Once upon a time on Simonton Lane in Vidalia, there lived a princess. Or at least, she lived like a princess for a couple of days.

The Dart found Maggie Cowan on Sunday afternoon, just one day after she enjoyed a Disney princess-themed first birthday party in the Civic Room of Vidalia’s Concordia Bank branch. &uot;She got a rocking horse, some dresses, a phone, a keychain with keys on it,&uot; said sister Kaitlyn, 9.

Maggie’s cake, made by Edna Welch of Natchez, was even shaped like a castle &045; and, apparently, was too beautiful for Maggie to dig into all at once, as so many 1-year-olds do.

&uot;She kind of pinched off a little bit at a time and ate it,&uot; Kaitlyn said.

But that wasn’t the end of the royal treatment for Maggie. As Maggie was being rolled around in a stroller outside her house by the babysitter, another neighbor came by with an extra present for the birthday girl.

Inside the gold bag given by neighbor Betty Short was not only a Pooh Bear gown but some Baby Pooh rubber toys that Maggie immediately started playing with. Any toys that escaped her grip were instantly retrieved by her siblings or their friends, several of whom were skating, biking or riding skateboards nearby.

&uot;I’ve got it!&uot; said Maggie’s other sister, 4-year-old Selah, retrieving a toy that Maggie threw as their brother, 7-year-old Hayden, looked on.

Royal servants at your beck and call, gifts and cake, being rolled around everywhere you go &045; that’s the life. &uot;When you’re young, you want to be old, and when you’re old, you want to be young again,&uot; Short said, shaking her head. &uot;That’s the way it goes.&uot;