The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-07-28
MY STORY.

my husband, was livin' he never .ap
proved OF such things, and since I've
been Twin around with the children
they wanted to go, mostly, and SO I
stayed at home to see to things. But
this year, Tom, my son, says, says lie
Mother, you're getting along in
years, and you never have been to fair
I'm going with horses. and the big
wagon. and you can go, just as well as
not. Will your"
Well, L wavered awhile, but finally con-
cluded to go just to please Tom, you
know. We was calculating ON getting
q right early start, and SO had most of
the things ready over night. Cynthy,
Toms wife, had shoe-box most full of
cheese and bread. On the top she put
six rolls of her very best butter; it was
spendid, with sheaf of wheat stamped
on the top and her monogram cut on the
side. Cynthy is o master smart house.
keeper, and always gets premiums for
whatever she carries. She was very par
ticular to get butter in good place on
the top, where she was sure it would 60
safe.
We were all ready to start at half past
six in the morning. Tom put the shoe
box in the back of the wagon for little
Tommie to sit on, then some chairs for
the elder children, Cynthy and !, and
last of all he put in q good sized nail key
filed with turnips and potatoes, and seat
ed himself ON the top. I told him 1
thought he had better have some other
kind of Q seat, but he said it was just as
good as he wanted, and there was not
room for anything else.
You see we started so early we didn
think anything about how hot it was
going to be, and never carried sign OF
an umbrella or parasol, or anything to
keep off the sun, and long fore we got
there it was blazin' down hot enough to
blister. Toms oldest girl, Maria, idget-
ed round and put her handkerchief over
her face (she's as brown as Malay, but
she's always in pickle for fear she'll
TAM and said she wished, for her part,
she'd either brought an umbreller or
stayed at home.
said wished for my part she had. l
wasn't feeling overcomfOrtable myself.
One of my shoes pinched, and the sweat
was Just streaming down my face; be-
sides, 1 didn't have over confidence in
the horses, and Tom kept swayin round
on the nail keg whenever we went over
stone. haint been used to ridin much
lately, and don't think twas any more
than natural that l should feel q little
fear.
Tom said that might just as we'll keep
my feet in the wagon, and don't know
but / had, for l noticed since l came
home that I'd ground hole in the side
of my shoe where I hit against the
wheel. We all chirkad up considerable
when we got in sight Of the ground, and
after we got inside Martha looked around
for Tommie, and if you'll believe it, the
little rascal had taken the cover of the
box and laid his fat little body down
comfortably on the napkins and towels
Cynthy had wrapped 80 carefully around
that butter. 1t was so warm that 1t was
ali melted, Such looking boy was
never seen. We scraped him oil and
wiped him off, and at last Maria put her
buster cape around him, and he didn
look fit to be seen.
Cynthy was awful cut up about it. and
don't wonder, with Mrs. Perry Mason
aarryin in her poor, pale, lardy stun,
end hintin round that some folks dldn
dare bring butter. 49,,
l had O real good time in the building
looking at the vegetables. fruit. rag
csrpets. bed quilts and such, but when
Maria came and asked me to come ou'
and see the race, couldn't help think
inc for the life of me of all the stories
I ever heard about the spirits OF de-
parted friends lowering around us, ano
how Hiram didn't approve OF fairs, bu
then. thinks 1, he never used to go wher
he was alive, so faint no ways likely
he'll take it up now; 80 elbowed along
With Maria, till she said We were IN
very good place.
. think it was, for everybody scenes
to want it, and kept pushing and pnsh
inc. and tanning our bonnets with thei
psrasols, till was nigh distracted, on
made MP my mind to stand my ground
and l did; but didn't see thing OF IN
horses; only saw the excitement and los
Twas getting rather late when To,
went for tie team, and he said we shoei
have to be pretty spry about getnn,
home If we got there before dark. ID
came back pretty soon after he wei
away. looking sort of mad around IN
ewes. and said somebody had moved n
wagon up near the fence, and the priz
herd of Devons had chawed mp the mo-
Of one harness and made . good begl'
ming on the other. Well, We got
,eetSer what straps and strings We coz,
and patched up the harness 20 Tom''N
<vok honnA