The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-12-27
ARP'S WEEKLY CHAT.
HE TELLS 4BOUT HIS CHRISTWAS
EXPERIENCE
And the Pleasures He Has Had-His rocket
book Looks Very Thin, but HIS Heart
is in the Right Place.

Christmas is q big time for the children
but it works an old man hard especially
when his pocketbook looks like an elephant
had trod on it. Only u few little things,
they said bat the little things keep swell
ing and as Cobe says, ''they got more thicker
and more denser" Maybe [ will squeeze
through this time but it is q good thing
that christmas comes but once Il year.
L remember when they were a long time
apart but they are closer now The days
are not so long as they used to be and L
didn't believe there are as many Of them,
but if Christmas brings happiness to the
children and grandchildren, III strain my
self Il little longer. They have worked me
hard this week. Mrs. Arp said that the
| little girls must have q dollhouse and that
L could make it out of u box. Yes; just get
| Il big box from store and put shelves and
| petitions in it. You can do it. Y gu used to
| be so handy with the plane and the saw,
| and a dollhouse will please the little grand
| children more than anything you can buy
| them"
! Yes, I perceive | understand. I've been
| all along there. In the first place, firstly
| you must find the right kind OF a box and
| you can't do it. Ii wasn't in town. They
| wanted two rOoms downstairs and hall DE
tween, and two rooms upstairs and starr
| case so that the dolls could get up and down
| and the rooms must be big enough Tor the
| little bedstead and bureau and other fur
| niture and the house must have windows
and doors. "Oh, just little simple cum
| ming, cosy sort of house." said Mrs. Arp
you can make it i'll half a day"
Well, L have worked on that house four
| days and nights and l recon it is about done
| unless they want some more changes.
| The only box l could find that was big
| enough was only foot deep and / had to
| knock the bottom out and piece it and make
| it sixteen inches 50 that the little bedStead
a W q
| box deeper is poor judge of trouble, but
L did it and then nailed the bottom on
| again and tool rest. l set her up and
| invited the family out to tell Inc which
was the top, for the box was four feet one
| way and three feet the other. After con-
| siderable discussion they declared that the
| house must be broader than it was high
| and so went in to put in the petitions
| AS ! had no plank Of the right width, L
! had to piece AMI patch and shindig all over
! the premises. My jackplane had as many
| gaps in it as an old saw, and so had to
| grind it, ana the grindStOne had lost the
| handle and [ had to make another, but
| after great tribulation | got the petitions in
and set her up again and invited the lam ram
| lily out They admired 1t much and praised
| me q dollars worth and then wanted to
| know if | had the stairs ready to put in
| the hall. Oh, my country! These women
| think Il man can cOnJure up STAIRS as easy
| AS can WASH his finger. a woman can
| .ugNlyn bridge was very much OF
| a lob. and so a man don't get much credit
| for planning flight of stairs III doll
! house. These stairs had to rise eighteen
| inches high IN fifteen inches space, but !
| made them do il 1t took two tights going
! and coming witt Il platform between
| and j built them of tin and they are hne and
| the little dolls VIII run up and down all
day l reckon, | found enough g1tedge
| moulding to run round the front, and last
! night after the little chaps bad gone TO bed,
! the biz girls prepared the little house ana
| put carpets on the floor and now 1t looks
! like q daisy and is hid away waiting 1or
! Santa Claus to bring it down the chimney
| The whole establishment has cost about hair
| Il dollar in money and ten dollars III WorH'
| but Il thing of beauty is JOY toreYer-lI u
| lasts that long-and so | am content. i
! don't know what my interesting family IS
| about never knew Mrs. Arp to stay up
! stairs Il whole day before, unless somebody
| was sick They won't allow NE up there
! nor the small chaps. There IL a good deal
| If Shining and sliding around. | was told
today in a whisper that the maternal ances-
! ter had been wearing the same ola cloak Tor
| six long year5.-G0Od graclois.--fF eh J. tooh
| the hint of course. ] always do. she al
| WAYS looks so nice when She IS dressed up
| for church or the missionary society diaC
| She is president of that / didn't know her
| wardrobe needed any replenlshing, but sun q
| cloak that is six years old must be IlCile
| ont of fashion, and so ! told the girls thaJ
their mother must have cloak, ana thaC
money was no object with me at all "heu
| her wants were considered, and they might
| snnnd ten or a dozen dollars if they wanted
! to and more if necessary to make Things nan
| ruonious about the house and nave every
thing calm and serene. / used to laVI5i
| money on her when she was young ana
pr-proud, but she won let me no" I,,,.
| wants all my spare change spent on hIf
children. About forty years ago / bought
her a set of furs in New York thaJ cosr
S125, and she has got them yet. 1ne heI lS
| things. She does. | wish that her Chli-
! dran took after her, but they dom & 4hey
wonder how many dolls they have dress
| Oh unstairs; how many cushions and book
| covers and caps and capes ana toliet uIllNS
! they have fixed up. | wonder WhaJ t4eS ~ g
expecting from me- !houEhJ may M ,.c',i
! my them another pdir OF shoes an round
! for If will have to be done before IoAS any
| how md I'll get them some SCISSORS from
| Dony Balm. | have already received .I1I,
| nresent-a lady friend sent me a DeaH'i ~
! rann all the way from the City oil Mexico
| 9nd 7 am strutting around. / viii get some
| thing pleee | reckOn--S0lnethlng TO wear
! ON nv head on the winter nights. -
! Eut there is going to be Christmas an
| about this time. The sunday schooi III N
| dren are, to have a Christmas tree IL the
| church and our people are at work Tor
| tban, 100 for every one must HaVe a pres
| ent | like that. 1t is good for every cnIa
| TO have pleasant TecoIections OF CHRIST
mas. Santa Claus is a myth, know, out
| what man or woman does not nave sweet
memories of their childish falth II AIS
! driving over the houset0ps and bringing his
treasures down the chimney?
| We had little catastrophe IN the parlor
tonight that has disturbed our hilanty and
| excited some superstition. There IS a
black cat up the chimney and it won't come
down. 1t is a wildcat and had slipped in
the dinngroom, and when we tried to drive
II out the frightened beast ran into the
parlor and up the chimney right over a
hot CRATE of burning Goals 1T is moaning
np there now We got the coal hods and
| took all the fire out as quick as we could,
but the bricks were redhot and how The
poor thing stays up there we cannot tell.
Mrs. Arp declares she smells the fur burn
ing and wants somebody to do something
for the poor thing, but we can't, and now
| comes in all the Superstitions about black
eats and | reckon l will have to sit up all
night and watch it. They are talking about
| Poc's Raven that perched upon the door
| and now the black cat still is moaning
| moaning in the chimney tlue. 1t Is worse
than a screech owl, but ! can't help il. II
| it has nine lives it don't matter much II i
does lose one. But my folks are supersti-
tious about black cats and say thai they
| have always been suspected OF being tie
Ia ,,,,,, I