Here, at jest this juncture, my umbrell fell out of my hand, and it brung my eyes down to earth agin; for some time, entirely onbeknown to me, I had been a-lookin’ up into the encirclin’ heavens, and a-soarin’ round there in oratory.

But as my eyes fell onto the Governor, I noticed the extreme weariness and mute agony on his liniment; he picked up my umbrell and handed it to me, and sez he, a-speakin’ fast and agitated, as if in fear of sunthin’ or ruther:—­

“Your remarks are truly eloquent, and I believe every word on ’em; but,” sez he, “I have an engagement of nearly life and death; I must leave you,” and he sot off nearly on a run.

And I spread my umbrell and walked 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.