So for weeks and weeks the Bobbetses and all of Sally Ann's relations (she wuz a Henzy and wide connected in the Methodist meetin'-house) had to give up all their time a-hangin' over that sick-bed.
And the Garvins wuz mad as hens, and they bein' connected with most everybody in the Dorcuss Society--and it wuzn't over than above large--why, take it with my bein' laid up and the children havin' to be home so much, Sister Blanker in that one slam jest about cleaned out the hull Methodist meetin'-house.
The quilt wuzn't touched after that night, and the heathen lay cold all winter, for all I know.
I had all I could do to take care of my own arm, catnip and lobela alternately and a-follerin' after each other I pursued for weeks and weeks, and the pain wuz fearful.
Sister Blanker wuz about the only one who come out hull, and she had plenty of time to set down and mourn over a lack of opportunities to do good, and to talk a sight about the lukewarmness of members of the meetin'-house in good works.

And there they wuz to home a-sufferin', and it wuz her own self who had brung it all on.
You see, as I have said more formally, in our efforts to march forwards to do good it is highly neccessary to see that we hain't a-tromplin' on anybody; and in order to help sinners in Africa it hain't neccessary to knock down Christians in New Jersey and Rhode Island, or to stomp onto professors in Maine.
Howsumever, that is some folkses ways.
Wall, I'd a been a-lookin' at the panorama with one half of my mind and admirin' the beauty round me with the other half.
But at this minute--and it wuz lucky my eppisode had come to an end, for if there is anything I hate it is to be broke up in eppisodin'-- my Josiah returned.
In front of Horticultural Hall is a flower terrace for out-door exhibits of loveliness, and then in front of that is the beautiful, cool water, and down in the centre of that, below the terrace, and its beauty, and vases, is a boat-landin'.

The water did look dretful good to me after lookin' at so many gorgeous colors--more than any rainbow ever boasted of, enough sight--it did seem good to me to look down into them cool waters; and I sez to my pardner-- "The water does look dretful good and sort o' satisfyin', don't it, Josiah ?" A bystander a-standin' by sez, "I guess if you would go into the south pavilion here and look at the display of wine you wouldn't talk about lookin' at water; why," sez he, "to say nothin' of the display of our own country, the exhibit of wine from France, Italy, Spain, and Germany is enough to set a man half crazy to look at." I looked at him coldly--his nose wuz as red as fire--and I sez, "I hain't got no call to look at wine.
[Illustration: His nose wuz as red as fire.] "I wouldn't give a cent a barrel for the best there is there, if I had got to consoom it myself.
"Though," sez I, reasonably, "I wouldn't object to havin' a pint bottle on't to keep in the house in case of sickness, or to make jell, or sunthin'.
"But I will not go and encourage the makin' of such quantities as there is there, I will not encourage 'em in makin' that show." He looked mad, and sez he, "I guess they won't stop their show because you won't go and see it." "Probable not," sez I; but sez I, real eloquent, "I will hold up my banner afoot or on horseback." And then I sez to my husband, with quite a good deal of dignity-- "Less proceed to the Wooded Island, Josiah Allen." But alas! for Josiah's hope of seein' sunthin' plain and simple.

When we got there, that seemed to be the very central garden of the earth for flowers, and beauty, and bloom, and there it wuz that we see the most gorgeous rainbow--all made of pansies--glow and dazzlement.
The island contains seventeen acres, and it stands on such a rise of ground, that every buildin' on the Fair ground can be seen plain.
In the centre of the south end wuz the rose garden, where the choicest and most beautiful roses from all over the world bloom in their glowin' richness.
When I thought how much store I had sot by one little monthly rose a-growin' in a old earthen teapot of Mother Allen's--and when it wuz all blowed out I had reason to be proud on't-- But jest think of seein' fifty thousand of the choicest roses in the world, all a-blowin' out at one time.
Why, I had a immense number of emotions.
I thought of the ancient rose gardens we read of, and Solomon's Songs, and most everything.
It wuz surrounded on all four sides with a wire trellis, with archways openin' on four sides, and all over these pretty trellises climbin' roses and honeysuckles, and all lovely climbin' plants covered it into four walls of perfect beauty.
It wuz truly the World's Rose Garden.
Well might Josiah say he wuz sick of flowers, and wanted to see some plain cord wood! Why, that day we see in one batch twenty thousand orchids, six thousand Parmee violets, and one man--jest one man--sent 'leven hundred ivies and one thousand hydarangeas, and every flower you ever hearn on in proportion, let alone what all the other men all over the earth had sent.
On the north side of the island Japan jest shows herself at her very best, and lets the world see her in a native village, and how she raises flowers, and makes shrubs and trees look curious as anything you ever see, and curiouser, too; all surrounded a temple where she keeps what she calls her religion, and lots of other things.
Japan is one of the likeliest countries that are represented in Columbuses doin's.

She wuz the first country to respond to the invitation to take part in it, and I spoze mebby that is the reason that Chicago gin her this beautiful place to hold her own individual doin's in.