The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-08-29

sail boats, nrSt pIiLe 40 tHS DoHha
Francesca, with second TO fish boat
carrying the number 0o63.
BABY SHOW.
Despite torrential rains that were
almost uninterrupted during the en-
tire progress OF the event; with a
very comfortable, roomy tent that
might have served admirably for a
sunny hour but which was nothing
more or less than vast sieve; with
700 people swarming about with
laugh and joke and pleasant anticipa-
tions, and $50 fine specimens OF As
toria infancy on display, u OF which
were billed as competitors in the
Regatta baby show, that happy affair
was pulled off yesterday afternoon at
the Stadium, corner OF Eighth and
Commercial streets, with an eclat
rarely found in matters OF that sort.
Chairman Frank j. Carney and his
10 Judges, and the ladies' committee
in direct charge of the enrolled
babies, had their hands full every
minute OF the hour devoted to the
pleasant task. AS soon as the ladies
had arranged the babies in something
approaching a group, the ii lated
men, not one whom possessed a baby
of his own, grimly took their note
books and filed down the line inspect
| ing right and left and making careful
notes OF the beauty, plumpness, slim
ness, righteousness, and lack OF
beauty, signied in the individual men,
bers OF the infantile brigade, including
the twins, and triplets then and there
present. 1t was an exacting job, for
never had these men gone up against
battery of such sort as laughed, and
dimpled, and crowed, and cried, and
howled, as them as did these II en-
gaging human morsels Back and
forth through the phalanx OF mothers
whose faces bore the invariable ex-
preston Of gentle, yet pleading anx.
iety OF the moment, and which no
man dare look upon long lest he were
lost; back and forth again and again,
until each Judge had firmly fixed in
his mind and memoranda, the Num-
bers appertaining to the dear little
tots that appealed most strongly to
him, as deserving allotment in the
scale of prize-winners.
| At last they pulled themselves to-
gether and with a poorly veiled at
tempt to act as though they we're
really tired OF the whole thing and
had simply been doing something SO
familiar, so monotonously customary
that they could not conceal their
WEAKNESS, they withdrew from the
ring and disappeared with their
hearts in their mouths), behind the
circus paraphernalia of the tent; and
there, with bated breath and perspir-
ing brows, in tones tragically low,
with sibilant whisper and anxious dec
larations of comparison, wrought out
the following list Of winners, which
they took back into the great crowd
and yielded up to their chairman.
Mr.. Carney is brave man; he has
all the Celtic virtue of pluck and Irish
courage rarely fails; but it failed him
yesterday. He simply could not face
the 63 mothers who were certain to
be chagrined (for there were eight
prizes to be awarded), and, at the
very climax of his fright, turned the
delicate task of naming the winners
over to u. S. Senator Charles W.
Fulton who for the sake Of sparing his
old time friend, and placating situa-
ton that was likely to become actual
ly disastrous, assumed the function as
men do who lead "forlorn hopes.
Donning huge badge securely fas.
Z
tend to his coat, he mounted a table
and, after soundly berating the I'm
happy chairman for his loss of nerve
at the vital moment, and openly abb
solving himself Of all personal partici.
patton in the conspiracy of the II
declared the winners to be:
No. lo-"Billie Gribbler," the pret-
test boy baby
No. 6-@Berenice Peterson" The
oratt;eet hahv o;rl