Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-18
THEIR FIRST PLAY.

wus no u+e,l az bein too despairin Mrs.
Bingham could so ON hevin' prayers put
I'D for him Jest as she always had, and II
he should send free tickets, some OF the
folks thought they'd 90 and see him.
They hadn't none OF them never been
into theayter, and they felt they'd like
to see what il WAS like # it didn't cost
nothing. 'fhe yonng folks was all on
that side, and cur us enough. Granper
Whitaker he was with EN-.
I've led pioas Iife," grandper said,
"fur nigh about seventy-five year. |
guess I'm fixed all right in the other
world. and if don hurry won't never
have no fun here.
SO when jefT did send the tic.e,s
grandper and Ehen and Hammer and Jane
they all started down 10 town; aud Jane
she took bag of crullers. and Eben he
took a handkerchief Of apples. and Han
ner she took bottle Of lemonade. for
there was nothin' grandper liked so much
as hevin good time, and there's no
telling what you get in those New York
restaurants besides flies, and when Cousin
Phineas had dinner there once he "a W
waiter ruh zap The sugar basin with his
poo kit ankurchuif.
Well. we felt real pleased To see
grandper SO clipper. Did | tell you ]
was goin along tu: I'm Belnder: and
we Jest out up awful. And ar we WIS
a-goin' through the village to the station
granIper held up his head like he WIS on
parade. and when any!'ody stopped to
say. Why, how dye dor Where be YOU
goiil Gr.,n.iper Whitaker he ups and
holer, right out. I'm agoin' tu take the
boys and gals up TIL town tn the thea! Ter.
fur IN :, my grandson. Jackson Jtifer-
sol. perform.
You s.','. 4randpcr WAS u peif.sser. and
he'd " li:e,l upright ali his life. and
knowe,. i.e wlis jet about as good as any
Of e.ll f IGt co..si,.crbui better
Eveiy bow tpd t!..n gran'lper would
turn III. h Al gl;iInfpor had Il real talent
fur iur.iin his head clear round so it
10, kasi rs # it groNed iIackward-and
say:
Tel yVu. folks see we air on a spree.
AMI reckon they wish they could go
along,
>nw We w..ilt ahead. iuokin' fur the tents.
Graudper said theavlers always played
in tents But zee didn't see none. nor no
place fur hone: bur all of sudden we
came to a great, splendid house with the
name of the theayter We wanted to see
up ali over it. and great pictures at the
door and policeman staDdin' by the
lamp posts.
Grandper looks around ag in and SCI he:
"Ebci, reckon things is got more iixy
sence WIS a hoy and went to the circus,
and got whacked for dom it when ] got
home. Theyv got their thcayler into
house,; and sure enough, the policeman
said the tickets WIS fur that place, and
we went in.
a young gentleman, al fixed up like
he WIS goiB to get married, showed US
some seats. Grandlsrr he sot down on
the outside one
"Godarncd ef it do.t hook like meet
inv seq he But there's a band any
wav:" and pretty soon it began to play;
but we didn't see nothin'. only little boy
standin On some steps Jest as ef he WIS
goin 10 come down but felt skeered. until
ali of a sudden up he went in the air! l
wus so started shruck right out; but
Jane she said She thought first off it wus
a biz shade with boy painted onto it.
And then we could see straight into
somebody's front parlor. and there WIS
the help talkin' to herself and sayin'
all sorts of things abou, the family. Then
til" door bell rang and in came our Jack
sou jefferson! never WIS SO surprised
in my life. He WIS all fixed up, and he
didn't take no more notice of us than ef
we waren't there. In minute ! saw
why; he'd come to call on young lady,
and wus SO taken up by her he hadn't
eyes fur nobody else. didn't mind, but
Jane did. iheS sot on a sofa and talked
until in cone an Did gentleman and asked
ackson jefferson what he WIS there fur,
and told him lac didn't want no low down
poor folks comm after his daughter.
Now, there amt nothin fires grandper
up 50 as anybody lookin' down on his
family, and he RI up from his seat like
flash he is six feet two is grandper.
and his hair Is white and grows real
long. lie kin be seen quite n distance.
Every body looked at him SO pleased they
had t. Laugh
"hullo, you." says he. You. mean.
talking 10 Jackson Jefferson es ef lie wus
the dirt under your feeA III hev you
TO know that the Binghans md the
Whittakers air as good families as you
Kin find ~ To
Ia quite good enough for that gal Of
yourn, and as fur bein' poor, I've got
considerable to leave myself; and ef
hadn't, his pa is forehanded, and his ma
has forty acre farm Of her own, be-
sides stocks. Jackson Jefferson can
marry Squire Maltby's darter fur the
askin. and eff was him wouldn't hev
gal that would go round with the back
Of her waist split down so it amt decent.
when she could patch it with the trail of
her dress and leave plenty TO spare to
trip folks up on"
Grandper always kin talk ef he wants
to, and the folks they all jest set and
laughed to hear how good he gave it to
that old gentleman, and he never 90
much as answered up. and we couldn't
hear what Jefferson said for the noise:
but he went out, and the young lady, she
jest tainted dead away. was sort of
sorry for hx. But Jane said she was
sure she painted. fur she saw white on
her nose, and then her pa, he Jest walked
about and talked to himself until she
came to, and then he told her she'd got
to marry somebody or other-I forget
names 80 easy that I can't tell you who
he was-and she said she'd die fust, and
went onto her knees. Then folks called,
and they all had tea, and nobody %
much as pulled the shade down, and
some ladies that came they talked, and
. gentleman he made love to the young
lady jackson wanted, and It was real in
teresting, but there warn't no horses nor
no dancing. only after awhile they did
pull the shade down, and the band came
out of the cellar doors and played again.
Perhaps the theayter viii begin now"
says grandper; .'but don't SEQ no tight
rope"
But In little while In the band went
again, and the shade went up, and there
was jackson. Il didn't look like the
ssme room, and he said he was jet
home and WA tired, and grandper said:
"Ay, ~. You had ostef keep early
hours. Jackson.
Then JackDon be aid he had The mo-
awful presentimsnts of suthin anchor
Md nd paaAp1 ~: