“No, thank Heaven! there hain’t no chance on’t.  But if I had ten boys I would ruther have ’em wanderin’ through them beautiful halls, full of the wonders of the world which the Lord made and give to His children for their amusement and comfort—­I would ruther have ’em there than to have ’em help swell a congregation of country loafers in a city saloon—­learnin’ in one day more lessons in the height and depth of depravity than years of country livin’ would teach ’em.

“These places, and worse ones, legalized places of devils’ pastime, will lure and beckon the raw youth of the country.  They will flaunt their gaudy attractions on every side, and appeal to every sense but the sense of decency.

“And I would feel fur safer about the hull ten of ’em, if I knew they wuz safe in the art galleries, full of beauty and sublimity, drawin’ their minds and hearts insensibly and in spite of themselves upward and onward, or lookin’ at the glory and wonders of practical and mechanical beauty—­the beauty of use and invention.

“After walkin’ through a buildin’ forty-five acres big, and some more of ’em about as roomy, I should be pretty sure that they wouldn’t git out of it in time to go any great lengths in sin that day; and they would be apt to be too fagged out and dead tired to foller on after Satan any great distance.”

“Well,” says Miss Snyder, “I d’no but I should feel safer about my Jim and John to have ’em there in the Fair buildin’s than runnin’ loose in the streets of Chicago.  They won’t go to meetin’ every Sunday, and I can’t make ’em; and if they do go, they will go in the mornin’ late, and git out as soon as the Amen is said.

“My boys are as good as the average—­full as good; but I know when they hain’t got anything to do, and git with other boys, they will cut up and act.”

“Well,” says Miss Cornelius Cork, “I know that my Cornelius will never disgrace himself or me by any low acts.”

She wuz tellin’ a big story, for Cornelius Jr. had been carried home more’n once too drunk to walk, besides other mean acts that wuz worse; so we didn’t say anything, but we all looked queer; and Arville kinder sniffed, and turned up her nose, and nudged Miss Snyder.  But Miss Cork kep right on—­she is real high-headed and conceited, Miss Cork is.

And, sez she, “Much as I want to see the Fair, and much as I want Cornelius and Cornelius Jr. to go to it, and the rest of the country, I would ruther not have it take place at all than to have it open Sundays.”

“And I feel jest so,” sez Miss Henzy.

Then young Lihu Widrig spoke up.  He is old Elihu Widrig’s only son, and he has been off to college, and is home on a vacation.

He is dretful deep learnt, has studied Greek and lots of other languages that are dead, and some that are most dead.

He spoke up, and sez he: 

“What is this Sabbath, anyway?”

We didn’t any of us like that, and we showed we didn’t by our means.  We didn’t want any of his new-fangled idees, and we looked high-headed at him and riz up.