The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-31
BILL ARP SEES THE FAIR.
AND HIS FOLKS SPEND THE DAY.
The Arp Family Enjoyed II Hugely =
They Did Not Reach the Midway.


some of the family did and the talk
and tell of it lasted six months. 1t was
the greatest show that ever was on
earth. But it was too big show for u
day or Il week My folks say they
never got through with it and had to
hurry over what thcy did sec. The
fair at Atlanta is big enough for mo
big enough for my time and my COM
prehcnsion. My wife and have been
and it has renewed her youth and now
she has something else to talk about
besides the missionary meetings and
the grandchildren and the flowers that
haven't put in the pit. Yes, took
her down last Wednesday. 1t took
right smart of preparation, Of course,
for she had an idea that the people
would all expect her and observe her
outfit, and she has great respect for
public occasions and for herself, too,
and SO her paraphcrnalia had to be
revised and remodeled. She knows
how poor | am and said it would cost
too much for her to go, but told her
she should go if it broke me and all my
friends and relations. These maternal
ancestors, who, for thirty and forty
years, have served the Lord and their
country in the infantry service aud
toilod day and night in raising chill
dren, nursing and sewing and caring
for oifspring-slavcs to destiny and
the curse that was put on Mother Eve
newer without q little child that was
too young and helpless to take care Of
itself, never with q day or a night that
was free from anxiety, they should
have u good time in their last DAYS if
there is a good time for anybody in
this snblunary world. They are liko
the heroes who came from the war.
They are like Paul, who said, II have
fought good tight.' But Paul would
have known Il little more about fight
ing if he had been q family man and
had to get up in the night when he was
almost dead for sleep and walk the
floor in his night gown with tecthiag
child in his arms and singing. "Hush
my dear be still and slumber," or
"Oh, where shall rest be found,
Rest for the weary soul :"
Paul had a hard time but he never
graduated in the fighting business.
He was too smart to enter the infantry
service.
My wife was almost afraid to under
take the cXpOsitiOn-airaid she would
get tired and worn out tramDiDr
around, but like all mothers she lets
the Youngest child persuade her. The
older ones have scattered and gone and
some Of them we fear are wcancd, but
the youngest OF all the ilock is here
and she Is not wcancd. She was
twcnty-onc yesterday and is married
and has u child of her own, but she is
not weaned. Oh, no: she is still our
comfort aud brings us sunshine every
day. Just thiuk of it. Ten living
children and the youngest has passed
her twenty one: The oldest is clean
out of sight. He is almost as old as
am and has sons who have graduated
and gone to work. One Of them. who
has my name and my birthday is an
electrician at the exposition. Hu
escorted us round and when we were
asked to register our names in book
| wrote mine in full and he took the
pen and just wrote ''ditto," and we
went on.
We got safely into the grounds. my
wife and | and our youngest daughter,
who was celebrating her birthday. and
began the grand rounds about o'clock
in the morning. We stopped long
enough to take IL rd's-eyc view Of the
situaton-to look at the panorama and
to locate the particular buildings. [
was the chaperOn, for | had been there
before, and SO pointed out everything
before we began the perusal. "Thcrc
is the government building" said l..
81 wish you could spend half day
there. That Smithsonian exhibit is
just magnificent. There is the wo-
mans building. There is the liberal
arts. There is the agricultural build
ing and there the machinery. Over
there is the Midway. In every church,
You know, the devil has u pulpit at the
rear end and the Midway is his pulpit
here"
r, a,o +;,,>, ,,,, ,+.,+ 81 10. 49, ...- =,
rounds. | had two shawls and bask ct
OF lunch and some other traps to carry.
but that was all right for q while.
will carry anything on such occasions.
[ carried those paraphernalia until /
o'clock, when we got to place where
we could cat up the lunch and leave
the shawls and the ctcetera. We took
it in by slow degrees. Sometimes
was in tho lead like pilot; sometimes
| was behind like q shepherd dog |
an very dOcile on such occasions
Sometimes | would sit down some
where and wait till they got done look
ing. / had no trouble anywhere except
at the fisheries. The crowd was worry
thick there and most of them were
niggers and white folks and the pass
way is narrow. "Gcntlomen," said I,
please don't crowd this lady-she is
my wife," but they paid no more atten-
tion to me than If | was & common man
and | reckon | am. If | could have
called back twenty years ! would have
knocked one follow a rod and taught
him some manners. Those fish are
just beautiful, but have seen Sleeps
hoad down at Clear Water just like
them. | have seen them all around q
palmetto post sucking the barnacles
and thoy were so thick you could not
SEQ through them. They wouldent
notice hook with the most tempting
bait on it, but could take grain or
gigpO)e and strike it down amongst
them and kill half dozen at q stroke.
1t took us an hour to get through the
government building and we did not
see 1T all to our satisfaction. That
alone Is a great show Our paternal
goVernmentohas beer good to us ind
the Smithsonian institution carried
out the will of that noble Englishman
who left million dollars for the diff
fusion OF knowledge among mon. The
preface to the catalogue saws thew
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