fairgrounds blindfolded, but listened politely while the man gave directions. They started off down the Avenue of Flags, the way he’d indicated, but then Aunt Eunice kept heading straight, instead of veering left around the end of the North Lagoon, toward Eitel’s Rotisserie. Lois tugged her great-aunt’s sleeve. “I think it might be this way.” Her mouth watered at the smell of roasting chickens from Eitel’s and the salty smell of cheese from the Dairy Building. On top of all those aromas floated the warm, sweet scent of spun sugar.
“You do, do you?” At first Aunt Eunice didn’t seem inclined to listen. Then she shifted her pocketbook to her other arm and said, “Well, let’s see if you’re right.”
Lois dawdled behind her great-aunt, bent on taking in every sight, sound, and smell. She saw a sign that brought her to a complete stop: “Sky Ride: Supreme Thrill of the Fair.” Lois’ head swiveled back on her neck as she turned her eyes up, up, up.
“Lois!” Aunt Eunice called back to her. “Come along. I don’t want to lose you.”
Lois stood transfixed as the gleaming submarine shapes of the double-decker rocket cars skimmed the steel cablesfar above her. She would definitely want to ride in the top deck, as high as possible!
“It looks like you were right about the route.” Aunt Eunice pointed her walking stick at a building that looked to Lois like a candy-striped Pullman car. It was topped with a big sign: “The Foods and Agriculture Building.” They were soon inside, each enjoying a stack of pancakes—one dime for all you could eat. And Aunt Eunice was right: a woman who looked like the Aunt Jemima in the advertisements was there. She wasn’t doing much cooking, but she laughed and chatted with the fairgoers, helping to serve groaning plates of pancakes.
Lois was too excited to finish even one stack. But Aunt Eunice kept tucking in, evidently determined to get her ten cents’ worth. After what seemed like a century, she sighed and then patted her mouth with a napkin. “Shall we wash up and be on our way?”
“What would you like to see first, Aunt Eunice?” Lois asked politely, when they’d finished in the washroom.
“My garden club ladies told me all the children enjoy Enchanted Island,” Aunt Eunice said. “We shall begin there.”
Lois held the door for her great-aunt. “Let’s go out this way,” she said. There was so much to see and only this one precious day in which to see it. She didn’t want to waste any more time. Thank goodness she and Mabel had plotted out all kinds of ways to crisscross the fairgrounds. Lois scurried along the path between the North Lagoon and South Lagoon, past the Edison Memorial and thenthe Electrical Building. It was all she could do not to run ahead of her plodding great-aunt when they reached the bridge to Enchanted Island. Remembering her manners, she waited and they crossed together.
Lois felt as if she’d stepped into Storybook Land. Her attention snared by the twenty-five-foot-high cutouts of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz stories, Lois nearly collided with a costumed man careening around on stilts. “Lois, watch where you’re going,” scolded Aunt Eunice, but the man only laughed and threw confetti at them.
They tapped their toes while a troop of authentic Czechoslovakian dancers spun and twirled; shook hands with Peter Pan and his nemesis, Captain Hook—twice, once for Lois and once for Mabel—and toured inside the popular two-story model of the Radio Flyer coaster wagon. The ground-floor level was full of coaster wagons of all sizes, including teeny-tiny replicas selling for twenty-five cents. Lois thought of the quarter still knotted in her hanky. But, really, she and Mabel had outgrown wagons. So the coin stayed snug in its knot.
When it was time to move on, Aunt Eunice had her own ideas about their next destination. She dismissed both of Lois’ suggestions—the Midget Village and the Prehistory
“You do, do you?” At first Aunt Eunice didn’t seem inclined to listen. Then she shifted her pocketbook to her other arm and said, “Well, let’s see if you’re right.”
Lois dawdled behind her great-aunt, bent on taking in every sight, sound, and smell. She saw a sign that brought her to a complete stop: “Sky Ride: Supreme Thrill of the Fair.” Lois’ head swiveled back on her neck as she turned her eyes up, up, up.
“Lois!” Aunt Eunice called back to her. “Come along. I don’t want to lose you.”
Lois stood transfixed as the gleaming submarine shapes of the double-decker rocket cars skimmed the steel cablesfar above her. She would definitely want to ride in the top deck, as high as possible!
“It looks like you were right about the route.” Aunt Eunice pointed her walking stick at a building that looked to Lois like a candy-striped Pullman car. It was topped with a big sign: “The Foods and Agriculture Building.” They were soon inside, each enjoying a stack of pancakes—one dime for all you could eat. And Aunt Eunice was right: a woman who looked like the Aunt Jemima in the advertisements was there. She wasn’t doing much cooking, but she laughed and chatted with the fairgoers, helping to serve groaning plates of pancakes.
Lois was too excited to finish even one stack. But Aunt Eunice kept tucking in, evidently determined to get her ten cents’ worth. After what seemed like a century, she sighed and then patted her mouth with a napkin. “Shall we wash up and be on our way?”
“What would you like to see first, Aunt Eunice?” Lois asked politely, when they’d finished in the washroom.
“My garden club ladies told me all the children enjoy Enchanted Island,” Aunt Eunice said. “We shall begin there.”
Lois held the door for her great-aunt. “Let’s go out this way,” she said. There was so much to see and only this one precious day in which to see it. She didn’t want to waste any more time. Thank goodness she and Mabel had plotted out all kinds of ways to crisscross the fairgrounds. Lois scurried along the path between the North Lagoon and South Lagoon, past the Edison Memorial and thenthe Electrical Building. It was all she could do not to run ahead of her plodding great-aunt when they reached the bridge to Enchanted Island. Remembering her manners, she waited and they crossed together.
Lois felt as if she’d stepped into Storybook Land. Her attention snared by the twenty-five-foot-high cutouts of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz stories, Lois nearly collided with a costumed man careening around on stilts. “Lois, watch where you’re going,” scolded Aunt Eunice, but the man only laughed and threw confetti at them.
They tapped their toes while a troop of authentic Czechoslovakian dancers spun and twirled; shook hands with Peter Pan and his nemesis, Captain Hook—twice, once for Lois and once for Mabel—and toured inside the popular two-story model of the Radio Flyer coaster wagon. The ground-floor level was full of coaster wagons of all sizes, including teeny-tiny replicas selling for twenty-five cents. Lois thought of the quarter still knotted in her hanky. But, really, she and Mabel had outgrown wagons. So the coin stayed snug in its knot.
When it was time to move on, Aunt Eunice had her own ideas about their next destination. She dismissed both of Lois’ suggestions—the Midget Village and the Prehistory
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