And everything seemed to bid fair that we should git off with no hendrances to the World’s Fair, to pay our honor and our respects to Christopher Columbus.

And oh, how I did honor that man!  I sot there in my peaceful kitchen that afternoon, after the boys had gone away, perfectly satisfied with the dinner I had gin ’em.

And when I had got my mind a little offen that poor little girl and her poor drunken destroyer, I begun to think agin of Christopher Columbus, and what he had done, and what he hadn’t done, till I declare for’t I got fairly lost in thoughts.

I thought of how he had been scorfed at and jerred at for not thinkin’ as other folks did.  And how he kep workin’, and hopin’, and believin’, and persistin’ in thinkin’ that he wuz in the right on’t, and kep on a lookin’ over the wide waste of waters for the New Land.

And I thought to myself how I would enjoy a good visit with Christopher, and how he would sympathize with us, who, though we may be scorfed at by our pardners, and the world.

Yet can’t help a-lookin’ off over the troubled waves of unjust laws, and cruel old customs, a-tryin’ to catch a glimpse of the New and Freer Land, that our hopes and our divine intuitions tell us is there beyend the shadows, a-waitin’ for free men and free wimmen.

Yes, I did feel at that time how conjenial Christopher Columbus would have been to me.

As I have said more formally, Christopher wuz sot up in my mind to a almost tottlin’ hite, on account of several things he did, and several things he didn’t do.

Yes; Christopher wuz sot up in my mind to a almost tottlin’ hite, on account of several things he did, and several things he didn’t do.

Now, if anybody to-day branches out into any new and beautiful belief and practice—­anything that is beyend the vision of more carnal-minded people—­

Why they raise the cry to once, “Let us cling to common sense.  Let us be guided by what we see and know.  Don’t let us float out on any new theory.  Don’t less go out of sight of the Shore of old Practice, and Custom.”

And lots of times them rare souls to whom the secrets of God are revealed—­them who see the High White Ideal lightnin’ the Darkness—­the glowin’ form of a New Truth shinin’ out amidst the thick clouds overhead—­lots of times they git bewildered and skairt by the mockin’ voices about them.  They drop their eyes before the insultin’, oncomprehendin’ sneers of the multitude, and fall into commonplace ways, and walks, to please the commonplace people about them.  Jest dragged down by them Mockers and Scoffers.

Some of ’em mebby united to ’em by links of earth-made metal, Sons of God married to the Daughters of men, mebby, and castin’ their kingly crowns at the feet of a Human Love.

Did Columbus do so?  No, indeed.  I dare presume to say that the more Miss Columbus nagged at him the more sotter he grew in his own views.