"Wall," sez he, "they have 'em here to carry folks down to the Fair, I
know, for I hearn it straight, and I should think we wuz jest the right
age to go as easy as possible, and try experiments."

"Wall," sez I firmly, "I hain't a-goin' to try no such experiment as
that. If the Lord called me to tackle a whale, I would tackle it, but I
hain't had no callin', and I hain't goin' to try to ride out in no
whale."

"I'm a-callin' you," sez he.

"Wall," sez I dryly, "you hain't the Deity--no, indeed, fur from it."

"Wall," sez he, "I'd love to go, Samantha. What a glorious piece of news
to carry back to Jonesville, that we rid out in a whale. In the old
Jonesville meetin'-house now, when Elder Minkley is a-preachin' on
Jonah--and you know he trots him out a dozen times a year as a
warnin'--how you and I could lift up our heads and tost 'em, and how the
necks of the Jonesvillians would be craned round to look at us--we two,
who had rid out in a whale--we had been right there, and knew how it
wuz."

"I don't want to show off," sez I, "and I don't want any necks craned or
tosted on account of my gettin' into a whale and ridin' it;" and then I
sez, "Good land! what won't Chicago do next?"

And I added, "It don't surprise me a mite; it hain't no more of a wonder
than lots of things I have seen here. I might a known if Chicago had sot
its mind on havin' a whale to transport folks to the World's Fair she'd
a done it, but I won't tackle the job."