Just then some good country people came up and they were almost wild for
knowledge as to where the Exposition people dug up that awful giant, and
as to how long he lived before the flood, and if it might not be Goilah.
Fanny could not stand such an error, and she pointed out to the little
girl the card below explaining what the figure intended to show.
They went on past states and foreign countries, and booth after booth of
books and papers of the great publishing companies.
"Come here, come this way, all of ye!"
Johnny was wildly motioning to his folks, who had stopped to examine
some books in a booth near the north end of the Liberal Arts hall. As
they came up to him, he said: "Say, you remember the Century plant,
don't you, down in the Horticultural hall, wot's jest bloomed? Well,
I've found a Century company, an' I want Fanny to go in thar an' ask the
gurl wot hes charge if we kin see it bloomin'."
"They are the people who publish so much about the war and about
Lincoln. Let us go in and I'll take some notes about what they have."
Fanny took out her pencil and notebook as they approached the entrance
of the booth. All went in together, and the lady in charge, seeing Fanny
with a notebook in her hand, came over to her from the opposite side of
the room with a rush that almost took the young observer's breath away.
"Are you a reporter, Miss?"
"No, no," said Fanny.
"Oh! Just taking notes for your own amusement."
"Well, not exactly that. I may use them some time."
Fanny had in mind the things she would have to tell to her less
fortunate friends at home.
"O I see, going to weave them into a book or a lecture. Just come this
way;" and, followed by Johnny, Uncle and Aunt, Fanny went the rounds of
the place listening attentively to the interesting talk of the lady in
charge as she explained the processes in detail of making a great
magazine, the evolution of the English dictionary and of dictionary
making in all its phases. She showed them many interesting relics and
among them the original letters and documents of the company's great war
articles and their life of the martyred president. The lady never had
more interested listeners or people more grateful for the trouble she
had taken to instruct them.
[Illustration: "UNCLE DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM."]
"No, don't go till you have registered."
Fanny went over and registered for all of them and Uncle went away
feeling as if he now had a literary education and could write anything
from a war article to a dictionary.
They passed on down and out of the building more impressed than ever
concerning the greatness of the world. Aunt rarely said much but now she
remarked that she loved their farm and their Jerseys more than ever but
she could see that God's mercies and blessings did not rest alone on
them and their neighbors. There was indeed a world beyond what she had
ever seen or been able to dream.
As they passed on to the gate a family evidently from off the farm
passed them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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