[Illustration: I took it as bein' a compliment to my sect the way
that fountain wuz laid out--ten or a dozen wimmen and only one or two
men.]
He said that the female figger way up above the rest wuz Columbia,
beautiful, strong, fearless.
And that it wuz Fame that stood at the prow with the bugle, and that it
wuz Father Time at the hellum, a-guidin' it through the dangers of the
centuries.
And the female figgers around Columbia's throne wuz meant for Science,
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, Music, Drama, Paintin', and Literature,
all on 'em a-helpin' Columbia along in her grand pathway.
And then I see that what I had hearn wuz true, that Columbia had jest
discovered Woman. Yes, the boat wuz headed directly towards Woman, who
stood up one hundred feet high in front.
And I see plain that Columbia couldn't help discoverin' her if she
wanted to, when she's lifted herself up so, and is showin' plain in 1893
jest how lofty and level-headed, how many-sided and yet how symmetrical
she is.
There she stands (Columbia didn't have to take my word for it), there
she wuz a-towerin' up one hundred feet, lofty, serene, and sweet-faced,
her calm, tender eyes a-lookin' off into the new order of centuries.
And Columbia wuz a-sailin' right towards her, steered by Time, the
invincible.
I see there wuz a great commotion down in the water, a-snortin', and
a-plungin', and a-actin' amongst the lower order of intelligences.
But Columbia's eyes wuz clear, and calm, and determined, and Old Time
couldn't be turned round by any prancin' from the powers below.
_Woman is discovered._
But to resoom. This immense boat wuz in the centre, jest as it should
be; and all before it and around wuz the horses of Neptune, and
mermaids, and fishes, and all the mystery of the sea.
Some of the snortin' and prancin' of the horses of the Ocean, and
pullin' at the bits, so's the men couldn't hardly hold 'em, wuz meant, I
spoze, to represent how awful tuckerin' it is for humanity to control
the forces of Nater.
Wall, of all the sights I ever see, that fountain wuz the upshot and cap
sheaf; and how I would have loved to have told Mr. MacMonnies so! It
would have been so encouragin' to him, and it would have seemed to have
relieved that big debt of gratitude that Jonesville and America owed to
him; and how I wish I could make a good cup of tea for him, and brile a
hen or a hen turkey! I'd do it with a willin' mind.
I wish he'd come to Jonesville and make a all-day's visit--stay to
dinner and supper, and all night if he will, and travel round through
Jonesville the next day. I would enjoy it, and so would Josiah. Of
course, we couldn't show off in fireworks anything to what he does,
havin' nothin' but a lantern and a torchlight left over from Cleveland's
campain. No; we shouldn't try to have no such doin's. I know when I am
outdone.
Bime-by we stood in front of that noble statute of the Republic.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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