The Washington times., 1936-08-28
Contestants FroIic For
Few Hours, Dropping
Cares Of Homes
BY FRED MENAGH
Copyright, 1885, by King Features
Syndicate. Inc.)

Rouge Hills, Is miles out Of this
city. She was greeting Toronto's
"Stork Derby fathers and moth.
ers as they arrived, two by two, to
participate in their first get-to-
gether since the start of the bi.
Zarre Millar will contest 10 years
ago next October. She welcomed
the next pair:
"Oh, 1 suppose you are an
other couple in the StOrk Derby.
I'll show you where the baby
sweepstakes table is set on the
lawn"
But at the puzzled expressions
on the faces of these two taste
fully attired late arrivals, Mrs.
Ackland hesitated, biting her lip.
She sensed the amusing faux pas
she had made. And after they
had enjoyed their dinner-but not
at the "Stork Derby" table-thiS
couple, all smiles, drove away In
an expensive automobile bearing
Ohio license plates.
Dressed in Best
No more sincere or Well-deSerVed
compliment could possibly have
been paid the maternity mara
thon mothers and fathers that
evening. The transition from busy
housewives and harried, Work-a-
day husbands was complete. amaz-
ing. For a brief hour or two
these socially starved mothers OF
huge families were given the op-
portunity of stepping out in their
Sunday clothes, temporarily free
of clutching, childish hands. And
they made the most of it.
Each husband was spruced UP
in his go-tomeeting suit and tie.
Each looked as though he had just
stepped out of the BARRIERS chair.
There wasn't so much as strand
of hair out of place. And their
faces shone like glass in the full,
rosy rays of the late afternoon sun.
Restraint Disappears
At last, it seemed, they were
all assembled. Then it was dis
covered that one pair Of contest
ants was miSSing-Mr. and Mrs.
Matthew Kenny. Someone said:
"Wen, it looks as though we'll
have to blame their absence on
the StOrk.
Hearty laughter amongst the
men. Amused giggles from the
women-at least three of whom
were expecting" within fort
night or less.
The ice was broken. The party
was on. What restraint and for
mality had been occasioned by
the first meeting Of these people,
who had so often read about one
another, soon disappeared. The
mothers chatted like old cronies,
discussing with animation those
trivial things that a group of
women always find to talk about,
but which are really so important
to them.
First Evening Out
And how long some of. them
had stored up their supply of small
talk! Take poor Mrs. Hilda
Graziano, for example, whose
meager wardrobe consists almost
solely of maternity gowns. The
Falcon Inn outing marked the
first time in more than 20 years
of married life that she had ever
been out anywhere with her hus-
band.
Mrs. Graziano didn't have very
much to say, however. When her
trembling hand spilled soup on the
front of her dress she looked for
a moment as though she might
be going to cry. But there was
so much laughter and pleasant
badinage back and forth across
the long table loaded down with
food, that no one noticed her &C.
cident.
Steffano Darrigo observed:
"NOw if my children would
only be content with a portion
of soup the size of this 1 wouldn't
have so much trouble feeding
them"
Jovial Art Timleck called across
the table to Ambrose Harrison, the
street car motorman:
"ThiS 'StOrk Derby does re-
mind you little of a horse race,
doesn't it?"
Harrison replied:
yeah, and / suppose some old
nag that nobody has every heard
of will come out from behind to
carry off the sweepstakes at
the last minute"
WIFE GLARES DAGGERS
Dainty, fastidious little Mrs.
Harrison heard only her husbands
comment. She leaned a little
forward - husbands and wives
were not seated together-and
glared daggers at the abasned
Papa Harrison, who raised his eye
broWs and absently contemplated
the food on his plate.
Meanwhile, Papa Darrigo and
Papa Bagnato, who were seated on
either side of Mrs. Harrison, began
showering her with flattering at
tentions. Then Mama Bagnato,
frowning fiercely in her husbands
direction, loosed a barrage Of stac-
cato words in Italian with charac-
teristic intensity, and Papa Bag
nato Strengthened up as though he
had been shot. Soon, recovering
slightly, he sent a barrage Of
staccato words bounding back
down the table. It was Mama
Bagnato who now Strengthened up
as though she had BEEN shot.