Part 25 (1/2)
At Terra Haute, where they halted for the night, Robert Day waswhich the caravan mode of removal ever caused hihts When Grand-roolanced into what appeared a bower or a bazaar of wonderful sights They had supper in a te-room, and the waiter said there was a fair in the house Not an agricultural display, but so-society to raise money for poor people
Now Robert Day and Corinne knew all about an agricultural display
They had been to the State Fair at Colu lines of booths, quilts, and plows, and chickens, pies, bread, and fancy knitting, horses, cake stands, and crowds of people
They considered it the finest sight in the world, except, perhaps, a fabulous crystal palace which was or had been soreat deal, and soot up by a ladies'
sewing-society to raiseto theuardian to take theett said she had nothe trip footed up to a high figure Neither could she undertake to have the trunks in froet out their Sunday clothes But in the end, as both children were neatly dressed, and the fair was to help the poor, she gave them a five-cent piece each, over and above admission money, which was a fip'ney-bit, for children, the waiter said Zene concluded he would black his boots and look into the fair awhile also, and as he could keep a protecting eye on her young family, and had authority to send them up-stairs in one hour and a half by the bar-roolad the journey was so nearly over, for every night found her quite tired out
Zene,his own importance and authority, ushered aunt Corinne and Robert into the fair, and liht they needed ad son noticed this and eously attired in blue velvet jacket and ruffles and white trousers, and a, other children shone in resplendent attire Aunt Corinne felt the commonness of her calico dress She had a ”white” herself, if Ma Padgett had only let her put it on, but this could not be explained to all the people at the fair And there were so ot the white Dolls of pink and pearly ith actual hair, candy or wooden dogs, cats, and all do which represented the sewing society's labors There was toofor comfort, and too much pastry trodden into the floor; and aunt Corinne and her nephew felt keen anxiety to spend their five-cent pieces to the best advantage She was near investing in candy kisses, when yellow and scarlet-backed books containing the history of ”Mother Hubbard,” or the ”Babes in the Woods,” or ”Little Red Riding Hood,” attracted her eye, and she realized what life-long regret shefive cents on candy kisses, when one such voluht be hers for the same money
Just as aunt Corinne laid her silver on the book counter, however, and gave her tre preference to the ”History of Old Dame Trot and her Cat,” Bobaday seized her wrist and excitedly told her there was a ic-lantern show connected with the fair, which could be seen at five cents per pair of eyes Dame Trot remained unpurchased, and the coin returned to aunt Corinne's waric-lantern show?”
”Why, the man, you know,” explained Robert, ”has pitctures in a lantern, and throws light through 'em, and they spread out on a wet sheet on the wall The room's all dark except the place on the wall
A Chinese man eatin' mice in his sleep: he works his jaws! And about Saul in the Bible, when he was goin' to kill the good people, and it says, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thoustar like grand all kinds of colors and working in and out on itself And a good ht to look at it And he'll stand by the door and pay our et in”
Robert Day's aunt caught the fire of his enthusiasic lantern perfor up, but Zene, es ahead so that they gained chairs before the landlord's son could make his choice
[Illustration: AT THE SEWING SOCIETY FAIR]
He sat down directly behind Robert and aunt Corinne, and at once began to annoy the ones are spry,” said the landlord's son, who had been petted on account of his pretty face until he was the nuisance of the house ”I wouldn't be athrob in his blood, but sat still, looking at the wall Aunt Corinne, however, turned her head and looked witheringly at the blue-jacketed boy
”Movers' young ones have to wear calico,” he continued, ”and their laoes lippity-clink around after them”
”He thinks Zene's our father!” exclai at the affront she received
”Don't mind him,” said Robert, slowly ”He's the hostler's boy, and used to staying in the stable He doesn't kno to behave when they let hiht have becoe of fires, for the landlord's son stood up in rage while his chuled, and Robert felt terribly equal to the occasion He told Zene next day he had his fist already doubled, and he didn't care if the landlord put theht was turned upon the wall, the landlord's son was told by twenty voices to sit down out of the way, the lanternit So he sunk into his seat feeling h Aunt Corinne felt she should always regret turning her back on the Da in there to have Zene called her lama did attach to movers' children He had supposed therievance put the robbers out of his mind when they trotted ahead next day The Wabash River could scarcely soothe his ruffled complacence And never an inch of the Wabash River have I seen that was not beautiful and restful to the eye It flows li up bars and islands, wooded to the very edges--captivating places for any tiny Crusoe to be wrecked upon Skiffs lay along the shore, and small steamers felt their way in the channel It was a river full of all sorts of promises; so shallow here that the pebbles shone in broad sheets like a floor of opals wherever you ht, so deep and shady with sycaood swimmer would want to lie in a hole, half a June day
Perhaps it was the sight of the Wabash River which suggested washi+ng clothes to Grandett She said they were now near the Illinois State line, and she would not like to reach the place with everything dirty There was always plenty to do when a body first got ho up wash-day
So when they passed a sar Creek, she called a halt, and they spent the day in the woods
Sugar Creek, though not sweet, was clear Zene carried pails full of it to fill the great copper kettle, and slung this over a fire The horseswith their heads tied to their forefeet to prevent their cantering off
Grandett at the creek's brink, set up her tubs and buried herself to the elbows in suds, and aunt Corinne with a matronly countenance, assisted All that day Robert went barelegged, and splashed water, wading out far to dip up a gourdful; and he thought it was fun to help stretch the clothes-line as, and lift the scalded linen on a paddle into the tub, losing himself in the streareeable
Everybody had to wake early, and a great deal of fine-split as needed The kitchen smelt of suds, and the school-lunch was scraps left froerbread