As the rays of the sun in the west fell upon the buildings, they were reflected back to the opposite side of the street, again and again reflected, and the eye of Cobb beheld the parallel lines of Pennsylvania Avenue adorned with millions of sparkling, dancing lights, meeting at the farther end in one great diamond whose lustre could almost compare with the sun itself.
Ah! what a grand sight!—worthy of a life of inanimation for a thousand years. Cobb feasted his eyes on the beauty of the scene. Lost in the ecstasy of the moment, he was rudely awakened to a sense of the reality by the President remarking:
“It is a grand sight, is it not?”
“Yes! yes, indeed! Grand beyond expression!”
“This street, Colonel Cobb, is said to be the handsomest in the world.”
“I can well believe it! I cannot conceive of one that could be more beautiful.”
“And yet, Colonel, it is all glass.”
“Glass?”
“Yes; plain, cheap, common glass.”