Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-06-15
Looking for the Maine Building.

= Looking for the Maine Building.
3 YESTERDAY afternoon, standing near
the principal entrance to Paramount
Park, [ noticed tall, raw bOned New
Highlander who had Just made his way
through the turnstile, and who stood in
evident amazement looking at the great
buildings about him, and staring inopen-
mouthed wonder at the immense crowds
that thronged the avenues. He was a
young man, evidently just fresh from
some interior village. He was naturally
no fool, but it could be plainly seen that
he knew next to nothing of men or of the
world, and that his visit to the Worlds
Fair was the browning event in his quiet
life He had his best clothes on, "store
clothes'' / suppose he would have called
them, and in his hand he carried new
and shining black carpet-bag, which
probably contained the greater part of all
his earthly possessions. He chung to it as
if it contained untold treasure. For fully
five minutes he stood looking about him,
and then in an humble and deprecatOry
kind of way he approached police
man, radiant in his new uniform of
black and red, and almost bursting with
an overpowering sense of his own i'm
portance. Timidly the villager asked the
mighty official Will you please to tell
me whereabouts the Maine building is ?"
a'sThat's it SIR" said 1.-The guard, /" with
a toss of his head toward the grand pal
ace Of industry, and then as became a
person of his dignity and position, turned
on his heel and walked away. The coun-
tryman looked at the immense structure
that had been pointed out to him, and
then shaking his head walked on few
PAGES. He passed two policemen without
daring to address them Then he came
to jolly-faced member of the French
Commission, and making a profound bow
attracted that gentlemans attention, and
again asked the question, "Win you
please to tell me Whereabouts the Maine
building is?' The Frenchman could not
understand him, and laughing good-na-
turedlv, shook his head and passed on
At this the New Highlander began to lose
his temper, and growing very red in the
face he muttered something about "darned
fools that wouldn't answer civil CUES
tons" Then, ''his native courage hay
ing risen within him. he went up to an
other policeman, and asked, "Be you a
police officer?" Eyes, sir,' was the re-
ply "Well, then, if you be, just tell me
whereabouts the Maine building is"
"That's it, SIR" pointing like his
colleague, to the grand hall. AT this
the countryman Indignantly exclaimed,
Look here, mister, / hain't
come here to be fooled. want to know
where the Maine building is, and | want
to know quick" " told you once that
the main building was over there" was
the angry response, and if you don't
believe me you can get satisfaction some
where else" The positive tone of the
policeman seemed to stagger the country
man for q moment, and he looked first at
the grand hall, and then at the crowd that
was, beginning to gather round him, in a
dazed and puzzled kind of way that was
truly laughable. Then he caught sight of
a Lieutenant of the Guard, who walked
down the avenue erich in the many trap
pings of his station,'' and rushing over to
him he asked: Say, mister, is that the
Maine building?" =" Yes, i" said the officer,
politely, that's the main building, sir. y
Of course such authority as this could not
be doubted; C the gentleman from Maine"
drew one deep sigh of relief, and in the
fullness of his heart exclaimed: g Well, I
swan to man, was sure the old State
WANT goin' back on us, but [ hadn't no
idea she'd put up a buildin' like that"
As lost sight Of him he was still mutter-
ing about I" the Maine buildin' and the old
State. n-Phtladelphja Cor. A. 7. Times.
-- I'll
Programme for the Fourth OF July
In Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA, June 2.