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Samantha at the St. Louis Exposition, a novel by Marietta Holley |
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Chapter 16 |
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_ CHAPTER XVI Well, the next week we had a busy time, Josiah and Molly and I went mostly together, Blandina most always meetin' Professor Aspire Todd somewhere nigh the entrance, I guess it wuz planned, but 'tennyrate I wuz willin', plan or no plan. And we visited every interestin' spot from Morocco to the Model City and from Physicial Culture Hall to Nevada. There wuz a meetin' that scientific folks held there, and its main aim seemed to be to make light of the religion of Christ. It madded Josiah dretfully, and he sez, "I feel it my duty as a deacon to go and give in my testimony and break up such wicked doin's." Sez I, "Josiah you let 'em alone. You couldn't break it up, nothin' but the power of the God they deny could do it. But we'll punish 'em by not goin' near 'em. That will mortify 'em and mebby make 'em see where they stand, denyin' the power that gives em the breath they spend in such folly." So when Sunday come agin we went to the same M.E. meetin' house and hearn a splendid sermon on what the Christian Religion had done for the World. And we visited Lincoln's Cabin and I had probable fifty emotions a minute all the time I wuz there thinkin' of that wise, child-hearted man and what he did for humanity. And I had about the same emotions in Grant's Log Cabin. Noble creeters, both on 'em! They wuz cramped for room in these humble homes, and wuz probable put to it for comforts. But they have room enough now, the Great World claims 'em, and they will walk down the ages together crowned with the love and reverence of the people. And Josiah wanted to see the Boer War, and though a war wuz nothin' I wanted to see I felt I musn't cross him. And all the while I sot there seein' them contendin' armies contend I wuz thinkin' of poor Oom Paul and his brave fight for liberty, and at last losin' all and dyin' broken-hearted in a strange land. But onbeknown to myself these words come to me:
And I took solid comfort in the Hall of Lady Managers seein' how well they managed. In this Exposition there is no seperate place fenced off for wimmen's exhibit. They carry the idee here that good work is equally valuable when done by man or woman. They claim that works of art, invention, manufacture, etc., are as sexless as religion, and you know our Lord said plain of men and wimmen, "Ye are one in Christ." I wuz glad enough to see it, it seems to bring us nigher to the day of justice and true liberty for all. That glorious day hain't dawned yet (wimmen are still classed in law with idiots, criminals and lunaticks). But by standin' on tip-toe I can catch a faint glow in the East showin' that the day is goin' to break in rosy splendor bime-by. I cant begin to tell jest where we went or what we see, enough 'tennyrate I felt to last me through life, but time hurried on jest as usual and brought the last days of our stay here. I told Josiah that I never would go home without seein' President Francis and thankin' him for the treat he'd gin us. Josiah didn't want to go but I sez, "David will expect it of me, it's only showin' him common politeness. You know I brought the children up to always thank the folks that entertained 'em. And such a entertainment as this! Do you spoze I am goin' to slight and mortify him by not noticin' it and thankin' him? No, indeed!" Josiah argyed and said that "he guessed if everybody follered David up and thanked him he would have his hands full." "But," I sez, "Other folks can do as they're a mind to, I shall do my duty," so I went up to his office follered by a onwillin' Josiah, and advanced towards him where he sot alone at his desk. He's a dretful handsome man, sometimes smart men are humbly, and it is a treat to find one that combines beauty, smartness, and faculty, for it took more than smartness alone to plan this show, it took faculty and tack, sights and sights of tack. For as I told him, after I'd introduced myself and shook hands cordially with him, sez I: "I couldn't leave without thankin' you for the great treat you've gin us, and to tell you how I appreciate what you've done for us." Sez I, "I'm a housekeeper and know what it is to fix up for company and how much work it is to git two or three rooms and the front steps and door yard all right for half a dozen folks for jest one afternoon, and then to clear up and ornament as you have more'n twelve hundred acres, and have so many visitors come right onto you and settle down for a six months' stay, I don't see how you stand it. "Why last winter I had six of the relation on my side and on hisen, snowbound to our house for a week, and I thought I should go distracted tryin' to keep the house clean, and suit 'em all in vittles, and some on 'em jealous thinkin' I gin the others a better bed, and the other relation comin' in to see 'em and kinder disputin' and twittin' 'em as relation will, and kinder jealous of me because they wuz visitin' me instead of them, and my folks callin' me extravagant in vittles--I had a dretful time. And what wuz it compared to what you're goin' through with fifteen thousand visitors settlin' right down on you for a six months' visit, some on 'em smart and high headed, some not knowin' putty, some good-natered and easy to please, some quarrelsome, some awful petickular and fussy about their vittles, some that will eat dogs, some too dressy, some that will go most naked, and hundreds of millions comin' and goin' all the time, and more than thirty millions of your own folks complainin' and sassin' you as your own folks will. Payin' out fifty millions and mebby called extravagant for it--why what a time you're havin'! "And I wanted to tell you how I appreciated what you're goin' through, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for givin' me and Josiah such a great treat, and also Blandina. "And if you ever come to Jonesville I want you to feel free to come right to our house and stay as long as you can. Though of course I can't do for you what you've done for me, but I'll kill a hen and make a bag puddin', and do the best I can." He thanked me real polite and said "if he wuz ever in Jonesville he should certainly come and see me." And I sez, "How I do wish it wuz so you could come this fall. We're goin' to have a big Harvest Entertainment for the benefit of the Grange, and you do have such a talent for gittin' up sunthin' interestin', your advice would be onvaluable about ornamentin' the hall and givin' 'em all a equal show. Of course every mother wants her children to speak the openin' piece, and every man wants the best place to show off his squashes and rutabagers. Pomona wants the hall trimmed one way, and Cerius 'tother way, whilst Flora and Hygea are settin' on the fence. I d'no how it will turn out and whether or not it will lead to bloodshed. "If we only had your faculty and your tack to fall back on what a boon it would be, for you must have gone through with as much agin with everybody wantin' the best place. "But I know it is too much to ask of you with all this doin's on your hands, millions of visitors comin' and goin' and thousands of help to look after, and I shan't say a word to you about it, only wishin' you could be there to enjoy it with us when it is ready. "And now thankin' you agin for all you've done for us I will bid you adoo." And I shook hands with him almost warmly. He seemed glad and relieved about sunthin' as we took leave, I guess it wuz because I thought so high on him. And bein' wunk at by me, Josiah Allen advanced and held out his hand and said, "how de do," and "good-bye," at the same time, and I sez to kinder smooth it over, "In this world, Mr. Francis, it is hail and farewell time and agin." And then we bowed ourselves out, I'd told Josiah to be sure and not turn his back. And we got along first-rate, only onfortinat'ly jest as we got to the door we backed into the Chinese Minister and his party who wuz jest comin' in. But then, as I told Josiah as we went down the steps when he wuz blamin' me for this _contrary temps_, as men always will blame their pardners for most everything, I sez: "China is used to bein' backed into by foreigners, I guess they'll overlook it." I didn't bandy words with Josiah, I knowed I'd done my duty and that kep' me serene. When you're follerin' a star you don't mind the bite of a nat. The last week of our stay in St. Louis Aunt Trypheny on leavin' the Fair ground one day wuz struck by the twenty-mule team that perambulates the ground, was knocked down and carried to an emergency hospital on the Fair ground. The head doctor there wuz Miss Huff's nephew, and she got a little room for her till she could be moved with safety. The day before we went home Josiah went down into the city to do a few errents for the bretheren, Blandina had gone with Aspire Todd to visit a sister of hisen (they wuz engaged), and I had been to work gittin' ready to leave the next mornin', and Molly and I wuz goin' in the afternoon to take a last look at the Fair, and she come into my room as I wuz gittin' my bunnet on with her hands full of the most beautiful flowers she could get, and proposed that we should go and see Aunt Pheeny and cheer her up a little. Sweet creeter, I hadn't thought on't. The hospital wuz quite a distance off from where we had laid out to go, and I knowed I would be tired as a dog anyway. But not wantin' to be behind hand in good works I said I would go with her, and I selected some of the nicest of the fruit I had bought to take home to the grandchildren, and put in my silk bag for her, and put on my mantilly and told her I wuz ready. And then that dear child proposed we should take Dorothy with us, knowin' Aunt Trypheny would ruther see her than any Emperor or Zar, and I gin my consent to that, and we sot off, Dotie happy as a Queen at goin' with us. Well, Aunt Pheeny wuz glad enough to see us, specially Dorothy. But we found her blissful in mind anyway for she told us the first thing her Prince Arthur had been there to see her and had been gone only a few minutes, and she showed us a couple of gold pieces he had gin her, big enough to bear witness to his goodness of heart as well as his wealth. She said with her linement all aglow (she never liked her) that his mother had died two months ago leaving him a free man, he had stayed with her and devoted himself to her because he thought it wuz his duty, and since her death he had been on a long journey, it seemed, she said, as if he wuz hunting for something or other, though what she didn't know. And he had promised her that some time in the future she should come and live with him, and sez she, with her characterestic irreligion, "If I had my choice to live with him or in heaven I wouldn't look at heaven." The idee! We give her the fruit and flowers and asked her if she had everything for her comfort, and she said: "Yes, indeed! 'tain't much here like the ironfirmary I wuz sent to in Chicago. I wuz jest as white as you are, Miss Molly, when I went there, and them iggorent doctors jest turned my skin black as tar; I wuz so mortified when I come to my senses and found what they'd done and I wuz a nigger, I jest leaped out o' bed and rushed right out into the street, I wuz so mortified. But 'twuzn't no use, I wuz a nigger, and so I've been ever since." And all the time she wuz tellin' this, Dotie's little white arms wuz 'round her neck and she was pattin' the black cheeks. And as she finished she said lovingly, "Pheeny is nice! Pheeny is pretty! Pheeny has got white teef!" And indeed they did glisten like ivory in the blackness of her face as she held the baby clost to her heart with broad smiles. Well, we made quite a long call and cheered her up considerable by listenin' to some more of her most eloquent and unlikely fabrications, and then bid her good-bye. A man's gray kid glove lay on the table and a little book, and she said Prince Arthur had forgot them. Well, jest as we passed out of the long corridor, Dotie, who wuz looking back, cried out, "There is Pheeny's Prince Arthur!" And refused to stir another step till she went back to see him. She said Aunt Pheeny had showed her his picture and that wuz the Prince that could do anything. Aunt Pheeny I spoze had filled her mind full of stories of his perfections, she said he'd gone back to git his glove and book, and she would wait and see him. I wuz in a hurry and wuz for goin' on, but Molly, sweet-natured thing, said we might sit down on the bench for a few minutes and then Dotie would be willing to go. So we sot down and Dotie begun to state with much excitement her reasons for wanting to stay, sez she: "Billy has been bolsting to me that he see a Prince to the Fair, a real live meat Prince. He wuz bolsting about it, and said Aunt Pheeny didn't have no Prince, but I see his picture my own self, and I'll let Billy know that Aunt Pheeny did have a nice live, meat Prince and I see him. And there he comes now!" sez she, she wuz a little in advance of us and could see furder. And sure enough we hearn a quick light step coming down the corridor, it come nigher and nigher, a handsome elegant-looking young man turned the corner right by us, Molly looked up--and had the desire of her heart. * * * * * He left his friend's house and Molly, thinking his duty kept him by his mother, and he had decided it was wrong to ask a young happy girl to enter the shadow of selfish invalidism with him. He didn't say jest that, but I knowed it from what he didn't say as well as from what he did. The minute he wuz free he had flown to his friends where they had met. The house wuz closed, the family in Europe, he didn't know where, he had tried in vain to find her, and wuz jest on the eve of departing for Europe that afternoon to try to find his friends hoping to get a clue of her. Had she not gone to the hospital that day, had she come a little earlier or a little later, had she not humored Dorothy by waiting, they would not have met. That's what worldlings might say, but I didn't say it even to myself. She wuz safe, she could not have been either too early or too late. She had like a little child, asking its pa for a gift, asked her Lord for the desire of her heart and jest as he promised, he brought it to pass, usin' that bare corridor jest as he might the Valley of the Nile, or the Rocky Mountains if necessary. The hull world is but a tiny doorstep leadin' up to the shinin' pavilion of divine love. They wuz led towards each other, she couldn't miss her way, he couldn't. The broad ocean rolled between 'em and mountain and valley, but they wuz both led by the hand like two little children out May-flowering with their ma--they _had_ to meet. Well, Josiah met us, accordin' to promise in front of Festival Hall, and we stayed to the illumination, Dotie havin' gone home with Miss Huff before dark. Molly and Arthur stood on the high terrace with light fallin' all 'round 'em and before 'em, their faces needin' no light, so bright wuz they with heart sunshine. Josiah and I sot a little in the shadder, but where we could see plain. And one by one like brilliant jewels dropped from an endless storehouse of glory, lights sprung out along the front of the stately white palaces, adown the broad avenues they shone in gleamin' lines and clusters, and starred with brilliance all the long glorious vistas. Broad beams of crimson, gold and azure changin' every minute fell on the cascades, the flowers gleamed out from the emerald grass like jewels of every color. Music riz softly from the lagoon, the great organ pealed out in triumphant notes, and my heart boyed up on waves of beauty and melody follered the strains heavenward as if it didn't ever want to come back agin to earth and Jonesville. But as my eye fell on Josiah's face I knowed that where the star of Love went it wuz my duty and joy to foller it. He wuz gittin' worrisome and wanted to go, and so I sez: "Beautiful! beautiful! Ivory City, farewell!" [THE END] _ |
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