Samantha at the Worlds Fair

Samantha at the World's Fair

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Title: Samantha at the World's Fair
Author: Marietta Holley
Illustrator: Baron C. De Grimm
Release Date: April 1, 2006 [EBook #18091]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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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