The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-05
For ths Farmer an Mechanic.
Aunt MeIlssa's Trip &c the Ex-
position.
By tie aua,or Of .lass and Nor.a

by tie autbor Of ''!.bea and Nop."
Il never vas ve.y "a from home in
my young days, bekasc you see my ole
man, he don't believe in women folks
a .addin' around, tho he is hest and
kindest man IN the world, If ! DO sayit;
but when my son Elijah went 70 the
Exposition, aud came home, telling
about the wonderful things he seed and
my darter Mary, who hes been of
to boardiE' school, kept a telling me
about what size seed and some Of the
n@bors camc in and says, Mrs. John
son, YOU ought to make your ole man
take you to the Exposition ; then | be
gins to want to 90; so when Tom come
hOms | say to him. "Ole man | to
90 to the Exposition" I wish you could
a seen Tom then. He took his pipe
outer his mouth, aud looked at me Std
dy a moment, as eff he thought I'd taken
leave Of my senses. Then be SEE, Me
lissa. has you gone crazy: :" No, sez
l." don't think it looks Ike il, when
we has been thirty years together, and
] never spent money on no pleasure at
all. You know Tom, seq |. talkin seri-
Gus Ike, but very gentle, me and vou
hasn't got many 0 years 70 live any
how and while we live, we ought to see
somethin' Of the world. We have work,
ed and scrapeG money together a long
time. and now we had Jest as well enjoy
it." Tom never could STAN my arguiu'
with him no how, bekase he knows |
am not a bit 'stravagant 50 he thinks
over the matter awhile, then ses, .sWel
Melissa, | think YOU deserve to enjoy
yourself, for you has been a good wife
and a smart one, so eff you'll git ready,
III carry YOU" Want | glad and proud
to hear this? We live not very fur from
The depot, and l had been on the kars
onct, when | went to see my sick sister,
Lucy Jane, sc that was no sight to me.
l puts on my new dress, and an ulcer
over it, and gifts in the buggy, after
packing our lunch basket in it, and we
starts for the depot. Well, when we
gets there the train had just IN Sich
a pushin' and scramblin' to git IN | never
seed. 1t make me shame to see how
selfish people is. But Tom says s'ole
oman, it faint right to be selfish, but in
this case each one has to look out for
number one;'' so he pushes me up the
steps, and onto the platform and into
the coach. Sch q time! We KEEP look
in for Il empty seat, but there wa two,
aud sometimes three III every seat. l
stood up awhile, then sot down in n
seat with two in it besides NE, and |
was Sc iammeG up | couldn't sit COM
Portable at all. Lots of folks was a
stand in up; but all vas laughin'
and talkin' as merry as larks. Gals and
boys as lively as crickets. and there
were one two mothers with little babies
Well, l was glad mine was all grown.
We travelled on without accident, and
at every depot another crowd come Oh
till It did seem to me | couldn't see
where they all did get a place. When
We got to the city, an old man, with a
band roun' his cap, came rouu', ana
every body had to pay ten cents more,
which seemed mighty Gurus to me as.
| had never seen the like done aiore.
When we got OF the train we walked a
little ways, and | wants Tom to stop
and listen at the comiCal ole man, i
pickin' his banjo: but he wouldn't do
il. There was people a sellin' all sorts
OF things ; and bells Il r.ngin', and flags
Il flynn. and goodness knows what all.
| couldn't keep up with it all. We all
all went through a gate, where was
a mighty curious contrivance to keep
people from passin' quick. / suppose, for
fear they might slip in without a ticket.
Then we crosses the yard, and went into
the buildin'.
fro RE CoNVISUFD