ave that Battle-Ship git wind on't that I compared it to
clothes-lines, and flat-irons, not for a dollar bill; for battle-ships
are naterally ferocious, and git mad easy.

There wuz sights of good-lookin' flags histed up at one end on't,
besides the clothes-line full, and lots of men a-standin' round on't.

They didn't seem to act a mite afraid, and I don't spoze I ort to be.

But lo and behold! come to pry into things, and look about and find out,
as the poet sez, that wuzn't a real ship a-sailin' round, as it looked
like, but it wuz built up on what they call pilin'--jest as if Josiah
should stick sticks up on the edge of the creek, and build a hen-house
on 'em, or anything.

[Illustration: Come to pry into things, and look about and find out,
that wuzn't a real ship a-sailin' round.]

It is a exact full-sized model, three hundred and forty-eight feet long,
of one of the new coast-line battle-ships now a-bein' built for the
safety and protection of our country, at a cost of about three million
dollars each.

The imitation ship is built on the lake front at the northeastern point
of Jackson Park. It is all surrounded with water, and has all the
appearance of bein' moored to the wharf.

It has all the fittin's that belong to the actual ship, and all the
appliances for workin' it.

Officers, seamen, marines, mechanics, are sent there by the navy
department, and the discipline and way of life on a naval vessel is
fully shown.

I wuz glad to see that it had a woman for a figger-head.

I guess that the nation thought, after seein' how Miss Palmer went ahead
and overcome the difficulties in her path, and kep her beautiful face
serene, and above the swashin' waves of opposition all the time--they
thought that they wuzn't afraid to let a woman be riz up on their ship,
a-lookin' fur out over the waters, and a-takin' the lead.

It looked quite well. There wuz lots of lace-work and ornaments about
her, but she carried herself first rate.

Wall, the ship as a hull is dretful interestin' to warriors and such,
and mariners.

As for me, I thought more of statutes, and pictures, and posies, and
Josiah didn't take to it so much as he did to steers, and horse-rakes,
and so forth.

But good land! in such a time as this, when there is everything on the
face of the earth, and under it, and above the earth to see, everybody
has a perfect right to suit themselves in sights, and side shows.

Wall, we stayed there for some t