June 8,1898
Several young ladies from Omaha's high society were spotted on the Midway
grounds taking in the sights... gazing at the dancers in the oriental
theaters that do not move their feet or head... but hesitating to go
in... too modest to enter, too curious to leave. "I wouldn't think of
such a thing", said a modest maiden when her escort hinted they might go
in, but she did think of it. She managed to keep near the entrance until
quite a party of women had gathered, all in a similar state of mind,
maidens would discover quite a few nice people were going in and it might
not be so bad after all... Not one of them left until she had seen the
whole show.
Why the crowd gazed at her. One of Douglas County's young women,
employed at the Douglas County exhibit, has discovered why she has been
the center of attention for visitors. One exhibit is a huge glass case,
designed to contain a number of specimens from Nebraska soil. She had
been working in the case all day and was painfully aware that every
visitor would stop and stare at her with every indication of amusement.
She would slip out and consult a mirror, but nothing seemed out of
place. As the day went on she continued to attract a grinning crowd and
became worked up to point that she was ready to quit. Eventually (she
discovered) that the case was labeled in large letters, "THIS IS A
NEBRASKA PRODUCT".