"What—what is that?"
What indeed!
"A boat sailing in the air?" He added, "Franklin must have invented that!"
"No," said the official, "that is the great barge."
"What is it for?"
"It will exhibit itself shortly," said the official.
It came on, covered with banners that waved in the river winds.
The old man read the inscription upon it—"Franklin."
"I told you so," he said.
"It will thunder soon," said the official. "Don't you see it is armed with guns?"