right out in front of the young
man at the next table, who was ris-
ing, tool
Little Phrony made dart for them,
but the man was the quicker. Picking