Samantha at the World's Fair by Marietta Holley (ebook and pdf reader txt) đź“•
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- Author: Marietta Holley
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But he sez that he loves music; and he had talked quite a good deal to me about the Music Hall and Casino.
That Casino didn't sound quite right; it sounded sunthin' like "Seven-Up" and "Pedro," and I told him so.
But he said that "it wuz all right;" he said "that it wuz took from the Hebrew."
But I believe he said that to blind my eyes. Wall, when we hove in sight of it we see the high towers that riz up above it some distance off, with flags a-comin' kinder out of it on both sides, some like a stupendious pump, with handles on both sides and red table-cloths a-hangin' over 'em, but immense—immense in height.
Wall, I spozed it would look as well agin there as the Jonesville Singin' School, and be fur bigger.
But good land! and good land!
Why, jest the entrance to them buildin's is enough to strike the most careless b[Pg 526]eholder with or. Such pillows, and such arches, and such ornaments, I never expected to see till I got through with this planet anyway.
But there wuz one piece of sculpture there that when I see it I instinctively stopped stun still and gazed up at it with mingled feelin's of pride and sorrow.
It wuz a chariot in which stood the Discoverer, a-lookin' off, fur-sighted, and determined, and prophetic, and everything else that could be expected of that noble Prophet and Martyr, Columbus.
The chariot wuz drawn by four high-headed and likely horses as I ever see. But alas! for my own sect.
Two noble and beautiful wimmen stood a-walkin' afoot, barefoot too—stood right there between the horses, each one a-holdin' the bits of two of them high-headed beasts, and their huffs ready to kick at 'em. They didn't look afraid a mite, so I don't know as I need to worry about 'em.
But I couldn't help thinkin'—that is the way that it has always been, men a-ridin' the chariots of Power, drawed by satisfied ambition, and enterprise, and social and legal powers, and the wimmen a-walkin' along afoot by the side of the chariot, and a-leadin' the horses.
[Pg 527]
Bringin' men into the world, nurturin' 'em, comfortin' 'em through life, and weepin' over their tomb.
Yes, she has led the horse, but walked afoot, and the stuns have been sharp and cold under her bare feet, and the dust from the chariot has riz up and blinded her sad eyes time and agin, so's that she couldn't look off any distance. The horses have been hard bitted; their high huffs and heads drawed dretful hard at the bit held in her weak grasp, and she has been kicked a good deal by their sharp huffs.
On the two off horses there wuz two figgers a-holdin' up high gorgeous banners; of course they wuz men, and of course they wuz ridin'.
Three men a-ridin' and two wimmen a-walkin' afoot; it didn't seem right.
Not that I begretched Columbus—that noble creeter—the ease he had; if I'd had my way I'd had a good spring seat fixed onto that chariot, so that he could rid a-settin' down; or, at any rate, I'd laid a board acrost it, with a buffalo robe on't. I wouldn't had him a-standin' up.
It hain't because I've got anything aginst Columbus—no indeed; but I am such a well-wisher of my own sect that I hate to see 'em in such a tryin' place.
[Pg 528]
But I wuz glad of one thing, and mebby that wuz one thing that made them poor wimmen look so fearless and sort of riz up.
They wuz in the East—they wuz in the past; the sun wuz a-movin' along, they could foller its rays along into the golden day. Why, right before 'em, on the other side of the basin, with only a little water between 'em that would soon be crossed, they could see a woman a-towerin' up a hundred feet, in plain view of all the countries of the assembled world, a-holdin' in her outstretched hand the emblems of Power and Liberty.
But to resoom: Josiah and I had a first-rate time there at that Music Hall, and enjoyed ourselves first rate a-hearin' that most melodious music, though pretty loud, and a-seein' the Musicianers all dressed up in the gayest colors, as if they wuz officers.
And truly they wuz. They marshalled the rank and file of that most powerful army on earth, the grand onseen forces of melody, that vanquishes the civilized and savage alike, and charms the very beast and reptile.
The sweet power that moves the world, and the only earth delight that we know will greet us in the land of the Immortals.
[Pg 529]
Truly the hour we spent there wuz long, long to be remembered.
And after we reluctantly left the Hall of Melody, the music still swelled out and come to our ears in hauntin' echoes.
Josiah had wandered away to a little distance to see sunthin' or ruther that had attracted his attention, and I stood still, lost in thought, and almost by the side of myself, a-listenin' to the low, sobbin' music of the band.
I wuz almost by the side of myself with my rapt emotions when I hearn a voice that recalled me to myself—
"Drusilla, I'm clean beat out."
"Are you, Deacon Sypher? Wall, it is because you are so smart, and see so much."
Truly, thinkses I, it don't take much smartness to see much in this place.
But instinctively with that idee come the thought—nobody but Drusilla Sypher could or would make that admirin' remark.
And I turned and advanced onto 'em with a calm mean.
But I see in that first look that they looked haggard and wan, as wan agin as I ever see 'em look, and fur, fur haggard[Pg 530]er. They looked all broke up, and their clothes looked all rumpled up and seedy, some as if they had slept in 'em for some weeks. But I hain't one to desert old friends under any circumstances, so I advanced onto 'em, and sez, with a mean that looked welcomin' and glad—
"Why, Drusilla and Deacon Sypher," sez I, "how glad I am to see you! When did you come? Have you been here long?"
And they said "they had been in Chicago some five weeks."
"Is that so?" sez I. "And how have you enjoyed the Fair? I spoze you have seen a good deal, if you have been here so long."
Sez Drusilly, "This is the first time we have been on to the Fair ground."
"Why'ee!" sez I, "what wuz the matter?"
She turned round, and see that Deacon Sypher had stopped some distance away to speak to my pardner and to look at sunthin' or ruther, and she told me all about it.
She said that the Deacon had thought that it would be cheaper to live in a tent, and cook over a alcohol lamp; so they had hired a cheap tent, and went to livin' in it.
[Pg 531]
But a hard wind and rain-storm come up the very first night, and blew the hull tent away; so they had to live under a umbrell the first night in a hard rain.
Wall, she took a awful cold, and by the time they got the tent fastened down agin she wuz down with a sore throat and wuz feverish, and couldn't be left alone a minit, so the doctor said.
So the Deacon had to stay with her night and day, and change poultices, and give medicine, etc., and he had to hire porridges made for her, and things.
There wouldn't any of the campers round 'em do anything for 'em; for he had, accordin' to his own wishes, got right into a perfect nest of Prohibitionists. The Deacon wuz perfectly devoted to the temperance cause himself—wouldn't drink a drop to save his life—and dretful bitter and onforgivin' to them that drinked.
But it happened that bottle of alcohol for their lamp got broke right onto the Deacon's clothes. His vest, and pantaloons, and coat wuz jest soaked with it; so's when he went after help they called him an old soaker, and said if he'd been sober the tent wouldn't have broke [Pg 532]loose. They scorfed at him fearful, and wouldn't do a thing to help him.
He told 'em he wuz a strict tetoteler, and hadn't drinked a drop for over forty years.
And they said, "Git out, you wretched old sot! You smell like a saloon!"
And another said, "Don't tell any of your lies to me, when jest one whiff of your breath is enough to make a man reel."
It cut the Deacon up dretful to be accused of drinkin' and lyin'. But they wouldn't one of 'em help a mite, and it kep him boned right down a-waitin' on her.
And they, jest as she got a little better, there come on a drizzlin' rain, and it soaked right down through the tent, and run in under it, so they wuz a-drippin', both on 'em.
But the Deacon took it worse than she did, for he elevated her onto their trunks, made a bed up on top of 'em for her as well as he could.
But he got soaked through and through, and it brung on rumatiz, and he couldn't move for over nine days. And the doctors said that his case wuz critical.
Of course she couldn't leave him, and havin' to cook over a alcohol lamp, it kep her to home every minit, even if he could be left.
[Pg 533]
So she said they got discouraged, and their bills run up so high for doctors, and medicines, and plasters, etc., that they calculated to break up tent and go and board for a few days, git a look at the Fair, and then go home.
And sez she, "I spoze you have been here every day."
"Yes," sez I; "we would have a nice warm breakfast and supper at our boardin' place, and a good comfortable bed to sleep in, and we would buy our dinner here on the Fair ground, and we have kep real well."
She looked enviously at me out of her pale and haggard face.
Sez she, "We have both ruined our stomachs a-livin' on crackers and cheese. I shall never see a well day agin! And we both have got rumatiz for life, a-layin' round out-doors. It is dangerous at our time of life," sez she.
"What made you do it, Drusilla?" sez I.
"Wall," she said, "the Deacon wanted to; he thought he couldn't afford to board in a house; and you know," sez Drusilla, "that the Deacon is a man of most splendid judgment."
"Not in this case," sez I.
And then, at my request, she told me what they had paid out for doctors and medicines, and it come to five dollars and 6[Pg 534]3 cents more than Josiah and I had paid for our board, and gate fees, and everything. And that didn't count in the cost of their two dyspeptic boards, or their agony in sickness and sufferin', or their total loss of happiness and instruction at the Fair.
When we reckoned this up Drusilla come the nighest to disapprovin' of the Deacon's management that I ever knew her to. She sez, and it wuz strong language for Drusilla Sypher to use—
Sez she, "If it had been any other man but Deacon Sypher that had done this, I should been mad as a hen. But the Deacon is, as you well know, Josiah Allen's Wife, a wonderful man."
"Yes," sez I, "Drusilla, I know it, and have known it for some time."
She looked real contented, and then I sez—
"Josiah Allen had got his mind all made up to tent out durin' the Fair. But I broke it up," sez I—"I broke it up in time!"
At this very minit Josiah and Deacon Sypher come back to us, the Deacon a-limpin', and a-lookin' ten years older than when we last seen him in Jonesville. And my pardner pert, and upright, and fat, under my management.
Wall, we four stayed together the rest of the day, a-lookin' at one thing and another.
[Pg 535]
And when we got home that night, lo and behold! Isabelle had come jest before we did.
And supper wuz all ready—or dinner, as they all called it; but I don't know as it makes much difference when you are hungry. The vittles taste jest about the same—awful good, anyway.
We wuz pretty late, so there wuzn't anybody
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