The idee of a goddess, and such a goddess, a layin’ round with her legs all doubled up under her, and all broke up—­the idee!

Then it got the Centenial Exhibition there.  And it wuzn’t no more than right, what it promised and bound itself to do, to make some triumphal arches for the processions to walk under, a-triumphin’.

Why, she vowed and declared solemn that she would make ’em if she could have it there.

They wuz goin’ to be, accordin’ to her tell, accordin’ to what New York said about it, about the most gorgus and impressive arches that ever wuz arched over anybody, fur or near, anywhere.

Now, after it got the exhibition there, did it make ’em?  No, indeed.

It had another spell come on, clean forgot all about it.  And there the Columbian Exposition come and no arch for it to walk under, not a arch, only some old boards nailed up, some like a barn door, only higher.

[Illustration :  Wooden arch]

Wall, you see these kind o’ crazy spells, losin’ its faculties every once in a while, made it dretful hard for New York.

I believe she would got the World’s Fair if it hadn’t been for that.  But the question would keep a-comin’ up, and the country had to pay attention to it—­what if she got the World’s Fair, and then had another fit!  What if she had another spell come on, and forgot all about it!

And lo! and behold! have the World’s Fair sail up and halt in front of her and she not have any place for it, and mebby be out of her head so she couldn’t remember nothin’, wouldn’t remember who Christopher wuz, or anythin’.

No; the hull country felt that it wuz resky, and that, I have always spozed, wuz one reason why New York lost it.

And then, as I have said heretofore, Chicago wuz jest bound to have it, and she did.

But then, if you’ll believe it, jest like any spilte young child that cries for another big apple when both its hands are full of ’em—­it hadn’t no place for it.

It had got the World’s Fair, but hadn’t got any place to put it.  The idee!

Jest crazy to have it, cried and yelled, and acted, (metafor) till it got it.  And then, lo! and behold! where wuz she goin’ to put it?  Hadn’t a place big enough, or ready for it.

Of course she had the lake.  But she didn’t want to drownd it, after makin’ such a fuss over it; it wouldn’t have seemed very horsepitable.  And she didn’t really want to put it out onto a prairie.  And she couldn’t put it right round under her feet, where it would git trampled on, and git bruised, and knocked round; that wouldn’t be a-usin’ Christopher Columbus as he ort to be used.

And, as I say, she wuz honorable enough to not want to put it in the lake.

And so, after worryin’ and takin’ on, and talkin’ month after month about it, she concluded to split the Christopher Columbus World’s Fair into some like this—­put the Christopher part on a stagin’ built out into the lake, and the Columbus part back a ways into the park.