The Brick Moon, and Other StoriesHale, Edward Everett
Science
The Brick Moon, and Other Stories
Hale, Edward Everett
Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
But on the other hand, to Frederick's amazement, as
he threw the door open, he found a lighted room and a
long table around which sat twelve men, guised or
disguised in much the same way as those whom he had
brought with him. A few moments showed that another
leader of the people had discovered this vacant home a
few weeks before, and had established there another
settlement of the un-homed. As it proved, this gentleman
was a Mashpee Indian. He was, in fact, the member of the
House of Representatives from the town of Mashpee for the
next winter. Arriving in Boston to look for
lodgings, he, not unnaturally, met with a Mohawk, two
Dacotahs, and a Cherokee, who, for various errands, had
come north and east. A similarity of color, not to say
of racial relations, had established a warm friendship
among the five, and they had brought together gradually
twelve gentlemen of copper color, who had been residing
in this polling-booth since the second day after the
general election. Their fortune had not been unlike that
of Frederick and his friends, and at this moment they
were discussing the methods by which they might
distribute several brace of ducks which had been sent up
from Mashpee, a haunch of venison which had come down
from above Machias, and some wild turkeys which had
arrived by express from the St. Regis Indians of Northern
New York. At the moment of the arrival of our friends,
they were sending out two of their number to find how
they might best distribute thus their extra provender.
These two gladly joined in the little procession, and
all went together to the corner of Quincy Street and
Curtis Avenue. There a similar revelation was made, only
there was some difficulty at first in any real mutual
understanding. For here they met a dozen, more or less,
of French Canadians. These gentlemen had left their
wives and their children in the province of Quebec, and,
finding themselves in Boston, had taken possession of the
polling-booth, where they were living much more
comfortably than they would have lived at home.
They too had been well provided for Thanksgiving, both by
their friends at home and by their employers, and had
been questioning as to the distribution which they could
make of their supplies. Reinforced by four of their
number, the delegation in search of hungry people was
increased to fourteen in number, and with a certain
curiosity, it must be confessed, they went together to
try their respective keys on No. 311.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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