The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-23
THAT PRIZE BABY.
HOW BILL zRP.S GRIND CHILD TOOK
THE PRIZE.

not mixed up with pain don't know it. The
young people had just as we'll get reconciled
to 1t in advance and prepare for it. don't
mean pain Of body altogether, but disappoiut-
ment and pain of heart and emotion. | was
thinking about this when I read in the papers
that one Of our grandchildren had taken the
prize at baby show at the Rome fair 1 know
that the mother of that boy was proud and I
could see her in her calm and digniied salts
faction as she meandered around her home
and looked upon her boy, and could almost
hear her thoughts as she said to herself,
"Why, of course he took the prizel How could
he help 1.-THE little darling. There were
some mighty sweet and pretty babies among
those twenty-five, but knew all the time
that if those judges had good sense my boy
would take the premium, and it would have
been the same thing if there had been thous-
and babies" and she carried herself
with a queenly dignity that was very becoming
to maternal pride But by and by the reaction
came. She heard that one disappointed
mother said: well, those judges dident
know thing about babies. They are ali bus
mess men and hardly know their own children
when they meet them on the streets. The
Judges ought to haye been women-mothers
who can tell the difference between one baby
and another" Aud another said: "Well,
for the life of me couldn't see what there
was in that little monkey-faced child. There
was dozen that l would have selected before
i would have ever noticed him." But the
worst OF it all was she got ali anonymous letter
that said; IF one OF the judges hadent been
kin to her she never would have got the prize,
and her child wouldn't have stood ghost or
a chance" Well, there was no limit to he
indignation. She said: Well, it is Just out
fageous. Kin, indeed! Why, he IS just about
the forty-eleyenth cousin, and he dident know
whose child it was, no how. L wish had
fair. didn't want to do It no how but tho
nurse wanted to go. never had him entered
but the nurse was walking around and the COM
mittee saw her and said they wanted just one
more to make up the twenty-five. I never
thought about the prize, but the judges took
the dear little fellow in their arms and he was
so happy and laughed so sweet and crowed at
them and pulled their Whiskers and they fell
In love with him and that is all OF it. but L IN
going to send that money back. 1 won't keep
q dollar of it,"
Well there is something in what one of those
disappointed mothers said. Women are the
pest judges Of children and especially of babies.
If a man holds out his arms to little child
and it goes to him and laughs and claws him
by his whiskers or his nose he feels fattered.
He thinks he must have o kind attractive face
and that the child is smart enough to know it. I
never didlike child thatwouldn' t come to me.
It is reflection on my physiognomy, and SO
reckon that is the secret of our little posterity
getting the premium. But the joke of it is
that the next day prize was offered to the
ugliest baby, and the one who got the second
prize on the first day got the first on the
second day, for the mother put on its old
clothes and let its face go dirty and tangled up
its hair, and it took the ugly premium without
any trouble. l tell you there is a heap in fine
clothes and the way they are fixed up. If
woman don't go neat and attractive at home
there is great danger that her husband won't
know her when he meets her on the street,
Evan Howell wrote to me and congratulated
me and Mrs. Arp about that prize baby. and
said that he always knew that the stock on
both sides was good Well, 1 believe there is
something in stock-in blood-as much
In human folks as there is in
old father was splendid stock. He worked
hard when he was boy and hired out in the
summer and went to school in the winter and
he laid stone wall and made brick and shipped
as a sailor to Savannah and got ship wrecked
and then went to teaching school and studied
hard at night to keep ahead of his scholars.
Yes he was good stock. My wifes stock was
pretty good, too, considering that they were
rich and went TO the legislature and to con-
gress but still they had good blood and were
game to the back bone. I have known for
forty years that Mrs. Arp came from game and
blooded stock. And then there is the other
side of that prize baby's ancestors The old
Sparks stock came all the way down from the
man who wrote the life of Washington and
the Lintons went to school with me aud could
beat all the boys at town ball and bull pen and
cat and so l know they were good stock. But
the main question is what will that baby boy
will never find out that he took prize
for it may affect him like taking the first
honor sometimes affects a college boy--or it
may make fool of him, like being the belle
OF the town makes q fool of o pretty girl.
SWELL" said to Mrs. Arp, ''these infantile
exploits don't amount to much. Ii there had
been any fair when l was q child maybe /
would have carried off the blue ribbon, and l
am sure you would; but what is better waited
twenty years and got prize as is prize, and
you come out pretty well yourself. looked
towards her for some sign, some smile of ap-
prevail but she just remarked that the fire
was getting low and had better go out and
get hod OF coal. These fairs are good sign
They are taking the south all over from Vir.
ginia to Texas The Rome fair was big sue
cess every way. My folks went over there to-
spend the day and they stayed the whole week
and are not done talking about it yet. Mrs.
Arp saw all her old friends and they made
her happy, and she saw the races
which are her delight for she used to be as
much at home on horse as on the ground and
o good deal happier. By the time she was in
her teens she was riding to the plantation
twelve miles, and back in q day and looked
like little inflammation with her long, black
Pocahontas hair falling down to her slender
waist. A good lady rider on a graceful
horse is a queenly sight anyhow, and reckon
that is the way She set her net and caught me.
But her hair is not so long now and her waist
quite so slender and she don't ride OH horse
back any to speak of. She took three of the
children with her to Rome and lett me and two
boys all alone for whole week. We got along
pretty well in the daytime but at night tn
house seemed haunted, the clock licked low
and solemn, the Window-sash ratified like there
were ghosts about, we couldn't find anything
when we wanted it, not even the matches, and
j had to sew up a clean shirt that
was split in the bosom. But we cleaned
up the yard and painted the well-house,
md built wood shed and dug pit for the
flowers. We always do something to surprise
her when she goes away, and She has got so
used to it she expects it. Our cook fell into
line and made four large cakes Of beautiful
butter, and we let her use all the cream and l
don't believe she let the calf suck airy tit.
When she made wafles one would so round,
and every time she brought in hot one no.
body had to wait for piece, and that's the
only good thing there was in the family going
away. We did some other little things in the
way Of intending the blinds and putting bot
tom In the coal hod but III bet Mrs. Arp will
and something more for US to do. Yes, SHE
will keep US ut work, for she says that idleness
Is a vefy bad thing at home or abroad.
These fairs are q good sign. The south is
looking up. She has at last got something
60 show and is proud. 1 am going
TO Mississippi and Arkansas to attend some