The main entrance, which is in the south side, has a magnificently decorated open vestibule covered by a half dome, capable of the most brilliant illumination.

Indeed, you can judge whether this buildin’ has advantages for bein’ lit up, when I tell you that it has 20,000 incandescent and 3000 ark lights.

I hearn a bystander a-tellin’ this, and sez Josiah, “I can’t imagine what a ark light is—­Noah couldn’t had a light so bright as that is.  But,” he sez, “mebby the light shines out as big as the ark did over the big water.”

And I spoze mebby that is it.

Why, they say the big light on top of the buildin’—­the biggest in the world—­why, they do say that that throws such a big light way off—­way off over Lake Michigan, that the very white fishes think it is mornin’, and git up and go to doin’ up their mornin’s work.

There wuz everything in the buildin’ that has been hearn on up to the present time in connection with electricity—­everything that we know about, that that Magician uses to show off his magic powers, from a search-light of 60,000 candle power down to a engine and dynamo combined, that can be packed in a box no bigger than a pea.

Josiah looked at the immense display with a wise eye, and pretended to understand all about it, and he even went to explainin’ it to me.

But I sez, “You needn’t tire yourself, Josiah Allen; I should know jest as much after you got through as I do now.

“And,” sez I, “you can explain to me jest as well how the hoe and the planter cause the seed to spring up in the loosened ground.  You put the seed in the ground, Josiah Allen, and the hoe loosens 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.”