The sweat began to come on Uncle's face. His big bandanna was brought
into play. "So they've opened it. Well, I don't know, I don't know. It
kind of worries me somehow, as if they oughtn't a done it. But I don't
understand all the law and the gospel. I surely didn't do no wrong when
I thought seeing the Fair on Sunday was right, if it do disturb me like,
just now. I thought our Savior meant seeing the Fair on Sunday when he
said 'It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day.' But when I see the
beer tunnel full of people, and the furrin theayters a runnin', it
didn't look lawful, and I wisht I was back to our old church a sittin'
in the corner. Anyhow, I hope I didn't do any of it."
Uncle walked on slowly in a very sad and meditative mood. Aunt looked as
if there was something that had overthrown all her high sentiment on
her first Sunday of seeing the entrancing visions of the great
Exposition. There were religious realities touching her soul now, and
she walked on rapidly with Fanny, leaving Uncle behind. Johnny was
flipping pebbles at some ducks in the lagoon and Uncle had stopped to
look in at one of the doors of Liberal Arts hall. While he was standing
there two dapper young men came walking hastily by. One caught sight of
Uncle and quickly uttered a low whistle. His companion stopped short as
the first one said: "Der's de old duffer; let's work him."
"Naw, we can't do it. He'll remember me mistake in change an' de blasted
trainboy biz."
"'I'll bet you a fiver he don't! You're trigged out altogether new, an'
your gran'mother wouldn't know ye."
"Nothin' like tryin', so here goes," and the speaker walked on a few
steps and half concealed himself behind a column, close enough to hear
all that was said.
"Well, how do you do, Deacon Jones? I am awfully surprised. It's like
two needles meeting in a haystack for us to meet here. Isn't it now!
It's a long time since I saw you back in old Barnville, Sage county,
Indiana; but I remembered you the minute I clapped my eyes on you. I
suspect you'd like to hear from some of your old neighbors."
The speaker was still holding Uncle's hand, and Uncle was looking at him
in a bewildered manner, as if searching intensely in the picture gallery
of memory's old time faces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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