tto, where
wuz all kinds of ferns, and exquisite plants, that love to grow in such
spots.

And way in through, a-flashin' through the cool darkness of the spot,
you could see the wonderful rays of that strange light that has a soul.

And if you will believe it--I don't spoze you will--but there is plants
here grown by that artificial light--the idee!

I sez to Josiah, "Did you ever see anything like the idee of growin'
plants by lamplight?" and he sez--

"It is a new thing, but a crackin' good one," and he added--

"What can be done in one place can in another," and he got all excited
up, and took his old account-book out of his pocket and went to
calculatin' on how many cowcumbers he could raise in the winter down
suller by the light of his old lantern.

I discouraged him, and sez I, "You can't raise plants by the light of
that old karsene lantern, and there hain't no room, anyway, in our
suller."

And he said, "He wuz bound to spade up round the pork barrel and try a
few hills, anyway;" and sez he, dreamily, "We might raise a few
string-beans and have 'em run up on the soap tub."

But I made him put up his book, for we wuz attractin' attention, and I
told him agin that we hadn't got the conveniences to home that they had
here.

He put up his book and we wended on, but he had a look on his face that
made me think he hadn't gin up the idee, and I spoze that some good
cowcumber seed will be wasted like as not, to say nothin' of karsene.

Wall, all connected with this house is two big open courts, full and
runnin' over with beauty and wonder; on the south is the aquatic garden,
showin' all the plants and flowers and wonderful water growth.

Here Josiah begun to make calculations agin about growin' flowers in our
old mill-pond, but I broke it up.

On the north court is a magnificent orange grove. Why, it makes you
feel as though you wuz a-standin' in California or Florida, under the
beautiful green trees, full of the ripe, rich fruit, and blossoms, and
green leaves.

Wall, the hull house, take it all in all, is such a seen of wonder, and
enchantment, and delight, that it might have been transplanted, jest as
it stood, from the Arabian nights entertainment.

And you would almost expect if you turned a corner to meet Old Alibaby,
or a Grand Vizier, or somebody before you got out of there.

But we didn't; and after feastin' our eyes on the beauty and wonder
on't, we sot off to see the rest of the flowers an