The next morning Uncle Jeremiah was up as usual at four o"clock, chafing like a caged stable horse that could not get out to fresh air and the tempting pastures.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "I THINK OF EARTHQUAKES EVERY TIME I LOOK OUT."]
"These confounded people won"t let a fellow have his meals only at their own convenience, and the feelin" of earthquakes keeps a growing on me every time I look down out of that window. I"ve got to quit it." Aunt Sarah shared the same feeling, but John and f.a.n.n.y decided that it was not half as high as they wanted to go before they left Chicago.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Say, Mister, I"ve paid fare once on this tarnal machine."]
In due time the city awoke, with a rush and a roar, to the business of the day. Uncle found the office of the boarding house syndicate a few doors away, and the family were soon safely housed in more congenial quarters.
"The Fair, Father, the Fair! When will we ever get to see the Fair? I just heard a man say that it"s ten o"clock, and here we are a-fussing about in the rooms and missin" the sights."
Johnny was impatient, but not long after, the family hailed a pa.s.sing street car and were on their way at last.
"Twenty cents is the fare for four of you."
The conductor rang the fares and pa.s.sed on. The new scenes of the city absorbed their attention, but Uncle soon began shifting in his seat, and at last whispered to Aunt Sarah: "Say, I noticed that we went clear "round a hull lot of blocks, and it "pears ter me that we air goin"
right backards to where we ought to go, or else this "ere town has got two parts a blamed sight alike."
"Fare, please!"
"Say, Mister, I"ve paid fare once on this tarnal machine. How often do you have to pay--every once in a while?"
"Are you riding around for your health, or do you want to go somewhere?"
"That"s it, Mister, exactly. I wish you"d drive this riding machine at once to the World"s Fair. You"ve got it pasted on the front of your engine, and yet you"re takin" us right back past where we got on."
"Sure, old man, you"re all right, only you got on a car going the wrong way, and so went on around the loop. But you"re all right now. I"ll land you at the grounds; but twenty cents, please."
Twenty cents were forthcoming, and shortly the family found themselves in a maze of booths, people, streets and vehicles. It was not difficult to follow the crowd, and in a few minutes the amazed family were walking the streets of the great White City.
"Guides, World"s Fair Guides!"
Uncle stopped a moment as a boy planted himself in front of him, thus calling him from the amazement of the wonderful city down to the realities of the earth.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
"Guides, Mister, only twenty-five cents. This little book contains all you want to know about yonder lovely city--for the price of one small quarter you have a key to all the doors of the Fair--with this book no Columbian guard can call you down--you are free and independent of everybody with this book in your hands--it"s only a quarter, remember, only twenty-five cents! Ill.u.s.trated, tells you everything."
"That"s it Sarah, let"s buy one of these books and go home. It tells us every thing and it is ill.u.s.trated. What"s the use of wearing our eyes out and our feet off when we can learn it all out of this feller"s book.
I feel all done up on the first sight. It"s too big a job fer me to undertake. I didn"t calculate on such a big show."
"No, my boy. I wish I could accommodate ye but you see I ain"t got no time on the grounds for reading or I"d a brought the Scriptures along. I judge it prophesied this when it spoke of signs and wonders appearing."
"Only a quarter, sir."
Uncle shook his head, but f.a.n.n.y produced a quarter and took one of the books.
Near by was a booth where camp stools were to be leased.
"That is what Sarah and I will need. These young ones can walk all day."
Directly Johnny had a folded camp chair in each hand and they went on following the crowd toward the Administration building. They did not go inside as most of the people did but continued on around till the basin between the Peristyle and the Administration building appeared in view.
Through the columns of the Peristyle at the far end of the basin they could see the blue lake meeting the summer clouds; above them rose the dome of the Administration building till it seemed almost to pierce the clouds. They were looking upon a scene never before excelled in grandeur by the art of man. The basin was filled with gondolas gracefully plied by Venetians, launches moving both by steam and by electricity and gay sailboats of every description. In the far end of the basin was to be seen the Statue of the Republic sixty-five feet tall and standing forty feet above the water on its great stone foundation. The MacMonnies fountain was roaring with the fall of water and the heroic figures of Columbia enthroned in her triumphal barge guided by Time and heralded by Fame was outlined against the Agricultural building. From the dome of that ma.s.sive structure, exhibiting the produce of our land, Diana with her drawn bow seemed to be aiming directly at them.
"Let us sit down," said Aunt, as the first wave of the wonderful vision pa.s.sed over them.
"I feel more like saying, let us kneel down," said Uncle.
f.a.n.n.y read from the front of the Administration building the inscriptions there about Columbus and his work.
High over the north entrance were the words:
"Columbus received from Ferdinand and Isabel, Sovereigns of Spain, a commission as Admiral of an exploring fleet, April 30, 1492."
Over the east entrance she read:
"Columbus sailed from Palos with three small vessels, Aug. 3, and landed on one of the Bahama Islands."
What common-place facts so simply stated! But they brought forth thoughts and emotions greater and greater of the wonderful consequences to mankind.
"Grandpa, you see how we have come here to learn of the world and its progress to this greatness."
"Do not speak to me now, child; I want to think," and Uncle bowed his head in his hands.
No one said anything for a few minutes, when Johnny startled them by yelling "Gorgeous! gorgeous!"
"Of course it"s gorgeous," said f.a.n.n.y; "but you needn"t yell that way.
You must not forget that you are not in our barnyard now."
Johnny subsided. He had expressed his opinion, and he was ready to move on.
Uncle arose and said: "I guess we are able to go to the next scene now, and I warn you all that the word gorgeous is as high as we will be allowed to go in expressing ourselves, no matter what we see. There has got to be a limit somewhere, and I judge that gorgeous is far enough."
"Is that the statyure of Mrs. Columbus?" asked Johnny.
"No, it"s the Statue of the Republic."
"I declare I"ve been watching them things on that Statue of the Republic, and I really believe they"re men instead of being pigeons."
"They are men," said f.a.n.n.y. "No wonder that they look so little, for the book here says her forefinger is four feet long. Look at that figure on the top of the big building yonder. That Is Diana, the huntress. How tall do you think she is?"
"Nine feet," said Johnny, promptly.
"Life-size," said Uncle.
"Both wrong. The book says she is eighteen feet tall."
"Well, well, my girl, this looks like a dream, but it ain"t, is it?"