"The minute we passed the gate we wuz overwhelmed with the onspeakable aspect of the buildin's--See page 226."

SAMANTHA AT THE WORLD'S FAIR

BY

JOSIAH ALLEN'S WIFE

(MARIETTA HOLLEY)

ILLUSTRATED

BY

BARON C. DE GRIMM

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES

New-York

FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY

London and Toronto

1893

Copyright, 1893, by the

FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY.

[Registered at Stationer's Hall, London, England.]

TO

Columbia—

WHO HAS JEST SAILED OUT AND DISCOVEREDWOMAN. AND TO THE SECT DISCOVERED—

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED.

PREFACE.

It wuz a beautiful evenin' in Jonesville, and the World. The Earth wuza-settin' peaceful and serene under the glowin' light of a full moon andsome stars, and I sot jest as peaceful and calm under the meller lightof our hangin' lamp and the blue radiance of my companion's two orbs.

Two arm-chairs covered with handsome buff copper-plate wuz drawed up oneach side of the round table, that had a cheerful spread on't, and abasket of meller apples and pears.

Dick Swiveller, our big striped pussy-cat (Thomas J. named him), laystretched out in luxurious ease on his cushion, a-watchin' withdignified indulgence the gambollin' of our little pup dog. He is youngyet, and Dick looked lenient on the innocent caperin's of youth.

Dick is very wise.

The firelight sparkled on the clean hearth, the lamplight gleamed downonto my needles as I sot peaceful a-seamin' two and two, and the sameradiance rested lovin'ly on the shinin' bald head of my[Pg viii] pardner as hesot a-readin' his favorite production, the World.

All wuz relapsted into silence, all wuz peace, till all to once mypardner dropped his paper, and sez he—

"Samantha, why not write a book on't?"

It started me, comin' so onexpected onto me, and specially sence he wuzalways so sot aginst my swingin' out in Literatoor.

I dropped two or three stitches in my inward agitation, butinstinctively I catched holt of my dignity, and kep calm on the outside.

And sez I, "Write a book on what, Josiah Allen?"

"Oh, about the World's Fair!" sez he.

"Wall," sez I, with a deep sithe, "I had thought on't, but I'd kinderdreaded the job."

And he went on: "You know," sez he, "that We wrote one about the otherbig Fair, and if We don't do as well by this one it'll make trouble,"sez he.

"We!" sez I in my own mind, and in witherin' axents, but I kep calm onthe outside, and he went on—

"Our book," sez he, "that We wrote on the other big Fair in Filadelfy, Ispoze wuz thought as much on and wuz as popular for family readin' asever a President's message wuz; and after payin' at[Pg ix]tention to that asWe did, We hadn't ort to slight this one. We can't af

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