ed off with composure and dignity to
tackle the next buildin', which wuz Oregon.

But my pardner jined me at that minit with his handkerchief held
triumphantly in his hand.

And at his earnest request we didn't examine clost any of the State
buildin's--that is, we didn't go in and look 'em over; but, from the
outside view, we had a high opinion on 'em.

They wuz beautiful and extremely gorgeous, some on 'em.

And they looked real good, too, and wuz comfortable inside, I hain't a
doubt on't.

I felt bad not to pay attention to every State jest as they come, and I
know that they'll feel it if they ever hear on't.

But, as Josiah said, there wuz so many to pay attention to 'em, that
they wouldn't mind so much as if they wuz more alone and lonely.

Wall, Josiah felt as if he'd got to have a bite of sunthin' to eat, and
so we sot off at a pretty good jog for the nearest restaurant, and there
we got a good lunch, and after we had done eatin', and Josiah wuz in a
real good frame of mind, to all human appearance, I sez, "I'm a-goin' to
see Hatye, if I don't see nothin' else."

And Josiah sez, "Where is Hatye?"

And I sez, "Not but a little ways from the German Buildin'."

And sez he, "Who is Hatye, anyway?"

And I sez, "Hatye is one of the first islands that Columbus discovered,
and it ort to take a front rank in his doin's, and for lots of other
reasons, too," sez I. "It is there that we see the exhibit of our
colored men and bretheren."

We found Hatye a good-lookin' buildin', a story and a half high, with a
good-lookin' dome a-risin' out of the centre.

And inside on't we found exhibits in fruit, grain, and machinery, and
all sorts of products, and in the picters and other works of art we see
that the Hatyeans wuz a-doin' first rate.

And, as I remarked to Josiah, sez I, "If Christopher Columbus stood
right here by my side, he'd say--

"'Josiah Allen's wife, Hatye has done real well, and I am glad that I
discovered it.'"

[Illustration: "Josiah Allen's wife, Hatye has done real well, and I
am glad that I discovered it."]

Wall, that night, when I got back to Miss Plankses, I found a letter
from Tirzah Ann, and my worst apprehensions I had apprehended in her
case wuz realized.

She and Whitfield wuzn't a-comin' to the Fair at all.

By the time she got her oyster-shell stockin's done, the weather had
moderated, so it wuz too cool to wear 'em, and it was too late then to
begin woosted ones (of course, s