hem trees. He said they
grew in Hindoostan and on the highest peaks of the Uriah Mountains; and
he sez, "How strange that he should ever live to see 'em."

He talked proud and high-learnt about 'em, till I got tired out, and
pinted him to the other names of 'em.

[Illustration: He talked proud and high learnt about 'em.]

Then his feathers drooped, and sez he, "A Norway spruce, a willer, a
sycamore, and a pine. Dum it all, what do they want to put on such names
as them onto trees that grow right in our dooryard?"

"To show off," sez I, coldly, "and to make other folks show off who have
a hankerin' after fashion and display."

He did not frame a reply to me--he had no frame.

CHAPTER XIV.

I told Josiah this mornin' I wanted to go to the place where they had
flowers, and plants, and roses, and things--I felt that duty wuz
a-drawin' me.

For, as I told him, old Miss Mahew wanted me to get her a slip of
monthly rose if they had 'em to spare--she said, "If they seemed to have
quite a few, I might tackle 'em about it, and if they seemed to be
kinder scrimped for varieties, she stood willin' to swap one of her best
kinds for one of theirn--she said she spozed they would have as many as
ten or a dozen plants of each kind."

And I thought mebby I could get a tulip bulb--I had had such poor luck
with mine the year before.

But sez I, "Mebby they won't have none to spare--I d'no how well they be
off for 'em," but I spozed mebby I would see as many as a dozen or
fifteen tulips, and as many roses.

He kinder wanted to go and see the plows and horse-rakes that mornin',
but I capitulated with him by sayin' if he would go there first with me,
anon we would go together to the horse-rake house.

So we sot out the first thing for the Horticultural Buildin', and good
land! good land! when we got to it I wuz jest browbeat and frustrated
with the size on't--it is the biggest buildin' that wuz ever built in
the world for plants and flowers.

And when you jest think how big the world is, and how long it has stood,
and how many houses has been built for posies from Persia and Ingy, down
to Chicago and Jonesville, then you will mebby get it into your head the
immense bigness on't--yes, that buildin' is two hundred and sixty
thousand square feet, and every foot all filled up with beauty, and
bloom, and perfume. It faces the risin' sun, as any place for flowers
and plants ort to. Like all the rest of the Exposition buildin