The eyes of Uncle and the farmer happened to meet and the farmer nodded
to him.
"Now look at that," exclaimed Uncle. "How cityfied I'm getting. I didn't
nod to that feller. The fust few days I was here I nodded to everybody
who looked at me but when they stared back at me like I was an idiot, I
quit."
As they came by the Administration building a gentleman passed near them
and politely lifted his hat. Without response Aunt and Fanny went on but
Uncle grasped the gentleman by the hand and said, "Mr. Moses, I am so
glad to see you. I ain't been tuck up yet by the perlice nor lost any
money but I guess I would if you hadn't give me such good advice."
"Uncle, I must tell you that my name is Warner, as you have it on my
card and not Moses. I told you that name just for a joke because I
didn't expect to see you again and you know we don't often tell our
names and business to people we meet on the trains."
Uncle was very much troubled. He could not see any joke in a false name
being given. He remembered then that Fanny said a young man on the train
was shadowing Mr. Moses, and this false name made it look bad for Mr.
Warner.
"Well Mr. Warner I am sorry you deceived me for I liked you very much
and I aimed to call on you, but maybe I hadn't orter not."
Without another ward Uncle went on to join his waiting family, sadly
shaking his head as he thought of the misplaced confidence he had
bestowed.
"There," said Mr. Warner, "I have estranged the good opinion of the old
man and in his mind made the words of the confidence man seem true. But
somehow I feel sure that I shall meet her in a different way."
As he looked after her he said, "There goes the dearest girl on earth to
me."
[Illustration: "HE LOOKED AROUND AFTER HER."]
It was arranged that the next day the old people should rest at their
hotel all day and at two o'clock Fanny would go to one of the big retail
stores to do some needful shopping with Johnny as an escort.
_CHAPTER VI_
DANGERS OF THE GREAT CITY
Johnny was listlessly walking along in front of Dearborn Station, on
Polk street, when he saw some fine looking apples on one of the fruit
stands. Instantly the old orchard at home came into his mind, and with
it a hunger for apples that could not be downed. Fishing up a dime from
his pocket, it was not long till two apples were his, one of them
undergoing a carving that only a country boy hungry for apples could
perform. As he turned the corner he passed a number of bootblacks
tossing pennies to the edge of the curbing, the one lodging his penny
nearest the edge winning all the other pennies. Johnny watched them long
enough to understand their gambling game and then moved on.
"Hi ther, kids," said one, "watch me git a free lunch."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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