The Adventures of Uncle Jeremiah and Family at the Great Fair.
by Charles McCellan Stevens (AKA "Quondam").
_CHAPTER I_
ON THE WAY
"Apples, pears, bananas, sweet oranges, five cents apiece."
"Last call for dinner in the dining car."
"Ah! this is comfortable," soliloquised Uncle Jeremiah. "All the nations of the earth contribute to our appet.i.tes, and millions are spent to transport us comfortably. Going to the World"s Fair with Mary"s two children, me and Sarah. Say, stranger, what time do you think we"ll arrive?"
"In about two hours if we are on time, but so many people are crowding on, that I doubt if we can get there before six o"clock."
Uncle Jeremiah had addressed his question to a good-natured appearing young man just behind him who had been ostensibly reading a newspaper but really covertly watching with admiring glances Uncle Jeremiah"s grand-daughter f.a.n.n.y as she replaced the fragments of a lunch back into the basket. Uncle was in a communicative mood for he had just disposed of his share of one of Aunt Sarah"s admirable lunches and squared himself round, as he called it, to talk with some one. Johnny was busy investigating a hole in the seat cushion and Aunt Sarah had laid her head against the window frame and was calmly viewing the flying scenery outside. The two seats turned together were occupied by Uncle Jeremiah and his family and a number of bundles and valises.
"Yes, this is a great country; and, as I have lived in it nigh onto sixty year and fit for it without seeing much of it but what I tramped over with Sherman to the sea, I concluded to take the whole world in at once by spending a month or so at the Exposition. I told Sarah we"d take Mary"s two children along, for I didn"t like to leave them so long with our hired help. Then they"d be company for us. Mary was our girl, but she"s dead now, and so Johnny and f.a.n.n.y must take her place. Me and Sarah has worked hard for many a year, and we"re going to enjoy this trip ef it takes more "n a dozen of my best Jerseys to foot the bill.
We"ve got the best farm and Jersey herd in Park County, and I"ve made up my mind that we can afford it."
The stranger laid down his paper and seemed much interested in the talking farmer and his family. f.a.n.n.y had stowed the lunch basket away under the seat and wearily laid her head against the back of the seat, unconscious of the respectful admiration bestowed upon her from the gentleman in conversation with her grandfather. f.a.n.n.y was a very pretty miss, just reaching womanhood, and unsullied in thought or conduct by the usual desire for masculine attention. Her face was warm and full, and her light wavy hair reached her shoulders and turned up at the ends around her neck.
Johnny was too industrious in his varied investigations to notice much that was occurring about him. His keen eyes just a little turned inward gave him the appearance of shrewdness that well befitted him. He always investigated what he did not understand and the World"s Fair opened a field directly in his line.
"As I was saying. I"ve brought along enough money to get everything we want and to enjoy life for once. I guess we can go back home then contented and have enough to talk about for the rest of our natural lives."
Uncle"s new-found friend was evidently a well-to-do commercial traveler and there was something about him that won Uncle"s heart at once. It was not long till Uncle had relieved his mind of all that bore on it about himself or his neighbors or his church. Uncle was a deacon and he had many original ideas about the social and religious economics of the world. The only pride he had was in his Jerseys and in f.a.n.n.y, and his only ambition was to be considered a kind of Socrates by his neighbors.
The commercial traveler did not have much of a chance to talk, if he had been so inclined, but he listened with very respectful attention to the odd observations of Uncle Jeremiah. Uncle had not talked loud, but across the aisle were two young men who seemed to be listening more intently than befitted their opportunity to hear. They were faultlessly attired, and frequently exchanged observations with each other in low tones, covertly watching Uncle and his family as if they had become very interesting personages. Presently one moved to a seat a little nearer, and both apparently became absorbed in their own affairs.
"But maybe I should beg pardon, Mister. I"ve been talking to you all this time without introducing myself. I know it isn"t just the thing, but I"m not used to sa.s.siety. I"m Jeremiah Jones, and what is your name?"
"My name is Hezekiah Moses," said the traveling man, solemnly.
"Ah," remarked Uncle, warmly, "that sounds a right smart like a Jew name, but you don"t look like a Jew. I Judge your parents were very good people."
"They were very pious people, and, of course, brought me up in the way I should go. You have quite a charming family."
"There now, I knew you had good judgments and I am glad for you to say so. Of course me and Sarah are too old to be charming and Johnny is too bad, but I take no exceptions to f.a.n.n.y."
Mr. Moses thoroughly agreed with Uncle on the latter observation.
"Johnny is all right but only last week he was training one of my Jersey calves to walk a plank like he saw the lions In the circus and it fell off and broke its neck and that was not a month after it had took the prize at our county fair. And, after I had took him atween my knees and talked to him about his responsibility to his Creator, he didn"t wait two days till he cut off the colt"s tail so as to make it bobbed like the British and it kicked and broke its leg on the cross bar. But I do believe he"s got the making of a man in him after all. I think he must be like his father, though I never seed him. You see Mary she run off to marry some man she fell in with when she went off to school, and I forbid her letting him come to see her, for you see he might be some city fortune hunter; but Mary said she knowed, and so one day when we went to town somebody drove up to our house in a buggy and I never seed her any more. I didn"t think she ought to take that way to somebody I didn"t know. I must have been hard hearted them days, but somehow I couldn"t help it. Sarah she went to see them lots of times over in the big town across in Ohio but I couldn"t leave Indiana and when Johnny was born Mary she died a senden good words to me but I couldn"t help it."
The old man drew his sleeve across his eyes and continued, "You see Mary"s man was all broke down, and he told Sarah to take the children and he"d go wandering around the world for a year or two. Mary was the only child we had living, and when she died I wanted to move away from where she used to play when she was a little girl, so in two years I got a good offer, and I sold out. All four of us went to see my sister in the city, and somehow didn"t tell n.o.body where we were going, but I said I thought we would go on to California. Well, I found a stock farm in Illinois, and after a while we went back to our old home visiting, and the old neighbors told us a nice looking man had come soon after we left, and was nearly distracted to find us gone. He advertised and spent lots of money trying to find us, but at last went away broken-hearted.
Then I sent Sarah right to Ohio, but Mary"s man had sold his big clothing store, and some said he had gone to California, and others said one place and another, but he couldn"t be found. He never came back to our old home place, nor to his old home place, for I"ve kept a writing ever since. Somehow he had to give us up. It broke me all down, and I"ve been doing all I could for the children. f.a.n.n.y is getting a good education, for our town has got to be a big one now, and has a fine college in it; but I can"t educate Johnny. He"s always experimenting and doing damage. Howsumever, he"s a great trader, and I"m going to give him a start some time. Why, I gave him a shote a month ago, and I don"t believe there is a sled or a jack-knife in the hull neighborhood any more, for Johnny"s got them in our garret, but the pig is gone.
"But say, Mr. Moses, you haven"t said a word about your business yet, and I"ve been a bragging about my farm and stock for half an hour."
"Don"t worry about that, Mr. Jones. I haven"t got much to tell. I"m a traveling salesman for a Chicago house; and, like you, I intend to rest up for a couple of weeks and see the Fair. I am happy to say that I stand well with my firm, and I am to be taken in as the junior member soon. The head of the firm has been the friend to whom I owe all my advancement and advantage. I hope sometime to settle down into a quiet business life and enjoy a home once more. Your talk takes me back to my old Indiana home and its comforts."
"Ah, that"s it, Mr. Moses, it is plain your parents have given your mind a good mold. Here, newsboy, just bring over to me and Mr. Moses two of your best five cent cigars and we"ll go into the smoker and have a smoke. I don"t never smoke cigars, but these are extra days, and we can afford the luxuries."
The idea seemed to amuse Mr. Moses, but he complied with the request of the friendly farmer, and, with a good-natured wink at the newsboy, took out a cigar and deftly stuck it into his pocket as he pulled out one of his own.
Uncle could find no change and without more ado took out a roll of bills from his breast pocket. The smallest bill was ten dollars but neither Mr. Moses nor the boy could change it. One of the young men across the aisle volunteered to help them out of the difficulty and counted the change into Uncle"s hand. Just then the newsboy"s heel struck Mr. Moses"
foot sharply and there was a quick response. The change went into one of Uncle"s trouser"s pockets and the roll of bills into the other, when he and Mr. Moses went into the smoking car and were soon behind a cloud of smoke.
The newsboy came in presently and there were a few whispered words between him and Mr. Moses.
"Apples, pears, bananas, sweet oranges, here, five cents apiece."
There was no sale for anything eatable in the smoker just then and the boy returned to the rear cars.
"You didn"t notice when the gentleman across the aisle made change for you that you got flim-flamed did you?"
"That I got what?" said Uncle.
"That you got flim-flamed. Did you count your change when that young gent gave it to you? This is a money making occasion you know and the gentry are on the make."
"Of course I counted the money. n.o.body gets me that way."
"I"ll bet a cigar that you haven"t got over seven dollars of that ten dollar bill."
"It"s a go," said Uncle as he thrust his hand into his pocket and drew out a handfull of coins. He laid his hat between his knees and counted the money into it. "Six dollars, six fifty, six seventy-five, seven, seven ten, seven fifteen."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "UNCLE AND MR. MOSES WERE SOON BEHIND A CLOUD OF SMOKE."]
"Ah, I"ve not got it all out of my pocket," and Uncle"s hand dived hastily into his trousers but came out empty. A look of consternation came into his face as he looked at the laughing salesman.
"Well, by Jove! I don"t often lose my bets, but here, Uncle, is the cigar, for I"ve lost the bet. You have fifteen cents more than seven dollars. I didn"t watch that gent"s counting as well as I thought," and Uncle mechanically took the cigar he had so generously given to Mr.
Moses a few minutes before.
"It"s worth it, Mr. Moses, it"s worth it. I don"t begrudge the fellow for his two dollars and six bits. I feel like I ought to go in and thank him for the lesson."
"Cigars, gentlemen, best Havanas. Here, old man, is the rest uv yer change. The chappie back there wanted to kick, but he couldn"t stand me look. I don"t "low no working uv me customers dat way. You see I wur next to him in a minute."
"Ah, my boy, n.o.body can talk to me any more about dishonorable newsboys.
You keep that money. I won"t have a cent of it. I"m willin" to pay fer my teaching. And here"s a dollar more for you to go right back there and supply my folks with whatever eating things you"ve got that they want.
"You see, Mr. Moses, I know before I get through with them Arabs and Esquimaux, and Indians and African savages at Chicago I"m going to know a good deal more than I do now, and I never in my life got something for nothing, and it"s too late for me to begin now."
The first suburban station of the great World"s Fair city was now pa.s.sed and Mr. Moses said he must return to his seat and get his grip ready for leaving the train at the next station. He gave Uncle a card on which was printed:
|------------------------------| | _William Warner_ | | | | _With The Clarendon Company | | Wholesale Clothiers_ | |------------------------------|
As he did so, he said, "Now Uncle, remember never to give a chance to pickpockets or confidence men, watch your change and take directions only from those you know to be responsible officers; and if at any time you need a friend, don"t fail to call at the office of the firm and present that card."