Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-25
The Close Of the County Fair.

FROM ftca'S sun.
The fairs are about over for the year. and the
prize pumpkin has been laid to rest in the bosom
OF the cattle, because it was not worth nickel
to make pies of. The prize potatoes a dozen
large ones picked out of q hundred bushels of
small ones. have been cut up and fed to the hogs
because they wefe not fit for human beings to
eat owing to the black spots in the center and
strong taste all through. The prize bread.
made by farmers wife for the OCCASION has
been sent to the editor, who used it as
cake for week. and the farmers wife
will not make any more such bread till next
fair time The big turnps that all admired, and
which were so pithy the cows would not eat
them. have been thrown out behind the agrcui-
tural hall to rot. The floral hall. where the in
evitabe calico pieced quilt hung on rope
across the aisle. is closed and the young man
from the country will no more lead his girl by
the hand through its crowded passages, and
the city fellow. who is looking for mash, -
will no more crowd the aged and inflrm
in order to hurry around behind the
exhibition OF church organs where a music
teacher is hired for the week to play Heaven is
my Home, when she lives on farm four miles
from town, as many a young man knows who
has asked to see her home This week winds
up the duty OF the committee who goes around
with butter-tryer tapping cheese to see if it is
ripe, ana tasting of the honey, the owners of
which enter six pounds of strained honey. get
Ill,
even get the jar back that the honey was in
The committee on poultry, composed of men
and women who can't tell Berkshire
hen from Southdown gobbler, looks wise
over cage of ducks and gives everybody
a diploma so that nobody will kick. The ever
lasting rattle Of the self-rakng reaper. and the
corn shelter and the nickel-plated thrashing
machine is huShed for a year, and the agents who
have buttOn-holed farmers from Saltwater to
kalamazoo, and talked their arms off, have
fri-. fr1rln
with sllVers in, covered with shanty, that has
been filled with grangers at two shiliings head
to look at plug horses tire out a track by racing
half mile in four minutes. is to-day only inhab-
TIED by tobacco cudS. peanut shucks and cigar
stubs, and a smell OF beer. The orators that were
selected for what they didn't know about farm
ing. and what they did know about politics,
have fired themselves off in the faces of the
Open-lnOuthed grangers, and have gone home
wondering if they will be elected to Office this
fall; The farmers that hitched up the old mares
and came to town with the family. the colts
following, and who lost the colts in town when
they got ready to go home. and had to let Hi
ram hold the team while they run up and down
the streets whlstling to the colts and swearing
because the colts insisted on following off a
team of strange geldings, have returned to
the farms with headaches from drinking imita-
ton cider made of dried apples and sugar and
water. and they have sworn that is the last
fair they will ever attend. The man
eight pounds of butter from photograph of a
pan OF milk, by simple turn of the wrist, has
packed up his churn and got a job doing chores
at country tavern for his board for the winter.
The sewing machine agents who lied six weeks
about their machines, have got onto wagons and
are travelling about the country trading sewing
machines for farmers notes. The 'busses that
ran to the fair grounds as fast as possible, made
sixty dollars and killed hundred dollar
horse, have been driven under the she'd
| and the prOprietOrs are figuring up the profits
| as they whitte single in front of their barns
| a fair, anyway" The fair ground is closed.
The last bull has been led home by the nose.
The last crate OF sheep and the last load Of hogs
| have gone to the farms, the last squealing
| horse has pranced down the street with q card
tied to his bride, and proud farmer boy hang
pecting every minute to be kicked in tine ribs
The hOarse lunatic that sells stuff to take grease
| spots out Of clothing has joined the man with
the fortune wheel and gone to the city to drive
street cars during the winter. The ladies who
superintendedthef floral hall and did all the work.
| fammatOry rheumatism, and are as cross as
bears, and they have right to be- The brass
band from an adjoining town with helmets and
gold-lace, have footed thelrlast discOrdant toot
| and gone home In lumber wagon after dark
and got asleep In the wagon box. The pre-
miums have been pr0rated, for agricultural pro-
ducts, and paid in full to the trotting horses,
and the great gates of the fair ground, but yes
terday the portals Of busy bustling city Of
plenty are to-day closed, and 3 target for bird
shot nom the gang Of boys, who are coming
home from hunting. The fair ground will be
deader than cemetery now for eleven months
and three weeks, when It viii be opened again
| for the same kind Of q mob.
An aged resident Of Georgia. talking about .
Cd 2knIh