Sez he, "I meant their drums, and the stuns they roll round in their
husky skin bags, and cymbals," sez he.
"Then," sez I, "why didn't you say so?"
Sez he, "I spoze to see them humbly creeters with rings in their noses,
a-dancin' and contortin' their bodies, and twistin' 'em round, is a
sight. And I spoze the noises is as deafenin' as it would be for all the
Jonesville meetin'-house to knock all the tin pans and bilers they could
git holt of together, and yell.
"And they don't wear nothin' but some feathers," sez he.
"Wall," sez I, "I don't want to see no sech sight, and I don't want you
to."
And dretful visions, as I said it, rolled through my mind of the awful
day it would be for Jonesville, if Josiah Allen should carry home any
such wild idees, and git the other old Jonesvillians stirred up in it.
To see him, and Deacon Henzy, and Deacon Bobbet, and the rest dressed up
in a few feathers a-jumpin' round, and a-beatin' tin-pans, and
a-contortin' their old frames, would, I thought, be the finishin' touch
to me. I had stood lots of his experimentin' and branchin's out into new
idees, but I felt that I could not brook this, so I would not heed his
desire to stop. I made him move onwards.
And then come Austria. There is thirty-six buildin's here, and they show
Austrian life and costumes in every particular.
Then come the Police Station, and Fire Department, and then a French
Cider Press; but I didn't care nothin' about seein' that--cider duz more
hurt than whiskey enough sight, American or French, and it wuzn't any
treat to me to see it made, or drunk up, nor the effects on it nuther.
Then there wuz a large French Restaurant, one of the best-built
structures on the ground.
Then come right along St. Peter's, jest as it is in this world, saints
a-follerin' sinners.
It is the exact model of the Church of St. Peter's at Rome.
I would go in to see that, and Josiah consented after a parley.
It is the exact model down to the most minute details of that most
wonderful glory of art. It is about thirty feet long, and about three
times as high as Josiah, and it is a sight to remember; it is perfectly
beautiful.
In this buildin' where the model is seen is some portraits of the
different Popes, and besides these large models is some smaller ones of
the beautiful Cathedral of Milan, the Piambino Palace, the Pantheon, and
a statute of St. Peter himself.
Good old creeter, how I've always liked him, and thought on him!
But Josiah hurried me almost beyend my strength on the way out, for the
Ferris Wheel wuz indeed nigh to us, and I forgive Josiah for his ardor
when I see it.
[Illustration: The Ferris Wheel wuz indeed nigh to us, and I forgive
Josiah for his ardor when I see it.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account