The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-07-01
SHORT
SHORT
STORY

SHON1 ably. 81 hoped last
night it was only
stone in her shoe, but it's her knee,
bad one. We can't possibly go to
the fair"
"But, Eben, we must!" Maisie had
sudden moment of panic. "Aunt
Amanda has wanted to go to one all
her life She was planning to go
to county fair, you know, when she
was taken with her paralysis.
He nodded again, hopelessly. 81
know it. I'd give my right arm to
get her there. But l don't see how
it can be done. We have only one
other horse, and he, great, lumber
ing beast, would jolt her to death
over those fearful roads before the
20 miles were half covered"
For herself, Maisie suffered lit
tie, for she loved Eben deeply. But
because of Aunt Amanda's coming
disappointment she felt just then
her only pang of disloyalty.
"Oh, Eben!" she mourned. why,
they still talk in the village of Aunt
Amanda's miraculous cure, after so
many years of invalidism, when ev-
erybody had long ago given up hope.
And she has been so careful for
weeks, just so the doctor would let
her go to the fair. 1t seems cruel
to keep her at home now"
All the gay plans which had pre-
coded this day, the great day in
Aunt Amanda's life, had fallen to
dust, and he felt, impotently, that
he should somehow have foreseen
the catastrophe and forestalled it.
Good morning, everybody"
cried a cheerful voice, with a de-
licious back country drawl, and
Aunt Amanda wheeled herself Wig
orously into the kitchen, her face
aglow like a young girls on her
way to her first party. And indeed
it was Aunt Amanda's first party
for so years. Her hair was white,
but her unlined face was almost as
fresh as a girls.
and to think" she went on, not
noticing their detection, "a county
fair after all these years! l had
begun to think it was like that
French place in the poem. Do you
remember the old man who had al
ways wanted to go to-Carcassonne?
That was it! He thought it must
be the most wonderful place in the
world, just because he had never
been there. And in the end he never
did go. The poem ends, l recall,
Each mortal has a Carcassonne.
I'd begun to think county fair
was mine"
aunt Amanda" began Maisie
bravely, but the old lady interrupt
ed with fresh burst of enthusi-
asm.
Harry told me about it after I
was ill-the county fair he never
took me to. The grandstand and
the clapping, the gay colored
clothes, the bobting red parasols.
And he told me all about the
races, and how the winner was
made hero. All the ladies' kissed
him, Harry told me, though it didn't
seem likely.
"And every lady was presented
with huge bunch of flowers. Mai
sic, do hope they give me roses.
l love them 500
A look of amazement had been
slowly spreading over the faces of
Eben and Maisie. The dull gather
ings of tired farmers, the display
of farm produce and cattle which to
them constituted county fair, bore
no relation to the bizarre and color
full festivities described by Aunt
Amanda.
Maisie sighed Peanut vendors,
trampled into mud by hundreds of
careless feet were her most vivid
memory of county fair. And rain.
Oh, almost always rain!
"Aunty," she said gently, and
forced herself to go on. "The colt
is lame" She did not need to say
more, for Aunt Amanda was per-
fectly familiar with their isolated
situation. She knew Eben's poverty
and the remoteness of neighbors.
Slowly the glow faded from her face.
She looked at Eben.
"And we can't go?"
"I'm afraid not" He turned
away. Hang it, Maisie," he NUT
tered, "I'll get her there some way
if it takes an arm"
He started for the door, but Mai
sic suddenly caught his arm. Her
eyes were fixed upon Aunt Amanda.
The old lady did not speak for a
moment. And yet it was not sad
ness, entirely, which filled her eyes.
She leaned forward. Her voice held
a strange quality, which seemed al
most to be note of relief.
"Maisie," she said suddenly, "are
county fairs really like that---as
Harry said?"
Eben, from his amazement, vas
ready with frank denial, but his
wife spoke first.
Something like that, Aunt Aman-
da, she replied softly, but ever so
much more gorgeous"
The old lady drew deep breath.
That's all | need to know" she
said. IF really saw one, it might
spoil Harry's picture of it all, and
Il couldn't hear that II is like tho