The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-02-19
BILL ARP,s CHAT.
The Rest OF the Folks Gone to the We'd
ding.
atlanta Constitution.

The Rest OF the Folks Conc to the We'd
ding.
atlanta Constitution.
Gone to the wedding. All gone but me
and the baby. I'm good for something
yet. can take care of the grandchildren
when the mother and grandmother are
away. I sorter wanted to 60 to the we'd
ding, too, but I made out Ike dident,
for l knew somebody had to stay with the
child, the sweet little girl that loves me
and calls me "dsnpa." I never saw a
woman that dident love wedding. The
men do, too, except some. Heard sour
old bachelor say, "a marriage always
make me feel sad. It is 8 transition from
freedom into slavery. 1t reminds me Of
religious fanatic going to China as q
missionary, or beautiful girl taking the
veil and going into nunnery." And
there are many old saws and sayings such
as "Marry in haste and repent at leisure" "
and marriage is lottery in which nine
ty.nine draw blanks and one gets prize" i"
and "Matrimony is cage and those who
are in wish to get out, and those who are
out wish to get in" and ever so many
more insinuating reflections. But it does
not matter. The weddings are going
on and they will be talked about aud pa.
tronized and enjoyed just as they have
been for6, 900 years. 1t is a cold, dark
night and the road is bad and the creek
up, but my folks have all gone, and they
will stay gone until midnight, for it is an
old fashioned wedding at the family
mansion, and there is to be a great feast
and fine music, and the big house will be
full and running over. This is the first
wedding in the family, and will be the
last, for the bride is an only child, and Of
course it ia big thing. Kindred and
friends have come from far aud the nabors
are invited and everybody will be on
their best behavior and arrayed in their
best clothes, and that is according to
Scripture, for folks who go to weddings
should have wedding garments. In fact,
that is good part of the wedding, espe-
cially with the women folks. Fine clothes
are just as natural to woman as long hair
or baby talk. It has been so for all time.
Aunt Sally Abraham and Mrs. Rebecca
Isaac and Mrs. Rachel Jacob were all
dressy. Isaac caught Miss Rebecca by
shining her eyes with pair of earrings
that cost him rs cents. Mrs. Jacob
didn't have but one daughter, and Jose
phus, the historian, says that the reason
Mics Dipah vent over to Shechem was
she wanted to see the finery of the women
of that city. Just 80.
It's like our Gainesville folks running
down to Atlanta to See the latest fashions
and how the city women dress. That's all
right. if the husband or father can afford
it. Everybody who is any account likes
good clothes. If there was nobody to
wear fine goods what would become of the
poor people who make them. + don't
know what kind of fnerY the ladies had
on at this wedding, but I will know in
due time. 1t is to be an old-fashioned
weddings grand affair and they have
been fixing for it q long time. Turkeys
and pigs and ducks and oysters and crabs
have been sacrificed in reckless abundance
and there's q big closet right full of cake
and another closet full of syllabub and
floating islands and crystal mountaina
and Queen and Charlotte, and Tom snd
Jerry and Punch and Judy, and jams aud
.iellies, world without end-enough to feed
q regiment they say, and my folks have
hinted that they will bring me sample
if I take good care Of the baby. = : '1 !
She is waking up right now and will be
calling her mamma in minute-so mote
il he. y y 4.
A man can't do much with baby in
the night when the mother is gone. For
nearly two hours have worked with that
child and every few minutes she begged
for her mamma. got her picture book
and talked dog and cat and monkey. 1
showed her Santa Claus and Bluebeard.
I walked and walked and sang all my
little songs and patted her back, as I
marched to my music. I twirled silver
dollars on the marble-top table. got
the fiddle and let her SAW on it with the
bow. I hunted up her dolls and nursed
the cat and tickled the dogs foot as he
slept Oh the rug, and so by shifting the
scenes I managed to keep her little mind
employed until the little eye began to
droop, and with Sigh and q sob she
went to sleep. 1t was struggle against
time and her mother came soon after I
had whipped the fight. They all came
and they came talking and they were 80
sorry missed it, for it was fine wedding
and fine feast, and fine party, and ev-
erybody was so nice and the young folks
were lovely, and the old folks were splen-
did, and the bride was picture, AMI her
maids were charming and the music ex-
quisite and the presents were just magni-
icent and other adjectives and adverbs,
interjections and EXPLANATIONS too tedious
to mention-"oh, you ought to have been
there-you don't know what you have
missed"
T know it all now-1 think l do-evory
bon mot, fox pas and Jew dc spirit. T
know which had the prettiest face and
which the most beautiful dress and which
the sweetest manners. I know who was
the finest looking gentleman and who was
the hungriest, and who the thirtiest, and
who was the most captivating. I know all
about the beautiful presents and who gave
them. and how lovely the bride looked.