The Adventures of Uncle Jeremiah and Family at the Great Fair | Page 5

understand
the city way of charging."
"Shall I book you?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"O we may stay a month. May be less."
"Say two weeks."
"All right."
"Here's your ticket with coupons. Fifty-six dollars please."
"But I haven't seen the place nor got the money's worth. I'm Deacon
Jones and I always pay my debts."
"No difference, it's the rules."
"Mr. Moses said not to deal only with responsible officers. How may I
be sure you are a responsible officer?"
"I'll prove it by the conductor."
The conductor was called and Uncle Jeremiah paid over his money and
received his printed directions.

"Where are your baggage checks?"
"O, I've already attended to that. I'll see to that myself."
The hotel agent left and the two young men across the aisle watched
with satisfaction as Uncle folded his big roll of bills and deposited them
in his left trouser's pocket.
"There it is--there is the White City," some one yelled, and the people
rose from their seats and looked at the most favored spot of the earth as
long as it could be seen. Houses flew by, stations were passed; the
placid lake, flecked with many boats, lapped the shore as with some
friendly greeting. The great buildings of Chicago's business center
appeared in view, and the end of their journey was near at hand.
"Chicago, all out!"
"Listen at 'em," said Uncle, "they've got our money and now they're
goin' to put us off. But I guess we must be there."
[Illustration: "UNCLE WAS BEING ROUGHLY HANDLED BY
THE TWO MEN."]
All the people were standing as the magic words were yelled in at the
front door by the brakeman. Uncle Jeremiah had not been as excited
since he heard of the fall of Richmond.
With a valise, packed almost to bursting, in each hand, Uncle was
preparing to do whatever he saw others do. The two young men from
across the aisle had also arisen and pressed into the crowd. One was
directly in front of Uncle, and the one who had made the false change
had crowded himself between Uncle and Aunt Sarah. The train slowed
up as the depot was reached, and all crowded toward the door. There
was a low chirrup, and Uncle was being roughly jostled about by the
two men, when there was a cry of "pickpockets," and the train-boy was
seen swinging on to the wrist of one of the men behind Uncle and
yelling "let 'er go; let 'er go."

[Illustration: "UNCLE GAVE HIS CHECKS TO THE NEAREST
CAB DRIVER."]
The man held a wallet in his hand, but with a curse he dropped it, tore
loose from the boy and rushed through the door, disappearing in the
crowd.
"Here, Mister, is yer wad. Yer wants ter keep yer eye skinned fur them
fellers."
Uncle warmly thanked the boy but he received this second lesson with
a little less complacency than the first. Following the crowd to the
outside he presented his tickets to the first hack driver he came to.
"You are pretty well supplied, aren't you dad. You have the right of
way to two hotels. Which do you want?"
"Take us to the one I've paid fer."
"Which is that?"
"Well, I guess it must be the down town hotel."
"They are both down hotels. I see your baggage is booked for the
Northern and I suppose you want to follow your baggage."
Without more ado all four were placed into the uncomfortably crowded
hack and shortly unloaded at the Northern. An obsequious porter
ushered them into the office and Uncle was astounded with a demand
for twenty dollars down. "But I've paid," Uncle protested. The clerk
looked at his card and assured him he was at the wrong hotel. It was
now dark and Uncle concluded to pay the money and start out anew the
next day. They were shown to their rooms by way of the elevator and
more dead than alive, to use Aunt Sarah's expression, they flung
themselves into chairs and Johnny yelled, "This is Chicago, what I've
heard them talk about." They went to the windows and could not
repress a shudder as they saw the street lights so far below. Aunt Sarah
did not see how she could sleep so high up, but when their evening

meal was done and the events of the day discussed they became as
sleepy and they felt as safe as they did with the whippoorwill singing in
the orchard and the hogs grunting lazily in the lane.

CHAPTER II
NOW FOR THE FAIR
The next morning Uncle Jeremiah was up as usual at four o'clock,
chafing like a caged stable horse that could not get out to fresh air and
the tempting pastures.
[Illustration: "I THINK OF EARTHQUAKES