just tucked away unobstrusively waiting for my little Universal

Expectorant to get into shape in my head. And I'll fix that, you know.

One of these days I'll have all the nations of the earth expecto--"

"But Beriah, dear--"

"Don't interrupt me; Polly--I don't want you to lose the run of the map

-well, take your toy-horse, James Fitz-James, if you must have it--and run

along with you. Here, now--the soap will do for Babylon. Let me see

-where was I? Oh yes--now we run down to Stone's Lan--Napoleon--now we

run down to Napoleon. Beautiful road. Look at that, now. Perfectly

straight line-straight as the way to the grave. And see where it leaves

Hawkeye-clear out in the cold, my dear, clear out in the cold. That

town's as bound to die as--well if I owned it I'd get its obituary ready,

now, and notify the mourners. Polly, mark my words--in three years from

this, Hawkeye'll be a howling wilderness. You'll see. And just look at

that river--noblest stream that meanders over the thirsty earth!

--calmest, gentlest artery that refreshes her weary bosom! Railroad

goes all over it and all through it--wades right along on stilts.

Seventeen bridges in three miles and a half--forty-nine bridges from

Hark-from-the-Tomb to Stone's Landing altogether--forty nine bridges, and

culverts enough to culvert creation itself! Hadn't skeins of thread

enough to represent them all--but you get an idea--perfect trestle-work

of bridges for seventy two miles: Jeff Thompson and I fixed all that, you

know; he's to get the contracts and I'm to put them through on the

divide. Just oceans of money in those bridges. It's the only part of

283

The Gilded Age