The daily gazette., 1876-11-08
How Grandmother Went
to the Centennial.

Yes, children, I've been and I've seen
the big thing all through, and how I'm
alive to tell it don't know. don't be-
lieve Faithful or Christian either could
have come through that "Vanity Fair
alive, especially if they were nigh on to
eighty years old. But then, to be sure
the pilgrims in those DAYS had to travel
afoot, and didn't go sliding around in a
chair on wheels, with foreigner in gray,
pushing on from behind, and they didn't
have open cars, with spiteful littlc tug
of an engine, to whisk them about in a
iify 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 l have been putting
| it of. You see, in spring there was the
house-cleaning to see to, and though they
told me wasn't needed mite, can't get
out of the notion that grandmother's OF
some use in the world, so wouldn't go.
The summer came, and | heard it was
awful hot down in Philadelphia, and /
thought l would like to hear the old
cracked bell ring out the century have
seen so much of,and ring in the new one,
which will never be anything but little
strange to me. But l think l should have
cried when they brought out the same
old "Declaration" that has my fathers
signature most faded out to 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 Of liberty
but, and had as much Fourth of July
as could stand at home. Then there was
some talk about opening on Sunday, and
L said to myself that one old woman's
example may not be ofmuch account but
my influence shall never be on the side
of Sabbath-breaking, ifI never see an
invention or discovery in my life.
But when the pleasant, bright Septem-
ber days came, and l felt uncommon
CHEEKY, nothing would do the young folks
but that grandmother must go and take a
look at the nations tea-party. guess l
was in the fashion, too-they say it's
fashionable to ge to parties late; and l
never even thought of so many people as
| met in and around that Exposition
Why, if all the trainin' days, all the Fourth
of Julys, and all the county fairs I've been
to in my long life, were just shaken up
together, there wouldn't be such crowd
as saw there every day.
You see 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, !
was dreading my journey very much; but
Mamie-that's my youngest grandchild-
says.
Why, it's nothing. grandma don't
go to the city for my music lesson every
week? You just put on that nice new
bonnet we fixed for you, and papa and
vii manage all the rest"
And sure enough, when my sons little
| easy carriage drove ito the depot, they
handed me right into a splendid sittin'
room on wheels. There were velvet cur
tains and gold lookin'. glasses and sof
armchairs and footman in livery: ant
l said: "Oh we've made mistake tn,
Emperor Dom Pedro's come back, ant
this is the palace they've fitted up for hin
and the Empress. Let's get OUT
But Mamie only laughed, and put m,
into chair.
"Didn't you ever see a palace-car? p
said she. "Ithink the daughter of maj
who signed the Declaration of Independ
ence is as much an empress in her Owl
right as any sovereign in the world
Well, we didn't have any adventure,
on the way to New York, except MAJ
bringing in apples and coffee and friet
oysters and when we got to the city W,
went across to Jersey CITY in n oreat float