Book: Samantha at the World\'s Fair

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[Illustration: The minute we passed the gate we wuz overwhelmed
with the onspeakable aspect of the buildin's.--_See page_ 226.]




SAMANTHA

AT THE WORLD'S FAIR


BY

JOSIAH ALLEN'S WIFE

(MARIETTA HOLLEY)


_ILLUSTRATED_
BY
BARON C. DE GRIMM


_PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES_

=New-York=
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY
London and Toronto
1893

Copyright, 1893, by the
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY.

[Registered at Stationer's Hall, London, England.]

TO

=Columbia--=

WHO HAS JEST SAILED OUT AND DISCOVERED
WOMAN. AND TO THE SECT DISCOVERED--

_THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED_.






PREFACE.

It wuz a beautiful evenin' in Jonesville, and the World. The Earth wuz
a-settin' peaceful and serene under the glowin' light of a full moon and
some stars, and I sot jest as peaceful and calm under the meller light
of our hangin' lamp and the blue radiance of my companion's two orbs.

Two arm-chairs covered with handsome buff copper-plate wuz drawed up on
each side of the round table, that had a cheerful spread on't, and a
basket of meller apples and pears.

Dick Swiveller, our big striped pussy-cat (Thomas J. named him), lay
stretched out in luxurious ease on his cushion, a-watchin' with
dignified indulgence the gambollin' of our little pup dog. He is young
yet, and Dick looked lenient on the innocent caperin's of youth.

Dick is very wise.

The firelight sparkled on the clean hearth, the lamplight gleamed down
onto my needles as I sot peaceful a-seamin' two and two, and the same
radiance rested lovin'ly on the shinin' bald head of my pardner as he
sot a-readin' his favorite production, the _World_.

All wuz relapsted into silence, all wuz peace, till all to once my
pardner dropped his paper, and sez he--

"Samantha, why not write a book on't?"

It started me, comin' so onexpected onto me, and specially sence he wuz
always so sot aginst my swingin' out in Literatoor.

I dropped two or three stitches in my inward agitation, but
instinctively I catched holt of my dignity, and kep calm on the outside.

And sez I, "Write a book on what, Josiah Allen?"

"Oh, about the World's Fair!" sez he.

"Wall," sez I, with a deep sithe, "I had thought on't, but I'd kinder
dreaded the job."

And he went on: "You know," sez he, "that We wrote one about the other
big Fair, and if We don't do as well by this one it'll make trouble,"
sez he.

"We!" sez I in my own mind, and in witherin' axents, but I kep calm on
the outside, and he went on--

"Our book," sez he, "that We wrote on the other big Fair in Filadelfy, I
spoze wuz thought as much on and wuz as popular for family readin' as
ever a President's message wuz; and after payin' attention to that as
We did, We hadn't ort to slight this one. We can't afford to," sez he.

"Can't afford to?" sez I dreamily.

"No; We can't afford to," sez he, "and keep Our present popularity. Now,
there's every chance, so fur as I can see, for me to be elected
Path-Master, and the high position of Salesman of the Jonesville Cheese
Factory has been as good as offered to me agin this year. It is because
We are popular," sez he, "that I have these positions of trust and honor
held out to me. We have wrote books that have _took_, Samantha. Now,
what would be the result if We should slight Columbus and turn Our backs
onto America in this crisis of her history? It would be simply ruinous
to Our reputation and my official aspirations. Everybody would be mad,
and kick, from the President down. More'n as likely as not I should
never hold another office in Jonesville. Cheese would be sold right over
my head by I know not who. I should be ordered out to work on the road
like a dog by Ury jest as like as not. I've been a-settin' here and
turnin' it over in my mind; and though, as you say, I hain't always
favored the idee of writin', still at the present time I believe We'd
better write the book. There's ink in the house, hain't there?" sez he
anxiously.

"Yes," sez I.

"And paper?" sez he.

Agin I sez, "Yes."

"Wall, then, when there's ink and paper, what's to hender Our writin'
it?"

"Our!" "We!" Agin them words entered my soul like lead arrows and
gaulded me, but agin I looked up, and the clear light of affection that
shone from my pardner's eyes melted them arrows, and I suffered and wuz
calm. But anon I sez--

"Don't great emotions rise up in your soul, Josiah Allen, when you think
of Columbus and the World's work? Don't the mighty waves of the past and
the future dash up aginst your heart when you think of Christopher, and
what he found, and what is behind this nation, and what is in front of
it, a-bagonin' it onwards?"

"No," sez he calmly; "I look at it with the eye of a business man, and
with that eye," sez he, "I say less write the book."

He ceased his remarks, and agin silence rained in the room.

But to me the silence wuz filled with voices that he couldn't
hear--deep, prophetic voices that shook my soul. Eyes whose light the
dust fell on four hundred years ago shone agin on me in that quiet room
in Jonesville, and hanted me. Heroic hands that wuz clay centuries ago
bagoned to me to foller 'em where they led me. And so on down through
the centuries the viewless hosts passed before me and gin me the silent
countersign to let me pass into their ranks and jine the army. And then,
away out into the future, the Shadow Host defiled--fur off, fur
off--into the age of Freedom, and Justice, and Perfect rights for man
and woman, Love, Joy, Peace.

Josiah didn't see none of these performances.

No; two pardners may set side by side, and yet worlds lay between 'em.
He wuz agin immersed in his ambitious reveries.

I didn't tell him the heft or the size of my emotions as I mentally
tackled the job he proposed to me--there wuzn't no use on't. I only sez,
as I looked up at him over my specs--

"Josiah, We will write the book."




SAMANTHA AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.




CHAPTER I.


[Illustration: Drop Capital]

Christopher Columbus has always been a object of extreme interest and
admiration to me ever sence I first read about him in my old Olney's
Gography, up to the time when I hearn he wuz a-goin' to be celebrated in
Chicago.

I always looked up to Christopher, I always admired him, and in a modest
and meetin'-house sense, I will say boldly and with no fear of Josiah
before my eyes that I loved him.

Havin' such feelin's for Christopher Columbus, as I had, and havin' such
feelin's for New Discoverers, do you spoze I wuz a-goin' to have a
celebration gin for him, and also for us as bein' discovered by him,
without attendin' to it?

No, indeed! I made calculations ahead from the very first minute it wuz
spoke on, to attend to it.

And feelin' as I did--all wrought up on the subject of Christopher
Columbus--it wuz a coincerdence singular enough to skair anybody almost
to death--to think that right on the very day Christopher discovered
America, and us (only 400 years later), and on the very day that I
commenced the fine shirt that Josiah wuz a-goin' to wear to Chicago to
celebrate him in--

That very Friday, if you'll believe me, Christopher Columbus walked
right into our kitchen at Jonesville--and discovered me.

[Illustration: If you'll believe me, Christopher Columbus Allen
walked right into our kitchen--and discovered me.]

Yes, Christopher Columbus Allen, a relative I never had seen, come to
Jonesville and our house on his way to the World's Fair.

Jest to think on't--Christopher Columbus Allen, who had passed his hull
life up in Maine, and then descended down onto us at such a time as
this, when all the relations in Jonesville wuz jest riz up about the
doin's of that great namesake of hisen--And the gussets wuz even then
a-bein' cut out and sewed on to the shirt that wuz a-goin' to encompass
Josiah Allen about as he went to Chicago to celebrate him--

That then, on that Friday, P.M., about the time of day that
the Injuns wuz a-kneelin' to the first Christopher, to think that Josiah
Allen should walk in the new Columbus into our kitchen--why, I don't
spoze a more singular and coincidin' circumstance ever happened before
durin' the hull course of time.

The only incident that mellered it down any and made it a little less
miracalous wuz the fact that he never had been called by his full name.

He always has been, is now, and I spoze always will be called Krit--Krit
Allen.

But still it wuz--in spite of this mellerin' and amelioratin'
circumstance--strikin' and skairful enough to fill me with or.

He wuz a double and twisted relation, as you may say, bein' related to
us on both our own sides, Josiah's and mine.

But I had never sot eyes on him till that day, though I well remember
visitin' his parents, who lived then in the outskirts of Loontown--good
respectable Methodist Epospical people--and runners of a cheese factory
at that time.

Tryphenia Smith, relation on my side, married to Ezra Allen, relation on
Josiah's side.

I remember that I went there on a visit with my mother at a very early
period of my existence. I hadn't existed at that time more'n nine years,
if I had that. We staid there on a stiddy stretch for a week; that wuz
jest before they moved up to Maine.

Uncle Ezra had a splendid chance offered him there, and he fell in with
it.

She wuz a dretful good creeter, Aunt Tryphenia wuz, and greatly beloved
by the relations on his side, as well as hern.

Though, as is nateral with relations, she had to be run by 'em more or
less, and found fault with. Some thought her nose wuz too long. Some on
'em thought she wuz too religious, and some on 'em thought she wuzn't
religious enough. Some on 'em thought she wuzn't sot enough on the
creeds, and some thought she wuz too rigid.

But, howsumever, pretty nigh all the Allens and Smiths jest doted on
her.

There wuz one incident that jest impressed itself on my memory in
connection with that visit, and I don't spoze I shall ever forgit it; it
stands to reason that I should before now, if I ever wuz a-goin' to.

It took place at family prayers, which they held regular at Uncle
Ezra's.

It wuz right in the hite of sugarin'. They had more'n two hundred maple
trees, and they had tapped 'em all, and they had run free, and they had
to sugar off every day, and sometimes twice a day.

That mornin' they had a big kettle of maple syrup over the stove, and
Uncle Ezra and Aunt Tryphenia and mother wuz all a-kneelin' down pretty
nigh to the stove. It wuz a cold mornin', and I wuz a-settin' with my
little legs a-hangin' off the chair a-watchin' things, not at that age
bein' particular interested in religion.

Uncle Ezra made a long prayer, a tegus one, it seemed to me; it wuz so
long that the kettle of sugar had het up fearful, and I see with deep
anxiety that it wuz a-mountin' up most to the top of the kettle.

Of course I dassent move to open the stove door, or stir it down, or
anything--no, I dassent make a move of any kind or a mite of noise in
prayer time. So I sot demute, but in deep anxiety, a-watchin' it sizzle
up higher and higher and then down agin, as is the way of syrup, but
each time a sizzlin' up a little higher.

Wall, finally Uncle Ezra got through with his prayer, and dear good Aunt
Tryphenia begun hern. She spoke dretful kinder moderate, but religious
and good as anything could be.

I well remember what it wuz she wuz sayin'--

"O Lord, let us be tried as by fire and not be moved"--I remember she
said moved instead of moved, which wuz impressive to me, never havin'
hearn it pronounced that way before.

And jest as she said this over went the sugar onto the stove, and Aunt
Tryphenia and Uncle Ezra jest jumped right up and went and lifted the
kettle offen the stove.

I remember well how kinder bewildered and curious mother looked when she
opened her eyes and see that the prayer wuz broke right short off. Aunt
Tryphenia looked meachin', and Uncle Ezra put his hat right on and went
out to the barn.

It wuz dretful embarrissin' to him and Aunt Tryphenia. But then I don't
know as they could have helped it.

I remember hearin' Father and Mother arguin' about it. Father thought
she done right, but Mother wuz kinder of the opinion that she ort to
have run the prayer right on and let the sugar spile if necessary.

But I remember Father's arguin' that he didn't believe her prayer would
have been very lucid or fervent, with all that batch of sugar a-sizzlin'
and a-burnin' right by the side of her.

I remember that he said that a prayer wouldn't be apt to ascend much
higher than where one's hopes and thoughts wuz, and he didn't believe it
would go up much higher than that kettle. (The stove wuz the common
height, not over four feet.)

But Mother held to her own opinion, and so did a good many of the
relations, mostly females. It wuz talked over quite a good deal amongst
the Smiths. The wimmen all blamed Tryphenia more or less. The men mostly
approved of savin' the sugar.

But good land! how I am eppisodin', and to resoom and go on.

As I say, it wuz jest after this that Uncle Ezra's folks moved up to
Maine, Christopher Columbus bein' still onborn for years and years.

But bein' born in due time, or ruther as I may say out of due time, for
Uncle Ezra and Aunt Tryphenia had been married over twenty years before
they had a child, and then they branched out and had two, and then
stopped--

But bein' born at last and growin' up to be a good-lookin' young man and
well-to-do in the world, he come out to Jonesville on business and also
to foller up the ties of relationship that wuz stretched out acrost hill
and dale clear from Maine to Jonesville.

Strange ties, hain't they? that are so little that they are invisible to
the naked eye, or spectacles, or the keenest microscope, and yet are so
strong and lastin' that the strongest sledge-hammer can't break 'em or
even make a dent into 'em.

And old Time himself, that crumbles stun work and mountains, can't seem
to make any impression on 'em. Curious, hain't it?

But to leave moralizin' and to resoom, it was on Friday, P.M.,
that he arrove at our home.

I see a good-lookin' young chap a-comin' up the path from the front gate
with my Josiah, and I hastily but firmly turned my apron the other side
out--I had been windin' some blue yarn that day for some socks for my
Josiah, and had colored it a little--it wuz a white apron--and then I
waited middlin' serene till he come in with him.

And lo! and behold! Josiah introduced him as Christopher Columbus Allen,
my own cousin on my own side, and also on hisen.

He wuz a very good-lookin' chap, some older than Thomas Jefferson, and I
do declare if he didn't look some like him, which wouldn't be nothin'
aginst the law, or aginst reason, bein' that they wuz related to each
other.

I wuz glad enough to see him, and I inquired after the relations with
considerable interest, and some affection (not such an awful sight,
never havin' seen 'em much, but a little, jest about enough).

And then I learnt with some sadness that his father and mother had
passed away not long before that, and that his sister Isabelle wuz not
over well.

And there wuz another coincerdence that struck aginst me almost hard
enough to knock me down.

Isabelle! jest think on't, when my mind wuz on a perfect strain about
Isabelle Casteel.

Columbus and Isabelle!--the idee!

Why, my reason almost tottered on its throne under my recent best
head-dress, when I hearn him speak the name. Christopher Columbus a
tellin' me about Isabelle--

I declare I wuz that wrought up that I expected every minute to hear him
tell me somethin' about Ferdinand; but I do believe that I should have
broke down under that.

But it wuz all explained out to me afterwards by another relation that
come onto us onexpected shortly afterwards.

It seemed that Uncle Ezra and Aunt Tryphenia, after they went to Maine,
moved into a sort of a new place, where it wuz dretful lonesome.

They lost every book they had, owin' to a axident on their journey,
and the only book their nighest neighbor had wuz the life of Queen
Isabelle.

[Illustration: They lost every book they had, owin' to a axident on
their journey.]

And so Aunt Tryphenia for years wuz, as you may say, jest saturated with
that book. And she named her two children, born durin' that time of
saturation, Christopher Columbus and Isabelle. And I presoom if she had
had another, she would have named it King Ferdinand. Though I hain't
sure of this--you can't be postive certain of any such thing as this.
Besides it might have been born a girl onbeknown to her.

But I know that she never washed them children with anything but Casteel
soap, and she talked sights and sights about Spain and things.

So I hearn from Uncle Jered Smith, who visited them while he wuz up on a
tower through Maine, a-sellin' balsam of pine for the lungs.

Wall, Isabelle had a sort of a runnin' down, so Krit said. He begged us
to call him that--said that all his mates at school called him so. He
had been educated quite high. Had been to deestrick school sights, and
then to a 'Cademy and College. He had kinder worked his way up, so I
found out, and so had Isabelle.

She had graduated from a Young Woman's College, taught school to earn
her money, and then went to school as long as that would last, and then
would set out and teach agin, and then go agin and then taught, and then
went.

She wuz younger than Christopher, but he owned up to me that it wuz her
example that had rousted him up to exert himself.

She wuz awful ambitious, Isabelle wuz. She wuz smart as she could be,
and had a feelin' that she wanted to be sunthin' in the World.

But then the old folks wuz took down sick and helpless, and one of the
children had to stay to home. And Isabelle staid, and sent Krit out into
the World.

She sold her jewels of Ambition and Happiness, and gin him the avails of
them.

She staid to home with the old folks--kinder peevish and fretful, Krit
said they wuz, too--and let him go a-sailin' out on the broad ocean of
life; she had trimmed her own sails in such hope, but had to curb 'em in
now and lower the topmast.

You have to reef your sails considerable when you are a-sailin' round in
a small bedroom between two beds of sickness (asthma and inflammatory
rheumatiz). You have to haul 'em in, and take down the flyin' pennen of
Hope and Asperation, and mount up the lamp of Duty and Meekness for a
figger-head, instead of the glowin' face of Proud Endeavor.

[Illustration: Isabelle staid, and sent Krit out into the
World.]

But them lamps give a dretful meller, soft light, when they are well
mounted up, and firm sot.

The light on 'em hain't to be compared to any other light on sea or on
shore. It wrops 'em round so serene and glowin' that walks in it. It
rests on their mild forwards in a sort of a halo that shines off on the
hard things of this life and makes 'em endurable, takes the edge kinder
off of the hardest, keenest sufferin's, and goes before 'em throwin' a
light over the deep waters that must be passed, and sort o' melts in and
loses itself in the ineffible radiance that streams out from acrost the
other side.

It is a curious light and a beautiful one. Isabelle jest journeyed in
its full radiance.

Wall, Isabelle would do what she sot out to do, you could see that by
her face. Krit had brought her photograph with him--he thought his eyes
of her--and I liked her looks first rate.

It wuz a beautiful face, with more than beauty in it too. It wuz
inteligent and serene, with the serenity of the sweet soul within. And
it had a look deep down in the eyes, a sort of a shadow that is got by
passin' through the Valley of Sorrow.

I hearn afterwards what that look meant.

Isabelle had been engaged to a smart, well-meanin' chap, Tom Freeman by
name, not over and above rich, and one that had his own duties to attend
to. Two helpless aged ones, and two little nieces to took care on, and
nobody but himself to earn the money to do it with.

The little nieces' Pa had gone to California after his wife's death--and
hadn't been hearn from sence. The little children had been left with
their grandparents and Uncle Tom to stay till their Pa got back. And as
he didn't git back, of course they kept on a-stayin', and had to be took
care on. They wuz bright little creeters, and the very apples of their
eyes. But they cost money, and they cost love, and Tom had to give it,
for they lost what little property they had about this time--and the
feeble Grandma couldn't do much, and the Grandpa died not long after the
eppisode I am about to relate.

So it all devolved onto Tom. And Tom riz up to his duties nobly, though
it wuz with a sad heart, as wuz spozed, for Isabelle, when she see what
had come onto him to do, wouldn't hold him to his engagement--she
insisted on his bein' free.

I spoze she thought she wouldn't burden him with two more helpless ones,
and then mebby she thought the two spans wouldn't mate very well. And
most probable they would have been a pretty cross match. (I mean, that
is, a sort of a melancholy, down-sperited yoke, and if anybody laughs at
it, I would wish 'em to laugh in a sort of a mournful way.)

Wall, Tom Freeman, after Isabelle sot him free, bein' partly mad and
partly heart-broken, as is the way of men who are deep in love, and want
their way, but anyway wantin' to keep out of the sight of the one who,
if he couldn't have her for his own, he wanted to forgit--he packed up
bag and baggage and went West.

Isabelle wouldn't correspond with him, so she told him in that last
hour--still and calm on the outside, and her heart a-bleedin' on the
inside, I dare presoom to say; no, she wanted him to feel free.

What creeters, what creeters wimmen be for makin' martyrs of themselves,
and burnt sacrifices--sometimes I most think they enjoy it, and then
agin I don't know!

But Isabelle acted from a sense of duty, for she jest worshipped the
ground Tom Freeman walked on, so everybody knew, and so she bid adieu to
Tom and Happiness, and lived on.

Wall, one of 'em must stay at home with the old folks, either she or
Christopher Columbus. And when a man and a woman love each other as
Isabelle and Krit did, when wuz it ever the case but what if there wuz
any sacrificin' to do the woman wuz the one to do it.

It is her nater, and I don't know but a real true woman takes as much
comfort in bein' sort o' onhappy for the sake of some one she loves, as
she would in swingin' right out and a-enjoyin' herself first rate.

A woman who really loves anything has the makin' of a first-class martyr
in her. And though she may not be ever tied to a stake, and gridirons be
fur removed from her, still she has a sort of a silent hankerin' or
aptitude for martrydom. That is, she would fur ruther be onhappy herself
than to have the beloved object wretched. And if either of 'em has got
to face trouble and privation, why she is the one that stands ready to
face 'em.

So Isabelle sent Krit off into the great world to conquer it if
possible.

And Krit, as the nater of man is, felt that he would ruther branch and
work his way along through the World, and work hard and venter and dare
and try to conquer fortune, than to set round and endure and suffer and
be calm.

Men are not, although they are likely creeters and I wish 'em well, yet
truth compels me to say that they are not very much gin to follerin'
this text, "To suffer and be calm."

No, they had ruther rampage round and kill the lions in the way than to
camp down in front of 'em and try to subdue 'em with kindness and long
sufferin'.

Krit, as the nateral nater of man is, felt that he could and would earn
a good place in the World, win it with hard work, and then lift Isabelle
up onto the high platform by the side of him.

Though whether he had made any plans as how he wuz a-goin' to hist up
the two feeble old invalids, that I can't state, not knowin'.

But Isabelle, he did lay out to do well by her, thinkin' as he did such
a amazin' lot of her, and knowin' how she gin up her own ambitious hopes
for his sake, and knowin' well, though he didn't really feel free to
interfere, how she had signed the death-warrant to her own happiness
when she parted with Tom Freeman. But so it wuz.

Wall, Krit wouldn't have to lift up the old folks onto any worldly hite,
for the Lord took 'em up into His own habitation, higher I spoze than
any earthly mount. About six months before Krit come to Jonesville, they
both passed away most at the same time, and wuz buried in one grave.

Wall, we all on us in Jonesville thought a sight of Krit before he had
been with us a week. He had come partly to see a man in Jonesville on
particular business, and partly to see us. He wuz a civil engineer, jest
as civil and polite a one as I ever laid eyes on, and wuz a-doin' well,
but Thomas Jefferson thought he could help him to a still better place
and position.

Thomas J. is very popular in Jonesville. He is doin' a big business all
over the county, and is very influential.

Wall, Krit's business bid fair to keep him for some time in Jonesville
and the vicinity, and as he see that Josiah Allen and I wuz a-makin'
preperations to go to the World's Fair--and bein' warmly pursuaded by us
to that effect, he concluded to stay and accompany us thither. The idee
wuz very agreeable to us.

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