South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-10-27
How Grandmother Went 20 the
Centennial,
ny y. II. wlSsLow,

alive to tell it ! don't know. 1 don't
believe Faithful or Christian either could
nave come through that Vanity Fair
alive. especially il they we're nigh on to
eighty years old. But then, to be sure,
the pilgrims in those days had to travel
afoot, and they didn't go sliding around
In CHAIR on wheels, with foreigner in
gray pushing on from behind, and they
didn't have open cars, with q spiteful
little tug OF an engine, to whisk them u
bout in q jiff.y from place to place, as
we had.
All summer long the children have
been teasing me to go to the Centennial,
and all summer long I've been putting
1t of, You see, in spring there was the
house-cleaning TO see to, and though
they told me want needed a mite,
can't get out Of tho notion that grand.
mothers Of some use in the world, so
wouldn't go. Then summer came, and
l heard it was awful hot down i'm Phila-
dclphia, and l thought would like to
hear the old cracked bell ring out nv
friend tho century I've seen SO much OF,
and ring in the new one. which will ney.
er be anything but little stranger to
me. But 1 think should have cried
when they brought out the same old
"Declaration" that has my fathers sig.
nature most faded out 10 it, and read it
on the same spot where it was first read
hundred years ago, I'd have liked To
put my hand, which has rocked so many
babies, upon the old cradle o" liberty;
but, then, old women are in the way at
celebrations, and had rs much Fourth
OF July rs could stand ut home. Then
there was some talk about opening on
Sunday, and ! said to myself that one
old woman's example may not he of
much account, but my influence shall
never be on the side of Sabbath breaking,
If | never see an invention or discoy.
cry in my life.
But when the pleasant, bright Scptem.
Der days CAME, and felt uncommon
CHEEKY, nothing would do the young
folks but that grandmother must 90 and
take look at the nations tea,party. /
guess ! was in the fashion, too,-they
say it's fashionable to 90 to parties late
and 1 never even thought of SO many
people rs l met in and around that Ex-
position. Why, if all the trainin' days,
all the Fourth of Julys, and all the coun.
ty fairs I've been to in my long life were
just shaken up together, there wouldn't
be such crowd rs saw there every day.
fou SEQ it's about twenty-five years
since I've been on journey, and then
we travelled two days in stage to get
the boat to take us to New York and
so L was drcading my journey very
much; but Mamie--that's my youngest
grandchild-says:
"Why. it's nothing. grandma; don't
60 to the city for my music lesson
every week? You just put on that nice
new bonnet we fixed for you, and papa
and will manage all tho rest
And sure enough. when my sons little
easy carriage drove up TO the depot,
they handed me right into splendid
sittin' room on wheels. There were vel.
vet curtains and gold and loolsin' glass.
es and soft armchairs and iootman in
livery and / said: ''Oh. we've made
a mistake; the Emperor Dom Pedro's
come back, and this is tho palace they've
fitted up for him and the Empress
Lets get OUT
But Mamie only laughed, and put me
into chair.
Didn't you ever see palace.car?"
said she. II think the daughter Of a
man who signed the Declaration of In
dependence is as much an empress in her
own right as any sovereign in the world"
Well, we didn't have any adventures
on the way TO New York, except q man
bringing in apples and coffee and fried
oysters; and when we got TO the CITY
we went across to Jersey City la a great
floating house and got into another
"palace.car." 1t only took two hours
and a half to go to Philadelphia, and the
Whole journey from home didn't take
day; and yet I've heard my father tell
that when he went TO attend the first
Congress, it took two weeks, and his
horse was all worn out when he got there
] don't think much of PHILADELPHIA no.
tels-at least, the one we went TO that.
night. it looked more like barn .han
anything else, only the ceilings we're
papered with calico. There were no
feathers in tho bed, which Mamie said
was made Of corn husks; the sheets
were not ironed, aud there was Just one
kitohen.towel and little pitcher Of wa.
WI AVA Alhillc anu NE. somehow. M,
seems to me the inns might have been
more comfortable hundred years ago.
The next morning we went to the TX.
position, and ut first | was terribly dis.
appointed. There were long rows Of
shanties, just like country fair. with
advertisements over them Of prize pigs
and monstrous oxen, fat women and
donbie-headed babies, mixed up with
places to cat aud drink in. and gardens
where they had all sorts Of Performance.
es. IL all looked so tawdry and com.
man, that blushed TO think the foreign
nations should come here and take this
as n specimen Of our country, till NV
son said:
Come, mother, lets 90 in"
And then J found this wasn't tho Ex.
position at all and wondered if all
round the gates Of heaven there would
be painted mouths Of hell, TO make peo.
pie think heaven isn't such a wonderful
place, after all. What a time we did
stand on that line, and bow we did get
before we'd paid our bright
silver halCdollars and been o,.Loa