"You have heard the story of the discovery of America.

These little vessels which we are going to see are made as nearly as possible like those he came over in; the men who built them looking up old pictures and descriptions and making these vessels as exact copies of the old ones as they could." "Was it in Spain they made them, papa ?" "Yes; they sailed from Palos in Spain, about a year ago, and exactly four hundred years from the time when Columbus sailed from there to look for the land he felt sure was here, on this side of the ocean.

They took, as nearly as they could, just the course he did, and finally came on to New York, where they had a part in the international review of April, 1893." "That's the name of this year isn't it, papa ?" "Yes; that review took place last April; and after it they sailed for the St.Lawrence River, came round the lakes as we did, and here into this harbor." "How many are there, papa ?" "Three: the _Santa Maria_--in which Columbus himself sailed--the _Nina_, and the _Pinta_.

There they are, daughter," as at that moment they came in sight of the three small vessels.
"Why, how little they are!" she exclaimed; "not nearly so big as the _Illinois_ that we see all the time from our deck." "You are quite right about that," her father said, with a smile.
"But what does anybody want with such little bits of ships ?" she asked.
"Only to show people with what little vessels Columbus accomplished his great work of discovering America." "I'm glad he discovered it," Elsie said, with satisfaction; "because, if he hadn't, we couldn't have been here living in it." "Unless somebody else had discovered it between that time and this, Elsie," laughed her uncle Walter, overhearing her last remark.
All were interested in looking at the little vessels, but their curiosity was soon satisfied and they returned to the Court of Honor for a time, then to the _Dolphin_..