ns the soil round it.
You may assist the plant some, but there is a secret back of it all,
Josiah Allen, that you can't explain to me.

"No, nor Edison couldn't, nor Benjamin Franklin himself couldn't with
his kite."

Sez Josiah, "I could explain it all out to you if you would listen--all
about my winter rye, and all about electricity."

But agin I sez considerately, "Don't tire yourself, Josiah Allen; it is
a pretty hot day, and you hain't over and above well to-day."

He didn't like it at all; he wanted to talk about electric currents to
me, and magnets, and dynamos, but I wouldn't listen to it. I felt that
we wuz in the palace of the Great Enchanter, the King of Wonders of the
19th century, and I knew that orr and silence wuz befittin' mantillys to
wrop ourselves in as we entered his court, and stood in his imperial
presence. And I told Josiah so.

And he sez, "You won't catch me with a mantilly on."

He is dretful fraid to wear wimmen's clothes. I can't git a apron or a
sun-bunnet on him in churnin' time or berryin' in dog-days--he is sot.

But I sez, "Josiah, I spoke in metafor."

And he sez, "I would ruther you would use pantaloons and vests, if you
are a-goin' to allegore about me."

But to resoom. France, England, Germany, all have wonderful exhibits,
and as for our own country, there wuz no end seemin'ly to the marvellous
sight.

Why, to give you a idee of the size and splendor of 'em, one electrical
company alone spent 350,000 dollars on its exhibit.

Among the German exhibits wuz a wonderful search-light--jest as
searchin' as any light ever could be--it wuz sunthin' like the day of
judgment in lightin' up and showin' forth.

One of the strange things long to be remembered wuz to set down alone
beside of a big horn in Chicago and hear a melodious orkestry in New
York, hundreds and hundreds of miles away, a-discoursin' the sweetest
melody.

Wall, what took up Josiah's mind most of anything wuz a house all fitted
up from basement to attic with electricity.

You come home (say you come in the evenin' and bring company with you);
you press a button at the door, the door opens; touch another button,
and the hall will be all lighted up, and so with every other room in the
house. Some of these lights will be rosettes of light let into the wall,
and some on 'em lamps behind white, and rose-tinted, and amber
porcelain.

When you go upstairs to put on another coat, you touch a button, the
electric el