“Wall, I wish I had a few of ’em this minute, Miss Plank.”

Eatin’ at such a time as this—­the idee!

But I wuz brung clear down, and I don’t know but it wuz jest as well, for it wuz time for us to alight from our bark.

And with the feelin’s I had ever sence I started, I wuz that riz up that I could almost expect to step over the lagoon at one stride and swing my foot clear over the hull noble flight of marble steps, and the wide terrace, and land in front of the Woman’s Buildin’.  With my head even with its highest cupalo, I wuz fearfully riz up, and by the side of myself.

But these allusions to pancakes had brung me down, so I stepped meekly out on to the broad, noble flight of steps, and the full beauty of the Woman’s Buildin’ riz up in front of us.

Even Josiah wuz impressed with the simple, noble perfection of that buildin’.  I heard him say—­

“By Crackey! not a bit of lace or tattin’; not a streamer of ribbin.  Well done for wimmen; they have riz up for once above gauzes, and flummeries, and ornaments.”

“No,” sez I; “if you want to look at ornament, you might look at the Adminstration Buildin’, designed by a man.  Men love ornament, Josiah Allen.”

He quailed; he hadn’t forgot the pink necktie he wanted to adorn himself with, and the breastpin he wanted to put on that mornin’.

The waters of the lagoon in front of the buildin’ is as wide as a bay; from the centre of this rises the grand landin’ and staircase, leadin’ to a terrace six feet above the water.

The first terrace is laid out in glowin’ flower-beds, and anon, green flowerin’ shrubs, above which the ivory white balustrade shines out, separatin’ it from the upper terrace.

And along the upper terrace, about one hundred feet back, the beautiful Woman’s Buildin’ rises, with a background of stately old oak trees.

This most artistic and beautiful buildin’ consists of a centre pavilion, flanked at each end by corner pavilions, connected by open corridors forming a sheltered and beautiful walk the hull length of the structure.  On goin’ through a wide lobby you come into a vast open rotunda reachin’ clear up to the top of the buildin’, where the sunlight falls down most graciously through a richly ornamented skylight.  This rotunda is surmounted by a two-story open arcade, as delicate and refined in its beauty as the outside of the buildin’, givin’ light and air in abundance to all of the rooms openin’ into the interior space.  On the first floor, on the right hand, is located a model kindergarten; on the left, a model horsepital.  You see, these two things are attended to the first thing by wimmen.

Wimmen have always had to take time by the forelock and do the most important things first, or she never would be done with her work.

Before she tackled the ironin’, or dishwashin’, or piecin’ up bedquilts, or knittin’, she has always had to dress, and nurse, and take care of the children, make them comfortable, and take care of the sick; had to, or it wouldn’t be done.