Now, says the Professor, the St. John's folks are jist
like Billings, fifty cents would have bought him a spit
box, and saved him all them are journeys to the street
door--and a canal at Bay Varte would save the St. John's
folks a voyage all round Nova-Scotia. Why, they can't
get at their own backside settlements, without a voyage
most as long as one to Europe. If we had that are neck
of land in Cumberland, we'd have a ship canal there, and
a town at each end of it as big as Portland. You may
talk of Solomon, said the Professor, but if Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like a lily of the field,
neither was he in all his wisdom, equal in knowledge to
a reel free American citizen. Well, said I, Professor,
we are a most enlightened people, that's sartain, but
somehow I don't like to hear you run down King Solomon
neither; perhaps he warnt quite so wise as Uncle Sam,
but then, said I, (drawing close to the Professor, and
whispering in his ear, for fear any folks in the bar room
might hear me,) but then, said I, may be he was every
bit and grain as honest. Says he, Mr. Slick, there are
some folks who think a good deal and say but little, and
they are wise folks; and there are others agin, who blart
right out whatever comes uppermost, and I guess they are
pretty considerable superfine darned fools. And with that
he turned right round, and sat down to his map and never
said another word, lookin' as mad as a hatter the whole
blessed time.