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diff --git a/42086-0.txt b/42086-0.txt index a927ab9..ab9d15d 100644 --- a/42086-0.txt +++ b/42086-0.txt @@ -1,41 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific -Exposition, by Howard Payson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition - -Author: Howard Payson - -Illustrator: Charles Wrenn - -Release Date: February 13, 2013 [EBook #42086] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPO *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Brenda Lewis and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42086 *** THE BOY SCOUTS AT THE @@ -6147,361 +6110,4 @@ manner. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition - -Author: Howard Payson - -Illustrator: Charles Wrenn - -Release Date: February 13, 2013 [EBook #42086] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPO *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Brenda Lewis and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - - - THE BOY SCOUTS - AT THE - PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION - - - BY - LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON - - AUTHOR OF "THE MOTOR CYCLE SERIES," - "THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE EAGLE PATROL," - "THE BOY SCOUTS ON THE RANGE," - "THE BOY SCOUTS AND THE ARMY AIRSHIP," - "THE BOY SCOUTS' MOUNTAIN CAMP," - "THE BOY SCOUTS FOR UNCLE SAM," - "THE BOY SCOUTS AT THE PANAMA CANAL," - "THE BOY SCOUTS UNDER FIRE IN MEXICO," - "THE BOY SCOUTS ON BELGIAN BATTLEFIELDS," - "THE BOY SCOUTS WITH THE ALLIES IN FRANCE," ETC. - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY - CHARLES L. WRENN_ - - - NEW YORK - HURST & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - Copyright, 1915, - BY - HURST & COMPANY - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. Two Scouts on a Motorboat 5 - II. Prompt Work and a Rescue 17 - III. When Luck Came Their Way 29 - IV. A Stunning Surprise 41 - V. Headed West 53 - VI. A False Alarm 65 - VII. Across the Continent 77 - VIII. A Shock at Los Angeles 89 - IX. Turning the Tables on Two Rogues 101 - X. Within the Gates of the Fair 113 - XI. Rob Delivers the Goods 125 - XII. The People of the "Zone" 137 - XIII. A Strange Meeting in the Air 149 - XIV. Four Scouts in the Whirl 161 - XV. Tubby Is Out of His Element 173 - XVI. The Illuminated Fairyland 185 - XVII. Prying Fingers 197 - XVIII. The Thief Under the Bed 209 - XIX. An Enemy of the Past 221 - XX. Lots of Excitement 233 - XXI. The Mad Dog Panic 247 - XXII. Taking in the Sights of the Fair 257 - XXIII. Hiram Faces the Music 269 - XXIV. A Boy Scout's Triumph 282 - XXV. Homeward Bound 293 - - - - - The Boy Scouts at the - Panama-Pacific Exposition. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - TWO SCOUTS ON A MOTORBOAT. - - -"Seems to me, Rob, I ought to know that old tub of a motorboat we're -overhauling." - -"Why, yes, Andy, it's Captain Jerry Martin's _Sea Gull_. Time was when -she had a reputation for speed, but her engine is a back number now." - -"Huh! that must have been away in Noah's time, I reckon, Rob. Why, we -could make circles around her, if we chose to drive our little _Tramp_ to -the limit." - -"As we happen to be in no hurry to-day, there's no use making the old -skipper feel that his boat is down and out. With vacation opening up -before us, I've been trying to settle on some scheme for the scouts of -the Eagle Patrol to have a rousing good time this summer." - -"Well, I know where I'd be if I had the cold cash to pay my expenses; -and, Rob, chances are you feel the same way about it." - -"Now, I suppose you're thinking of Tubby Hopkins' great good luck in -having his uncle, Dr. Mark Matthews, the famous globe-trotter, carry him -off three days ago for an extended trip to the big show out in -California?" - -"Just what was on my mind, Rob. I don't believe I ever wished so much for -anything as a chance to hike away out to the Pacific. Nothing comes my -way any more, seems like. Some of us scouts were lucky enough to have our -turn down in Mexico that time Tubby's uncle was taken sick, and couldn't -get there to meet his old friend, General Villa, so as to dispose of the -cattle on his ranch before they were stolen by the raiding Mexican rival -armies. How the rest of the boys envied us that glorious trip, Rob!" - -"I admit it was a rare streak of good fortune to have things come our way -as they did," the boy named Rob remarked, as he gave a slight turn to the -wheel of the bustling little motorboat, aboard which he and Andy were the -sole passengers. "We ran up against quite an interesting bunch of -experiences, you remember, Andy, that none of us will ever be apt to -forget." - -"As if that wasn't enough fun for Tubby and Merritt and you," continued -the boy called Andy at the wheelsman, "it came about that you all got a -chance to go across the water to England and Belgium late last summer on -an important mission for Merritt's family, and saw a heap of what was -going on in the fighting zone where the Germans are up against the armies -of France, Belgium and Great Britain."[1] - -"We've shaken hands with ourselves dozens of times since, I give you my -word, Andy, on account of that fine streak of luck. Yes, we did encounter -a whole lot of remarkable adventures over there, and saw sights we'll -never forget. Some of them I wish I could put out of my mind, because -they were mighty unpleasant. But that page is turned down, Andy; and now -the next thing to consider is what we are going to do this summer to make -the time pass happily." - -"Oh! I suppose I shouldn't complain," Andy Bowles continued, trying to -smile away the discontented frown that had settled across his forehead. -"Here, in this good old Long Island town of Hampton, there are lots of -ways a pack of lively up-to-date Boy Scouts can have good times during -vacation. With the big bay at our doors, and a bully little motorboat -like this to go fishing or cruising in, there's no reason for us not to -be hustling most of our spare time." - -"Yes," Rob Blake went on to add, wishing to soothe the ruffled spirit of -his comrade, "and you know what glorious camping trips we can have with a -lot of the boys, just as we used to in other summers. There is the full -Eagle Patrol, except our fat chum, Tubby, who's gone to see the sights of -the Panama-Pacific Exposition, and Merritt Crawford, who expects to be -away for a month and more with his folks." - -"Besides," continued Andy Bowles, as though the fact gave him more or -less solid satisfaction, "all the other patrols are full--eight each in -the Hawk, the Black Fox and the Badger, with a new one forming in the -bargain. Boy Scout activities are at flood-tide around Hampton these -days." - -"One reason for that, I take it," mused the skipper of the little -_Tramp_, "is the fact that through our activities in the past we have -managed to keep our troop in the public eye, more or less. People know -what the Eagles have done, and on the whole they favor their boys joining -the newer patrols. There's been a big change in the young fellows of -Hampton, I'm told, since this Boy Scout movement first came to town." - -When the young leader of the Eagle Patrol made this modest assertion, he -certainly hit the truth squarely on the head. During the last two years -the members of the Eagle Patrol had made a name for themselves in Boy -Scout annals--as the new reader will find out for himself if he cares to -read the earlier books of this fascinating series. - -Among other things they had, through a happy chance, become associated -with certain scientific gentlemen connected with the United States -Government, who were experimenting with a new and secret model for a big -airship patterned somewhat after the famous Zeppelins of the Germans. - -On another occasion they had been enabled to assist in saving the design -of a wonderful submarine, also intended for the use of the Government, -and the secret of which it appeared was coveted by emissaries of a nation -supposed to be hostile to the United States, and desirous of learning all -about such an important discovery that was apt to play an important part -in future ocean warfare. - -Some of the scouts later on were given a chance to pay a visit to the -wonderful canal that was then being dug across the Isthmus--at Panama; -and the record of how they made themselves exceedingly useful while down -there will always be a bright page in the history of the Hampton Troop. - -Mention has already been made by Andy Bowles, the bugler of the troop, of -the trip to Mexico, with its attendant adventures; and also of the -foreign tour undertaken by several of the Eagles on the previous summer, -just when hostilities had broken out between the nations of Europe; and -Belgium, where they were compelled to visit, was torn from end to end -with the mad struggles of warring factions. - -Yes, surely the Eagles could rest upon their laurels from this time on, -and history would accord them the laurel wreath as the most enterprising -patrol known to the Boy Scouts of America. - -Still, what boy is ever satisfied with what has happened in the past? The -present and the near future is what engages his attention and excites his -interest. Even sensible Rob Blake secretly sighed when he contemplated -having to put in the whole summer around the home town while Tubby -Hopkins was having such a glorious time out there on the Coast; and his -other chum, Merritt Crawford, was up in Canada with his folks at a camp. - -It was a beautiful and warm day in the early summer. The sun shone from -an unclouded sky, but there was enough sea breeze to fan their heated -brows, and to make them think that there could be few things equal to -being in a speedy little motorboat, spinning over the surface of that -lovely land-locked bay, with the ocean booming on the outer edge of the -sandy strip to the south. - -They could have quite an extended view from far out in the bay, with the -houses scattered along the shore, and the white sails of pleasure craft -or fishing and clamming boats dotting the water far and near. - -Just ahead of them the old launch that had seen better days was churning -up the water with its noisy propeller, though not making remarkable -headway at that. As the two scouts gradually drew up on the _Sea Gull_, -they made out that besides the ancient skipper there was just one -passenger aboard. - -"Why," said Andy Bowles presently, as this person chanced to turn his -face toward them by accident, "that must be the old gent I saw drop off -the nine-thirty train from New York this morning when I was heading for -your house. Yes, and now I think of it, I heard him ask Dan Trotter at -the station where Judge Collins lived, and how he could get to his house -at the Point." - -"Some friend of the Judge, then," suggested Rob; "and I guess he has a -host of them here and abroad; for he's wealthy, and interested in all -sorts of scientific matters. They say that at his city house in the -winter he entertains, at times, all the big guns from the different -colleges of the world." - -"Which reminds me, Rob. There was an odd twang in this old fellow's -manner of speech that made me think of Sandy Ferguson, the Scotchman who -has the bagpipes, you remember, and always insists in marching in all the -parades in Hampton." - -"Then, perhaps, he's some famous Scotch professor," observed the skipper -of the _Tramp_, "who wants to see the judge so much that he's chased away -out here to his summer home on invitation." - -"He has a red face, wears big glasses, and is scrawny enough for a -Scotchman, anyway," chuckled Andy, "but do you know I always like to -listen to one of the Highland folks talk. It was the 'burr' in his speech -that made me stop and listen as far as I did. He's got it down pat, Rob." - -"Don't say anything more now, Andy; we're drawing up pretty close, and he -might not like it if he thought we were talking about him. That old motor -does make lots of noise, but sometimes it misses, and then there's a -lapse, you know." - -"But they're heading straight for the Point where the Collins Castle is -located, you notice, Rob, so I guess Cap. Jerry is ferrying him across. I -only hope the old tub doesn't take a notion to founder before it gets to -the dock a mile away from here." - -"Oh! it's stood lots of pounding, and only has to be bailed out -frequently on account of leaking like a sieve," Rob said in a low tone. -"Jerry has all that down to a fine point, and just once in so often he -gets busy and lowers the bilge water with the pump he keeps rigged -handy." - -"Excuse me from running around in such a trap," muttered Andy, who was -rather inclined to be "fussy" with regard to everything he handled, and -tried to have his possessions kept up to top-notch condition--what he -himself called "apple-pie shape." - -"The professor is like most Englishmen, for he loves his pipe," remarked -Rob, as he watched the passenger aboard the old launch filling his little -black pipe with tobacco taken from a rubber pouch. "I hope, when he -strikes that match, and then throws it away after lighting up, he knows -enough about motorboats to see that it goes overboard, and not into the -bottom of the craft. Sometimes a leak will spread a film of gasolene over -the bilge water, and there's always more or less danger of an explosion." - -"Yes," added Andy seriously, "there have been a number on the bay the -last three seasons, and two people that I can remember were so badly -burned that they died after being rescued." - -Both of the boys watched with more or less interest, and possibly with -suspended breath, while the red-faced passenger in Captain Jerry's old -launch puffed several times at his pipe, then tossed the match aside. - -"Oh! it didn't go overboard, for a fact, Rob!" gasped Andy; but there was -no time to say another word, for suddenly they saw a flash of flame -spring up aboard the old _Sea Gull_, and in an instant it seemed as -though the launch was aflame from stem to stern! - -Suddenly they saw a flash of flame spring up aboard the old _Sea Gull_. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - PROMPT WORK, AND A RESCUE. - - -Fortunately Rob Blake had wonderful presence of mind in a sudden -emergency. Some boys would have been so badly shocked by what was -happening near at hand, that for the time being, they must have been -unable to make any move toward rendering first aid to the afflicted. - -No sooner did the leader of the Eagle Patrol see that terrible outburst -of fire than he started his little motor on at full speed, heading -straight toward the imperiled launch. - -"Quick! get hold of that fire extinguisher we carry!" he called out to -his companion, who was staring, with open mouth and awe-filled eyes, at -the scene of commotion close by. - -"But, Rob, will the fluid put out a gasolene fire?" exclaimed Andy, -though at the same time hastening to throw back the lid of a locker and -snatch out the brass tube which had been lying there for just such a time -of sudden need. - -"Yes, that's one of its best uses," Rob told him hastily. "It seems to -form a coating over everything it touches that the fire can't break -through. It kills fire. That's where it gets its name. Be ready now to -make use of it when we come up as close as I dare go." - -"Both of the men are overboard, Rob!" announced Andy excitedly, "and -hanging on to the side of the boat. Wow! but isn't she blazing, though? I -can begin to feel the fierce heat even here!" - -"Ready to get busy now!" cried the skipper, as he manipulated his engine -in such a way as to reverse the propeller, and bring the _Tramp_ to a -stop close to the blazing launch. - -Andy was no coward, and could keep a pretty level head when it came down -to doing things; though often he had to be told what to attempt by -someone more masterful than himself. As soon as Rob shouted to him to -start operations, he worked the fire extinguisher with might and main, -and was considerably astonished to discover that just as Rob had said, -wherever the magical fluid struck, it seemed to dishearten the -conflagration, for the flames immediately died out. - -"Whoop! it's doing the whole business, that's right, Rob!" cried the -pleased amateur fire-fighter, as he continued to make judicious use of -his apparatus. "Why, I tell you nothing can hold out, Rob, against this -dandy contraption. Look at it do the work, will you? Oh! it's sure worth -its weight in gold when you need something to save your boat with." - -Indeed, to judge from the magical way in which the threatening fire was -extinguished aboard the old launch, Rob Blake had certainly made no -mistake when he purchased that little fire-fighting contrivance, even -though it did cost him close on ten dollars. - -Rob, seeing that all danger of the fire communicating to the _Tramp_ was -now past, slowly started toward the other boat. His intention was to -rescue the two elderly men who were in the water. To tell the truth, Rob -was very much afraid the passenger may have been seriously burned, and -that in his panic he might release his frenzied grip on the gunwale of -the boat. - -It turned out otherwise, however, for Scotch grit held good, and Rob soon -had the satisfaction of helping both men aboard the _Tramp_. - -They had received a number of burns, and presented rather a peculiar -appearance, since their eyebrows and beards had been badly singed. - -"Fire's all out, Rob!" announced Andy, at this juncture. - -"Then fix it so that we can tow the _Sea Gull_ behind us," the other told -him, "and we'll change our course for the Collins Point yonder." - -"It is verra kind of ye to go to all that trouble," remarked the elderly -man, looking the young skipper of the rescuing boat over from head to -toe, "and I wull not be the one to forget the favor, I assure you, my -fine laddie." - -"I hope you are not seriously burned, sir?" remarked Rob, who saw that -there were signs of the other's clothes having been afire before he -tumbled overboard, possibly urged to this last resort through the -energetic efforts of old Captain Jerry Martin. - -"I sincerely hope not myself," replied the other, as he felt of his body, -and then put up a hand to his blackened face. "I believe I've been well -singed, and that until I grow a new crop of eyebrows I will look like a -scorched rat; which is verra unfortunate, since I am on a most important -errand over in your country. But, indeed, I should be ashamed to -complain, for it might have been a deal worse." - -"And how about you, Captain Jerry?" asked Rob, turning to the subdued -looking old skipper of the disabled motorboat, who had once been an -oysterman, though of late years rheumatism had compelled him to seek -another less strenuous means for making a living on the famous bay. - -"Nawthin' to count much, Rob," grunted Captain Jerry, "but I'm afraid -I'll jest hev to git a new engine aboard the _Sea Gull_ arter this -accident. I knowed she leaked a mite in the connectin' feed pipe, but I -never thought anybody would throw a lighted match down _thar_! I'm glad -to be alive still; and I hopes as how the duckin' ain't agoin' to fotch -on my rheumatiz agin." - -"As I'm altogether to blame for the accident, Captain," said the -passenger, "I shall insist on doing my part toward helping you put in -that new motor. The chances are I will be marooned at my friend's place -now for weeks, until I'm presentable; though what's to be done about -getting that valuable shipment out to our exhibit I am unable to say. -Perhaps Judge Collins may be able to help me decide. It's a verra odd -time to introduce myself, laddies, but I want to know more of ye, and so -permit me to say I am Professor Andrew McEwen, from Edinburgh University, -Scotland." - -"My name is Robert Blake, and my father is connected with the bank at -Hampton. My chum here is of the same name as yourself, professor, Andrew; -but his last name is Bowles. I think his family came originally from -Scotland. We are Boy Scouts, and out for a little cruise just to pass the -time away." - -"Which was a lucky thing for myself, I am sure," remarked the elderly -gentleman, as he squeezed a hand of each of the young fellows. "And if -you will land me at Judge Collins' dock, you will increase the -obligations under which you have placed me." - -"We are heading straight that way, sir," Rob told him. - -Somehow he liked the stranger from the start. He had shrewd, gray eyes -that had been wont, no doubt, to twinkle under bushy eyebrows; but with -these now missing his thin face had an almost comical appearance. Still, -there was a kindly expression to be detected there, as well as the keen -look of a savant. And from the way in which Professor McEwen from time to -time watched Rob, it was evident that he had also conceived a great fancy -to the fine, manly looking boy who seemed to be able to master a crisis -so ably. - -Presently they drew in at the dock, where Judge Collins was awaiting -them. From the fact that the gentleman gripped a pair of marine glasses -in his hand, and had an anxious look on his face, Rob jumped to the -conclusion that he must have been on the lookout for the coming of the -celebrated scientist from abroad, and might have witnessed the details of -the accident and the rescue. - -"I dinna doobt but that ye will have some difficulty in recognizing me, -Judge Collins," called out the Professor, falling back more than ever -into his Scotch dialect in his mingled amusement and chagrin. "My ain -brother wouldna know me with this blackamoor face, _sans_ eyebrows, -_sans_ beard, and fortunate to have saved my eyesight. I am a fearsome -sicht, and feel unco'-unpleasant in the bargain. But thanks to these braw -laddies we were saved from a watery grave, for which baith feel -thankful." - -"You must come up to the house at once and wash up," said the judge -feelingly. "Then I shall ease any suffering with some magical pain -extractor that I chance to have and can recommend. No, please stay with -me a little while, boys, unless you are in a great hurry. I want to hear -your side of the story as well. And Captain Jerry, what can I do to make -you comfortable? An old sailing mate of yours is in the boathouse at -work, and if you will join him shortly I will send something comforting -out to you." - -Rob looked at Andy, who nodded his approval of this idea. Andy had never -before met with a chance to see the inside of the judge's house on the -Point, which, being built of stone, and boasting a few turrets, had come -to be called the "Castle" by most of the baymen. Such a golden -opportunity might not come along again; and, besides, they certainly were -in no hurry, so they could oblige the judge without putting themselves -out at all. - -Shortly afterward they found themselves in the library. Rob had been here -before and even spent some hours examining the myriads of curious things -among the collections which Judge Collins kept at his country house, -where he spent more than half the year entertaining visitors. - -Here the judge made an examination of the burns of the little Scotch -scientist. It was found that beyond a few painful red marks, and the loss -of the hair that had once been on his face, Professor McEwen was all -right. - -He seemed to take his mutilation greatly to heart. - -"It would ha'e been peetifu' eno' at any time to be transformed into such -a scarecrow as this; but think of me on the way out to join some of my -fellow workers in the avenues of science, and taking with me the balance -of our delayed valuable exhibit. Aweel, aweel, the best laid plans o' -mice an' men gang aft aglee. I shall ha'e to hide my diminished head -until Nature restores my looks. Ya maun rest assured I shall not let my -friends see me in this way; they wouldna doobt but that it was the -Missing Link come to light." - -"I shall be delighted," said the judge impulsively, "to have you stay -with me as long as you can spare the time, Professor. It will gladden my -heart more than I can tell you, for the profit is bound to be all on my -side." - -"But whatever am I to do aboot getting that exhibit out to our concession -at the Exposition, now that I shall be utterly unable to attend to it -myself? I wish I could solve that problem; my own discomfort I wouldna -consider so much. In fact, I have undertaken this trip under protest. I -care not a rap or a bawbee as to whether I see the Exhibition or not, if -only I could make positive that my errand had been successfully carried -out." - -"Surely you can send what you are taking there by express, and it will -arrive safely?" suggested the judge. - -"But I gave my solemn word," expostulated the Scotch professor, who -seemed to possess all of the stubborn qualities with which those of his -land are said to be afflicted, "not to let the valuable packet go out of -my possession for a minute, unless I gave it in charge of an equally -responsible messenger. Money would be no object, judge, I assure you, if -only you could find me a gude mon; nane ither would I trust." - -The judge seemed to be pondering. When Andy caught him looking in a -serious fashion in the direction of himself and comrade, somehow he felt -a queer thrill pass through his system, though he did not exactly know -why it should be so. - -Then he saw a smile begin to creep over the face of Judge Collins, as he -nodded his head slowly. Whatever had flashed into his mind, it seemed to -afford him considerable satisfaction. - -"Professor McEwen," he said slowly, but earnestly, "if you are looking -for some trustworthy persons to whom you can delegate your mission, and -do not mind what expense there may be attached to carrying it out, I -believe I can suggest a couple of dependable young chaps who might fill -the bill; they are the wide-awake Boy Scouts who were concerned in your -rescue this very morning. How would you like to talk over that business -with Rob Blake and Andy Bowles, here, Professor?" - - - - - CHAPTER III. - WHEN LUCK CAME THEIR WAY. - - -Andy fairly held his breath in suspense when Judge Collins made that -astonishing suggestion to the little Scotch professor. He had always -known that the judge was a firm believer in the uplift of the Boy Scout -movement, for he had never failed to assist the Hampton Troop by every -means possible. That he would go so far as to recommend two of the scouts -to his friend as responsible enough parties to be entrusted with such an -errand filled Andy with both amazement and delight. - -Professor McEwen's eyes twinkled as he surveyed first the boys and then -their earnest sponsor. - -"I ha'e no doobt but that they are responsible and trustworthy, just as -ye say, Judge Collins," he proceeded to remark presently, with lines of -perplexity visible across his forehead, "and if it were but an ordinary -errand I wouldna hesitate a single instant aboot entrusting it to them. -But I ha'e to consider well before makin' up me mind. The property -belangs to ithers than mesil', ye ken; and it is of a scientific value -beyond compare. In fact, it could not well be replaced if lost in -transit; money wouldna be any consideration in exchange, which is why I -wouldna wish to send it by express." - -"Be kind enough to listen while I relate a few facts concerning this same -Rob Blake, and a couple of his friends," said the judge, smiling, and -shaking his head at Rob when he thought the latter looked as though about -to protest. - -"I should be unco' pleased to hear all you can tell me," declared the -scientist, "for I must confess that from the verra beginning these braw -lads ha'e made a most favorable impression with me." - -And so Rob had to sit there, squirming rather uneasily, while the judge -told of the perilous trip he and several chums had made to the troubled -republic of Mexico, and how they had cleverly managed to accomplish the -delicate mission with which they had been entrusted by Tubby Hopkins' -uncle. - -Then he took up the subject of the tour abroad, where they had been for -days and weeks in the battle zone of the contending armies, managing with -consummate skill to avoid complications, and eventually succeeding in -attaining the object which had been the cause of their undertaking this -perilous mission. - -All this while the little Scotch professor sucked away at his pipe as -though he found great consolation in burning the weed that originally -came from Virginia in the time of Sir Walter Raleigh, and was therefore a -strictly American product. Now and then he would let his shrewd eyes roam -from the face of the enthusiastic judge to the burning one of Rob Blake, -and at such times Andy always noticed that he would nod slightly, as -though better pleased than ever. - -Andy, by the way, was enduring all manner of torture on account of the -suspense; he had had a glorious prospect opened up before him, if only -the curtain would not suddenly fall and shut it out. - -"That is not nearly all that these gallant boys have done," declared the -narrator, after a time. "I could sit here for an hour and tell you -innumerable instances where Rob, and some of his chums into the bargain, -did things that would be counted big under ordinary conditions. Why, it -has come to that pass in Hampton nowadays that when anything beyond the -ordinary is attempted they have to get the scouts interested in it first, -and then people begin to believe it must have some merit." - -"What you tell me is indeed wonderful," declared the professor. "After -that recommendation I am strongly disposed to offer them the carrying out -of my mission if they could see their way clear to accept the task." - -"It would give them a chance to spend some weeks at the Exposition -without incurring any expense, is that the idea, Professor McEwen?" asked -the judge, who looked as happy as though he had discovered some wonderful -bug which had been eagerly sought after for years and years by all -scientists and collectors. - -"Yes, a month, if they cared to stay that long," replied the other, who -seemed to have been fully convinced, and ready to throw the load of -responsibility from his own shoulders to those of Rob and his chum. "The -particulars can be gone over a little later, either to-night, if they -care to see me again, or to-morrow. There is no great need o' haste, -though what I am carrying out to California is being eagerly expected by -my colleagues there." - -"Let me congratulate you, boys, on your good fortune," said the kindly -judge, as though he wished to settle the matter in such a fashion that -there could be no drawing back on the part of the gentleman. He then -shook hands first with Rob and then with Andy Bowles. - -Rob was looking a little pale from excitement, but there was also a happy -glow in his eyes. As for Andy, he could not prevent a wide grin from -spreading over his features. His father owned a livery stable in Hampton, -but was not considered at all well-to-do, so that the boy had never been -able to do more than dream of taking expensive trips. That one down into -Mexico had come like a gleam of golden sunshine, for Tubby Hopkins' old -uncle had footed all the bills. - -"Do I understand you to make this proposition to us, Professor McEwen?" -Rob asked bluntly, not wishing to be laboring under any delusion. - -"Aweel, aweel, I dinna ken how I could do better; and I feel that I am -indebted to ye baith for my life. After hearing what bonny lads ye are, -from my friend Judge Collins here, whose opinion carries great weight wi' -me, I am mair than pleased to offer to stand all the cost of a trip to -California and back; as well as the expense which you will necessarily be -under while seeing the great Exposition in San Francisco. Do ye think ye -can ha'e the permission of the auld folks to take so lang a journey?" - -"There will be no trouble on that score, Professor," urged the judge. -"These lads have so amply demonstrated their sterling ability to look out -for themselves that I really believe Rob's parents would not object if he -wanted to go to hunt for the South Pole, or explore the unknown regions -of tropical Brazil. And so we shall call it settled, I presume, -Professor?" - -"I ha'e made the offer, and shall tak' it hard if they turn it down," -said the peculiar little man of science, whose name, Rob afterward -learned, was known throughout the whole length and breadth of the world -wherever men of intellect gathered to discuss their theories and -discoveries. - -"So far as we are concerned," said Rob, after receiving an entreating -look from the excited Andy, "we are disposed to accept right on the spot, -subject to the reservation that our parents may have the final deciding -of the matter. We will run over here by moonlight to-night, Professor, -and if everything is satisfactory, we will talk matters over with you, -and make all arrangements." - -"That suits me nicely, laddie," declared the visitor pleasantly; "and I -shall ha'e to think mysel' unco' lucky to have found competent and -trustworthy messengers so soon after the necessity arose. I shall look -for ye then this same evening; and I hope that there may be no barrier -thrown in the way of your acceptance of my offer. The mair I see of ye -the better satisfied I feel that I will ha'e no regrets after entrusting -my mission in your hands." - -Soon afterward the two scouts said good-by to the professor, and started -down to the dock. Even in his distress of body and mind, the thoughtful -scientist had not forgotten Captain Jerry; and the boys were entrusted -with a message to him to the effect that ten pounds awaited his -acceptance when he was ready to install that new three-horse-power engine -in his launch. - -The old bayman was glad of the chance to have his wrecked boat towed back -home; and when Rob delivered the message of the professor, the look of -concern on his weatherbeaten face vanished as the mist does with the -coming of the sun. - -All the way across the broad bay the two scouts were jabbering to each -other in connection with the astonishing streak of good fortune that had -just come their way. - -"Seems to me I must be dreaming!" Andy declared for the fourth time. -"Please give me a pinch, Rob, to let me make sure I'm awake." - -"Oh! you'll get used to it by degrees," the other told him, though he -felt somewhat uncertain himself at times, and had to convince himself -that it had all actually happened, and was not the result of a fevered -imagination. - -"Talk to me about luck," continued Andy rapturously, "there never could -happen again such a wonderful combination of things. First, that the -feed-pipe aboard the _Sea Gull_ should be leaking a trifle; second, that -Professor McEwen was aboard the same; then he tossed that lighted match -the wrong way, so instead of going overboard it fell down and slipped -between the bars of the wooden grating into the oil-covered bilge water, -and last of all that we chanced to be close by at the critical moment, -ready fixed with a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, and capable of -hauling the ship-wrecked mariners aboard." - -"Everything of that kind is always a combination of minor happenings that -seem to dovetail in with each other," Rob explained. "In this case it -worked perfectly. All other boats were so far away that there's no -telling what might not have happened." - -"We're getting close in now, and, Rob, there's somebody waving to us from -the dock. Why, it looks like our inventor chum and fellow scout, Hiram -Nelson, the queerest fellow in the Eagle Patrol. He must want us to stop -and take him out for a ride on the bay. You didn't promise him anything -like that, did you, Rob?" - -"Why, no, not that I remember," replied the other slowly; "but now that -you mention him acting as though he wanted to see us so badly, I remember -that Hiram has been talking to me several times lately about some -wonderful secret he was carrying around with him. He said he hoped to be -in a position soon to open up and take me into his confidence; and that -he might have a proposition to make that would give me a great, though a -pleasant shock." - -"You don't say?" chuckled the happy Andy. "Well, seems to me the shoe is -on the other foot just now, and that we've got something to tell Hiram -that will take his breath away for a minute. Look at him dancing around, -Rob! I suppose now he's gone and invented some sort of contraption that -never can be made to work, and he wants to tell you he's saved up enough -hard cash to get a patent on the same. But chances are it'll be money -wasted, because, so far as I know, nothing Hiram has done so far has -proved much of a success." - -"I'm a little afraid it's as you say," added Rob, in a low tone, for they -were now fast nearing the dock where the other boy waited for them, his -face wreathed in such broad smiles that they could easily see his news -was of a pleasant nature. "Three times Hiram has tried to go up in that -aëroplane of his and failed. I hope he's switched his genius off on some -safer track than this sky traveling. But we'll soon know, for here we are -at the dock." - -Andy stood by with the boathook to fend off, and old Captain Jerry got in -readiness to take charge of his launch and pole it along the border of -the bay to the mouth of the creek, up which he had his mooring place. - -When Rob had made the motorboat fast to a cleat on the dock, he joined -his chum, and the two of them advanced toward the spot where Hiram -awaited their coming, his face still betraying the great excitement under -which he seemed to be laboring. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A STUNNING SURPRISE. - - -"He certainly looks all worked up, doesn't he, Rob?" Andy remarked, as he -and his companion found themselves drawing closer to the other scout. - -"Hiram is a queer stick, you remember," the patrol leader told him, -speaking in a soft tone, as he did not wish the other to catch what he -said. "Everybody just knows that he's gone daffy over this craze to -invent something worth while. But unless I miss my guess we're going to -hear some news shortly." - -There was no chance to exchange further remarks, because they had reached -a point close to Hiram. The latter was a rangy sort of chap. He could -talk as well as the next one when he felt disposed that way, but it had -always been a sort of fad with Hiram Nelson to pretend that he was a -_real_ countryman, and many a time had he amused his chums with his broad -accent and his wondering stare, as of a "yahoo" seeing city sights for -the first time. - -Now, however, Hiram apparently was not bothering his head about having -any fun with his fellow scouts. There was an eager expression on his -face, as though he were bursting with the desire to communicate his great -secret to a chosen few of his chums, especially to the patrol leader, Rob -Blake. - -"Been alookin' for you all over town, Rob," he started in to say, as they -joined him. "Took me an awful long time to get track of where you'd gone. -Then just by accident I ran across Walter Lonsdale, who told me he -believed from what Sim Jeffords said, that Joe Digby had seen you and -Andy here hitting it up for the dock, and so he reckoned you must have -gone off on your little _Tramp_. And say, Walter was right that time, -wasn't he?" - -"He certainly was," replied Rob, while Andy Bowles chuckled at the -roundabout way the other admitted he had received his information. - -"Well, Rob," continued Hiram mysteriously, "'course you remember my -telling you that sooner or later I might have somethin' of _vast_ -importance to tell you, something that would give you one of the greatest -thrills ever?" - -"Sure, I remember that," asserted the other, "what about it, Hi?" - -The other leaned closer to the scout leader, and in a hoarse whisper -exclaimed: - -"The time has come now, Rob!" - -"Good enough," said Rob. "Fire away then, Hiram!" - -Hiram cast a rather dubious glance in the direction of Andy. - -"Oh, don't mind me one little bit, Hi!" sang out that worthy cheerfully. -"I'll promise to seal my lips if you give the word, and even being burned -at the stake couldn't force me to squeal a syllable. Say on, Hiram; -you've got Rob and me worked up to top-notch with curiosity, and I know -I'll burst pretty soon if you don't take pity on me." - -"Oh! well, I guess it's all right," the other observed slowly. -"Everybody'll be knowing it sooner or later. You just can't hide a light -under a bushel, anyhow. So I might as well take you at your word, Andy." - -"My word's as good as my bond, Hiram," said the bugler of the troop, with -some show of pride; whereat Hiram laughed softly, as though possibly he -had no reason to doubt that same fact, since Andy would find it difficult -work to get anybody to accept the latter. - -"Let's sit down here on this pile of lumber," Hiram went on to say, -"while I tell you what wonderful things happened. The greatest chance -I've ever struck so far, and you can understand that I'm nigh about -tickled to death over it." - -"Huh! bet you've gone and spent every red cent you could scrape up paying -a patent lawyer to put some wildcat scheme through; and that you've got -the papers in your pocket showing that you've parted from your hard -cash?" - -When Andy recklessly said this Hiram turned and looked reproachfully at -him, and then with his accustomed drawl remarked: - -"Everything we tackle in this world is a chance and a hazard, don't you -know, Andy Bowles? And if inventors, people who have the big brains, and -get up all the wonderful labor-saving devices you read about, didn't -choose to accept risks, why whatever would become of all you ordinary -folks, tell me?" - -Andy shook his head. - -"Give it up, Hiram," he said blankly. "But please go right along and tell -us what you've been and gone and done now. Never mind me. My bark is a -whole lot worse than my bite, anyhow." - -"That's so," Hiram assured him cheerfully. "Well, you guessed right in -one way, Andy, for I have secured the advance notice that a patent is -pending on a clever invention of mine, which is as good as saying it's -secured. But that's only the beginning, the foundation, or, as you might -say, the advance agent of prosperity. The best is yet to come." - -"You're exciting us a heap, Hiram, I admit," muttered Andy, "but I hope -it isn't all going to turn out a big smoke. There's some fire back of -this talk, isn't there?" - -"Wait!" the other told him grimly. "Get ready to soak in this -information, boys. The invention for which I have applied for patent -rights is, as p'raps you've already guessed, in connection with -airships!" - -He waited at that point, as if expecting some expression of surprise and -wonder; so not to disappoint him, and in hopes of hurrying matters along -a little faster, the accommodating Andy gave vent to the one expressive -word: - -"Gee!" - -"Yes, I've been tackling one of the hardest propositions we inventors -have ever run up against," continued Hiram pompously, "and to tell you -the truth it was only through a happy chance that in the end I stumbled -on the key that unlocked the secret. You may know that one of the -obstacles to making aëroplanes popular among the masses has been the -danger attending these air flights. Even the most experienced pilots are -subject to risks that they pretend to make light of. You understand all -that, Rob, of course?" - -"Yes, I know they are delicate affairs at best when used for sailing a -mile above the earth," admitted the patrol leader; "and that a sudden -gust of wind, if it takes the voyager unawares, is apt to bring about -disaster." - -"That's just it," said Hiram triumphantly. "Rob, I've discovered a way to -prevent all these accidents, and made an aëroplane as safe for a novice -to run as it would be for an experienced pilot with a license." - -"If you have done that, Hiram, you've got a feather in your cap!" Rob -told him. "Some of the biggest inventors have been lying awake nights -trying to fix things that way, so as to take away most of the terrible -risk of flying; but so far it doesn't seem they've met with much -success." - -"Wait till they hear from Hiram Nelson, that's all," declared the happy -scout, as he smote himself on the chest in rather a vainglorious fashion, -which, however, the other two boys hardly noticed, for they knew Hiram's -fondness of boasting, as he had always been afflicted in that way. - -"Tell us the rest, Hi," said Andy, just as if it bored him to hear so -much about the "preliminaries," when as the inventor proclaimed the best -was yet to come. - -"All right," said Hiram promptly. "Now you know what the scheme is I can -go on and get deeper into my yarn." - -"Wish you would," muttered Andy, pretending to stifle a yawn back of his -hand, but that was only done in order to hurry the long-winded talker. - -"I call my wonderful invention a stabilizer, because that's the use it's -really intended for," continued Hiram, as though wishing to fully impress -that fact upon their minds. "To tell the truth, I've had the legal -documents showing that a patent had been applied for, quite some time -now, though for reasons of my own I kept it all a dead secret from -everybody. Mebbe yeou fellers may have noticed that I've been looking -kinder mysterious the last month or two? Well, guess with such a -tre_men_jous secret on your mind either of you'd a been equally absent -minded. But that is past now, and I've accomplished my aim." - -"Good!" Andy burst out with. "Let go your bowstring then and shoot, for -goodness sake, Hiram." - -"Well, of course I had it all laid out," continued the other composedly, -as if it was beneath him to pay any attention to these pins that Andy was -sticking into him, "and my first thought was to get in communication with -some enterprising big corporation that manufactured aëroplanes for the -market. All inventors have to sell their first few patents, you know, -so's to get money enough to push other ideas; and if I could pick up a -few thousand that way, why I'd have to let my stabilizer go." - -"Then you've been corresponding with such a company, have you?" asked -Rob, knowing that he could tempt the other to hurry his story in this -way, just as a witness in court is drawn on by a clever lawyer's -questions. - -"Oh! several of them, in fact," admitted Hiram, as if that were only a -minor matter, after all, "but in the end I found that a certain concern -meant strictly business, and consequently I dropped all the rest." - -"Have they actually made you a definite offer for your valuable -invention?" asked Rob, taking considerable more interest in the matter, -now that Hiram's undoubted though erratic genius seemed to be steadying -down with some tangible results. - -"Pretty much that way, I should call it," remarked the inventor, trying -hard to appear natural, though trembling all over with excitement. "They -went so far as to enclose a check big enough to cover all expenses of -myself and a companion--for I was smart enough to say I'd insist on -having company for advice along with me--to run out to their main works, -and talk the matter over with a view to disposing of my patent rights to -the device." - -At that Andy's face lost the look of sneering incredulity that had been a -marked feature of his listening to all this talk. - -"Whew! is that a fact, Hiram?" he exclaimed. "Shake hands on it, will -you? Didn't we always say that some fine day you'd be famous, and make -the Eagles proud to reckon you as a member? A real check, and not on a -sand bank, you mean?" - -"Well, I went right away to Rob's father's bank and saw the president. He -said the check was O. K. and that I could get the hard cash any time I -wanted it. Why, he even called it a certified bank draft, which meant the -money had been set aside in the San Francisco bank for that purpose, -deducted from the account of the Golden Gate Aëroplane Manufacturing -Company." - -"What?" almost shrieked Andy Bowles, "say that again, will you, Hiram? -Must be my mind's so filled with that Golden Gate business I just -_thought_ I heard you mention something like that. Repeat it, please, -Hiram!" - -"Why, the check came from a San Francisco bank, because you see the -company is a substantial concern in California. They make some of the -most famous aëroplanes on the market. If they adopt my stabilizer it's -going to be heard of all over the world. And to think what a magnificent -chance we've got to run out there and take in the great Panama-Pacific -Exposition at the same time, Rob! It's enough to make you think you're -dreaming, eh?" - -"Why do you mention _me_ in the game, Hiram?" demanded the patrol leader, -with a smile on his face, and a knowing wink in the direction of Andy -Bowles. - -"Because, don't you see, Rob, I knew I didn't have a business head on me, -and might get cheated out of my boots if I ran up against a smart lot of -manufacturers; and so I was wise enough to insist that I be allowed to -fetch along a companion. They never put up a single kick against the -expense of the double bill, Rob; but the check covered railroad fare, -sleeper, meals, and hotel bills while there a week, as well as the return -trip to boot. That means they fancy my invention is going to be a big -thing for their house. And, Rob, don't you see, I had you in mind all the -while when I wrote about fetching a companion. I want you the worst kind -to accept my invitation and go to the Fair at my expense. Tell me you -will, Rob!" - - - - - CHAPTER V. - HEADED WEST. - - -When he made this alluring offer Hiram Nelson was astonished to see Rob -turn toward Andy, and that the pair of them actually laughed. Quite -indignant at such a showing of skepticism, Hiram hastened to say: - -"Don't believe a word of what I'm saying, p'raps now? Well, seeing that -your dad reckoned this little paper was worth every cent it called for, -suppose you take a squint at the same, Rob. You, too, Andy, and then -you'll laugh on the other side of your mouth, I shouldn't wonder." - -He flourished the bank draft in front of their eyes, so that both scouts -could see the amount it called for in cash, and that it bore all the -marks of being genuine. - -"Oh! neither of us is doubting anything you say, Hiram," explained Andy -effusively. "The only thing is that Rob here can't accept your generous -offer, that's all." - -"Can't accept?" gasped the other, looking terribly disappointed. "Why -not, I'd like to know; and me countin' on having him along to advise me, -and keep me from being caught napping, or robbed of my valuable papers on -the road." - -"I'll tell you why he isn't able to take the trip to California at your -expense, Hiram," said Andy solemnly. "It's because he's already pledged -himself to go with someone else. Fact is, Hiram, I'm the one who holds -Rob's word." - -"You--agoin' to California, Andy Bowles?" exclaimed the astonished Hiram; -and his incredulous manner told that he doubted the truth of the -assertion, for where could the son of the liveryman of Hampton get all -the money to cover the double expense of such a lengthy trip; certainly -not through any invention _his_ brain had ever conceived; and no boy -could ever hope to save enough out of his spending money for that. - -"Yes, we've just made all arrangements for a month at the Exposition," -said the Bowles boy; "that is, we have to run over to Judge Collins' -place again after supper to-night, and complete the details. We expect to -pull out day after to-morrow, and take a through limited train for New -Orleans first, then across the plains of Texas, and the deserts of New -Mexico and Arizona to Los Angeles." - -Hiram sat there as though changed into stone. He hardly knew whether Andy -was trying to hoodwink him or not; for the other had something of a -reputation as a joker. - -Rob took pity on the poor fellow. - -"It's just as Andy says, Hiram," he observed seriously. "We've had a -wonderful experience when out on the bay. A fire happened aboard old -Captain Jerry's _Sea Gull_ on account of a passenger dropping a lighted -match, so that it caused something of an explosion. The two men, somewhat -scorched, tumbled overboard. We were close at hand, and by using that -fire-extinguishing torch of mine managed to put out the flames before -they'd done much damage. We also hauled Captain Jerry and his passenger -aboard." - -"Well, of all things!" gasped Hiram. "If it don't take you to do wonders, -Rob Blake. Go on and tell me the rest, please. My yarn isn't in the same -class with yours, it strikes me." - -Rob quickly put him in possession of the facts that followed fast on the -heels of the rescue, and their reaching the Castle of Judge Collins. -Hiram continued to shake his head, and draw in long breaths as though -almost overcome with astonishment. - -"The Arabian Nights never was in it with the things that happen to you, -Rob," he exclaimed, when the story was complete. "And so both of you are -expecting to start overland to California right away? Well, I've got -plenty of money right here, and what's to hinder our making it a party of -three?" - -"That strikes me as a good thing, Hiram," said Rob. "We're all scouts and -comrades, after all; and you say you are afraid you'll need advice sooner -or later in dealing with the manufacturers. We'll stand by you, Hiram, -and there's my hand on it!" - -"Bully for you, Rob!" cried the delighted inventor, whose dejected -countenance immediately lighted up. "I was mighty afraid you meant to -leave me out of the excursion party. Stand by me, and I'll do everything -I can to help you. Three ought to be even better than just two, when it -comes to counting noses." - -"You made a remark just now that struck me as queer," said Rob. - -"Tell me what it was, then, and I'll try to explain," Hiram ventured. - -"Well, you spoke of wanting a companion along to keep you from being -caught napping, or robbed of valuable papers on the way; what did you -mean by the last part of that sentence? Have you any idea anyone covets -your papers, and might make an attempt to rob you when you were far away -from home?" - -"Rob, p'raps I'm silly to think that way, but I can't help it," Hiram -confessed. "You see, one of the companies I corresponded with was in New -York. They even sent an agent down here to interview me, and see what I -had got. I never liked that man the least bit. He struck me as a sneak, -and I made up my mind the company was what you might call a snide -one--wanting to steal ideas if they could. I declined to have any -dealings with them, and their agent went away as mad as a hornet, even -threatening that he'd get the better of me by hook or crook." - -"You don't say!" ejaculated Andy. "Then, you must have squeezed his toes, -Hiram; you made him squeal, and show his true colors. I give you credit -for that." - -"Have you heard anything from the company since?" asked Rob, hardly -knowing whether to treat the implied threat seriously, or only as the -ugly remark of a disappointed man who had found that Hiram was too smart -for him. - -"Why, every week I get a few lines from this Marsters, the man who came -to see me, asking if I'm ready to do business with him. There's no threat -in the letter, but there's always something to imply that he's keeping -track of what I'm doing, and expects sooner or later I'll be glad to turn -to him for a sale." - -"And you are afraid that he even knows of your dealings with this Golden -Gate Company out on the Coast, is that it, Hiram?" continued the scout -leader. - -"I don't know what to think," admitted Hiram. "One letter came that I -know had been tampered with. It may be he's got somebody in our -postoffice in his pay." - -"That would be a serious thing if true," Rob told him. - -"It's lucky they didn't keep out the letter that had the bank draft in -it," suggested Andy. - -"They might have done it," Hiram said, "only the company was smart enough -to register that, and it got to me safe and sound. But, Rob, after all -this might only be a big bluff Marsters is putting up. He may never -bother his head about me starting off on this trip, even if he hears -about it through any paid spy in Hampton. And if I've got two good chums -along with me, who's afraid?" - -"All the same," advised Rob, "you'd better keep this thing a dead secret. -We'll agree not to say a word about it to anyone. They can know how Andy -and myself have been lucky enough to get a chance to see the Exposition; -and let people figure you're in the deal, too. We'll do nothing to make -it seem contrary, remember that, Andy!" - -"I'm on, all right, Rob," the other hastened to assure him. - -"First of all," continued Rob, "be careful with that draft. If I were you -I'd hand it over to my father, and then when you want the money he'll -give it to you. Did you think to ask him not to mention it?" - -"Yes, and he said he wouldn't, after I'd shown him the letter. He shook -hands with me, Rob, and said he was as pleased as pie about it--leastways -not in just those words, you know, but it meant the same thing. I'll go -up right away and ask him to take charge of it for fear I may lose the -paper." - -After making arrangements to meet again in the afternoon so as to talk -matters over and lay their plans for starting, the boys went home for -lunch. All of them, of course, were fairly bubbling over with excitement; -and when the story was told of what had happened on the bay, as well as -the wonderful thing that came of the rescue, in at least two Hampton -homes there were proud parents. - -Of course, no one put the least objection in the way of Rob and Andy -taking that wonderful trip. They were thought to be the luckiest boys in -all Hampton; and when the news leaked out every fellow in town flocked -around to hear the particulars. - -That night after supper Rob and Andy rowed over to Judge Collins' and -spent a very pleasant evening with Judge Collins and his distinguished -guest. Professor McEwen went into matters with a thoroughness that spoke -well for his business ability, in spite of the fact of his being a -scientist. - -In the end it was all arranged. Rob and Andy understood just what they -were expected to do in order to carry out the instructions of the -Scottish professor. - -"Come over to-morrow afternoon, lads, and everything will be here ready -for you to take charge of," the satisfied gentleman told them as they -were saying good-night. "The Judge ha'e kindly promised to see to things, -sinc' I'm muckle sore, and hardly in condition to show myself in public. -What I am giving into your charge can be handily carried in your grip; -only I ken ye will want to be chained fast to the same all o' the time -fra start to feenish." - -Since there are so many things waiting to be told that befell the boys -later on, there is really little need of our lingering any longer at this -point than is absolutely necessary. - -On the following afternoon Rob and Andy paid their last visit to the -Point, and when they came away they carried a packet with them which they -seemed to guard most carefully. - -Besides this Rob had in his possession plenty of money to see them out to -the Coast, as well as a letter of credit on a San Francisco bank that -would insure a future supply. - -"And if you should need even more," Judge Collins told Rob in parting, -"wire to me of your necessities and it will be forthcoming, because we -are both determined that you brave lads shall have the time of your lives -while out there." - -The boys made all their arrangements, and when the second morning rolled -around there was quite a host at the station to see them take the morning -train to New York, where they expected to start upon the real journey. - -Sleeping-car berths had been secured in advance to New Orleans, and which -would in fact carry them all the way through, since it was not their -intention to stop over anywhere _en route_. - -Among the relatives and friends who had assembled to see the three scouts -leave for the far-distant Pacific Coast, were numerous members of the -Hampton Troop. Like Rob and Andy and Hiram, these boys wore their khaki -suits, and seemed proud of the badges and medals they had won the -permission to sport. - -Thanks to the caution suggested by Rob, no one appeared to know just how -Hiram came to be in the fortunate bunch. Some accounts coupled his name -with the rescue of the famous scientist who was visiting Judge Collins; -while others were just as firmly convinced that there were only two on -board the _Tramp_ at the time. - -In the end it was set down as something of a mystery which might not be -cleared up until the return of the travelers. They knew that Hiram was a -very secretive sort of fellow, and that even if he accomplished something -calculated to fetch him in money, he would not tell of it until he chose. - -The train drew in at the station, and the three scouts got aboard amidst -a perfect clamor of shouts, above which could be heard the well-known -scout salute. As the conductor gave the signal for them to pull out there -was a scene such as had seldom been witnessed at Hampton; which proved -just how much Rob Blake, the leader of the scouts, was appreciated in his -home town. - -Hardly had they left the outskirts of the town behind when Hiram, who was -sitting just behind Rob and Andy, leaned forward and said in a low tone: - -"I'm not dead sure about it, Rob, but there was a man got aboard this -train that looked a whole lot like that tricky agent I told you about, -Marsters!" - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - A FALSE ALARM. - - -"Andy, would you mind changing seats with Hiram?" asked Rob, upon hearing -what the boy behind him had just said. - -"Not at all; there's plenty of room still," replied the troop bugler, -quickly slipping out and allowing Hiram to take his place, while he -leaned forward over the back of the seat so he could join in the -conversation. - -"Are you sure it was this same man, Hiram?" asked Rob. - -"I only had a quick look at him, and his back was toward me," explained -the nervous inventor, "but I'm most certain it was that agent. He had a -rather odd little limp you see, and this feller did, too." - -Hiram had his hand laid upon his chest. Inside his coat he carried the -precious papers, and just then the boy seemed to be more concerned about -these than he was in connection with the pocketbook that reposed in a -back pocket of his trousers, or the tickets he had in another repository. - -"Well, keep close to both of us, that's all," said Rob. "Even if it is -Marsters, the chances are he's only trying in his mean way to give you a -bad feeling. I don't expect we'll be bothered with him after we get -fairly started on our trip." - -"But what if he tried to steal my papers from me?" said Hiram uneasily. - -"He'd have a hard time doing that, with one of us on either side," -affirmed Andy Bowles confidently. - -"And I wouldn't hesitate a second to hand him over to the police if he -tried any of his games on us," Rob added. - -"It may be he's hired some smart pickpocket to rub up against me when we -get in the jam at leaving the train," Hiram told them, showing that his -mind was active enough to grasp every sort of possibility, no matter how -vague. - -"We'll checkmate him on that easily enough," chuckled Rob. "In the first -place, we don't mean to allow ourselves to get caught in any jam. When we -draw into the station we'll sit tight until most of the passengers have -left. Then Andy here can go and get the particulars as to where our train -is standing that will take us South; for it's all one Pennsylvania -station, you know. And I'll stick close to you every minute of the time." - -"Yes," Andy went on to say, "you know we've got something in Rob's grip -that we have to 'guard with unceasing vigilance,' as Judge Collins said, -because it is of priceless value in the eyes of scientists; and its safe -delivery to the head of the exhibit at the Fair will mean we've earned -our trip." - -Later on, when they finally left the car, Andy hurried off to pick up the -needed information. They had a whole hour before the scheduled time of -starting came, so none of them were anxious with regard to being left. - -Hiram stood there with his bag between his feet, looking to the right and -to the left. He seemed to be in constant fear lest some astonishing -surprise might be sprung upon him. - -"There he is now, grinning at me like an ape, Rob!" he suddenly muttered, -and his voice was certainly anything but firm. - -"So, that is your Marsters, is it?" demanded the other, as he discovered -a slim man standing at some little distance from them, and with a -satirical smile on his dark face. - -"Yes, and don't you think he looks like he'd stop at nothing in order to -get to the end he had in view?" asked Hiram. - -"He looks like an impudent fellow to me," Rob advised, "and according to -my mind he's gone to all this bother just to feel that he's had his nasty -revenge on you for treating him so shabbily. To be beaten in a battle of -wits by a mere boy must have riled Mr. Marsters a whole lot. Depend on -it, he doesn't expect to go any further than this in the game. He's shot -his bolt." - -"What makes you think so, Rob?" - -"The very fact that he's taking all the pains to stand there and let you -see him grinning like an imp," replied the scout leader. "Now, if he -really meant to chase after you on the trip, don't you see he would be -doing everything he could to keep you from knowing he was around, and on -the watch?" - -Hiram, after he had been shown, began to see it that way, too. - -"Seems as though there might be a good lot of truth in that view, Rob," -he admitted. "So let him grin all he wants to. I'll laugh, too, if only -to show the feller that he hasn't made me squirm a whit." - -With that Hiram bent almost double, like a hinge, and seemed to be -tickled half to death over some imaginary joke. He also turned and looked -straight in the eyes of the man he had called Marsters, as if to let him -know he did not care a snap of his fingers about his continued leering. - -"You've settled his case, and cooked his goose for him," commented Rob, a -minute later. "See, there he goes over yonder, and I'll be a whole lot -surprised if we set eyes on Marsters again." - -"But, Rob, I'm determined to act as though I fully expected him to be -creeping around all the time. I'm playing up to the old saying that an -ounce of prevention is worth more'n a hull pound of cure." - -"It's a good idea," was all Rob told him, for just then he saw Andy -hurrying toward them, and from his manner guessed the other must have -obtained the needed information. - -Once they were settled in the sleeping-car, Hiram began to feel better, -though it might be noticed that he eyed every person who came aboard as -though he more than half suspected the revengeful Marsters, baffled in -securing the wonderful invention for his firm, might assume some -marvelous disguise in order to be near the traveling genius, so as to rob -him on the road. - -"We're off!" exclaimed Andy joyously, as the train started, drawn by an -electric motor, and heading through the tunnel that would take them under -the North River to Jersey, and thence across the Hackensack Meadows to -Newark and beyond. - -Everything looked bright and cheerful that morning when the three scouts -began their long journey calculated to land them eventually inside the -portals of the big Exposition on the Pacific Coast, and which was being -held to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal. - -Certainly never before had Boy Scouts been enabled to start forth upon a -trip of such magnitude, and under such happy auspices. With all their -expenses paid, and the grandest possible time looming up ahead of them, -it was not to be wondered at that Rob and his two chums counted -themselves the luckiest fellows on the face of the globe. - -All of them were fond of traveling, and that first day was a constant -picnic for the scouts. It happened that Rob and Andy had been over the -route before, since it was this way they had gone to Mexico when with -Merritt Crawford and Tubby Hopkins. On that occasion they had undertaken -the carrying out of that mission connected with the disposal of the -cattle on the ranch Dr. Mark Matthews, the globe-trotter and explorer, -owned across the Rio Grande, his old-time friend General Villa seeing -that he was properly paid with the funds held by the Revolutionary -party.[2] - -This being the case, they were able to direct the attention of Hiram to -many interesting objects on the way. Hiram had never been a hundred miles -outside of Hampton in all his life; and therefore he stared and commented -continually as the train rushed along through stretches of the country -around Washington and beyond as the day drew near its close. - -Remembering what Judge Collins, as well as the Scotch professor, had told -them in connection with the contents of Rob's grip, they kept it down at -their feet constantly; for they had the whole section, Andy having -promised to occupy the upper berth, as he knew Hiram would feel safer in -company with Rob below. - -"You haven't seen anything suspicious the whole day long, have you, -Hiram?" Rob asked him, as they prepared to go into the dining-car for -their supper, two at a time, and the third staying to look after things, -as well as keep his foot on the precious grip. - -"Well, not that you could really call _suspicious_" admitted the other, -"but seemed like several parties looked right hard at me as they passed -through agoin' to that meal car." - -"Oh, shucks!" said Andy, leaning across from his seat to speak in a low -tone, "that all comes from you being worked up the way you are. Chances -are they must a' seen the budding genius breaking out all over your face -in the shape of freckles, Hiram, and wondered who on earth you could be." - -"Well, I always figger that it's best to be on the safe side, no matter -if other people do make out to snicker at you, and call you timid. It's -poor policy to shut the door of the stable after the hoss is stolen, my -dad says; and your folks would agree with me there, Andy, seeing that -they have a heap to do with hosses. Do I go in with you to grub, Rob, or -wait here for my turn?" - -"I leave that with Andy," Rob remarked indifferently; "if he feels too -hungry to stay here for us to come back, let him take the first show. -Here comes the waiter to give the call." - -Andy immediately said that it pleased him to wait and take his time. - -"I like to be easy in my mind when I'm trying to get the worth of a big -dollar in dinner," he continued, "and if I keep on thinking of you -fellows counting the minutes while I'm gone, it hurries me too much; and -that's bad for your digestion, you know. So skip along, and I'll hug the -seat here till you get back. Make up your mind, Rob, everything will be -safe enough. I'm Johnny on the spot when it comes to standing guard." - -In this fashion all of them managed to get their supper. The night closed -in and the full moon lighted up the wonderful scenery of the valleys they -were speeding through, headed toward the southwest, and into the land of -sugarcane, oranges, cotton and rice. - -Hiram, when he could take his mind away from the fascinating prospect of -doing a lucrative business with the enterprising firm that had invited -him all the way out to the Coast, was full of questions regarding the -wonderful things he expected to see later on when they reached a section -of the country that was radically different from Long Island. - -He had always wanted to visit the South, and this culmination of his -hopes filled him with ecstasy. The presence of such a steady chum as Rob -Blake did much to add to Hiram's peace of mind, it can be readily -believed; for he felt sure that no matter what troubles might spring up -to confront him on the journey, the efficient scout leader would be equal -to any emergency. - -Hiram had the utmost confidence in Rob Blake. It was founded on what he -had seen the other accomplish; and, besides, the things he had heard -concerning that Mexican trip, as well as the journey across to the war -zone of Europe, had added to his respect. - -All that night they boomed steadily on. - -Rob slept with Hiram in the lower berth, and occupied the side nearer the -aisle, so as to ease the nervous chum's mind as much as possible. Like -most new and inexperienced travelers, Hiram hardly slept a wink that -first night; much of the time he had the window-shade drawn back, and lay -there staring at the ghostly objects that could be seen flitting past the -window--cabins, trees, settlements, barns, orchards, rivers and all -manner of things the ever speeding train was passing in its wake. - -When morning finally came they were so well along their way that the -country had taken on a new aspect, and Hiram's interest grew by leaps and -bounds. What was more, since he could still feel that precious packet -inside his coat, where he had at Rob's solicitation pinned it inside his -pocket, Hiram's confidence became much stronger, and the anxious look -began to leave his thin face. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - ACROSS THE CONTINENT. - - -"We ought to be in Los Angeles inside of five hours, boys." - -Hiram had kept his face glued against the window so much of the time -during the long journey, when it happened to be closed, that Andy told -him he was getting a distinct curve to his classic Roman nose. He turned -on hearing Rob make this assertion, after consulting the time-table. - -"Well, for one, I must say I won't be sorry," he admitted, with a sigh. - -"But see here, I thought you were having the time of your life with all -this traveling, and seeing so many wonderful sights?" expostulated Andy. - -"That's all right, I am," admitted Hiram. "Still, a feller can get too -much of a good thing, can't he? Haven't you stuffed yourself more'n once -because you liked the food first-class, and then wished afterward you had -gone slow? Fact is, I just can't sleep while we're ding-donging along -like hot cakes. I want to be on a steady footing for a while, and go to -bed like a civilized human being." - -"But it's been a great trip," said Andy. "Those Injuns at the stations in -Arizona were real true-blood Zuñis, all right. I'm mighty glad, though, -we've made up our minds to go back by way of the Canadian Pacific road, -so as to see what the picturesque Selkirks look like." - -"Yes," added Rob, "I've read so much about the Rockies up in British -America I want to see them with my own eyes. The weather will be a whole -lot better than in the southern zone, where it's terrible in summer." - -"Oh! don't let's talk about coming back before we've even got there," -expostulated Hiram, looking unhappy. "I've got an awful lot to do before -I turn my face homeward. I hope it all comes out right, and that the -Golden Gate Company acts square with me." - -"If you get some money, Hiram, I suppose it's all laid out before now in -experiments that you've wanted to start and couldn't?" Andy hinted. - -"Well, what would you have me do with the stuff?" demanded the inventor -indignantly. "I expect to devote my hull life to science. Hoarding money -and discoveries in the realm of science don't go hand in hand. You'll -notice that all the big bugs of professors don't seem to care a lickin' -thing about the cash they gain. What they're after is fame and glory. -Some day--but never mind that now." - -"You were going to tell us we might live to see you famous, eh, Hiram?" -Andy chuckled. "Well, stranger things have happened. Men have become -president of these United States, and those who played with the same as -boys never dreamed such a thing would ever come about. There's always -room at the top." - -"Five hours will soon pass," Hiram went on to say, without paying any -attention to the little slur there seemed to be in this remark on the -part of the other. - -"There's one thing I want to speak to you about," said Rob, his face -assuming a look of gravity that impressed Hiram very much. - -"What, me, do you mean, Rob?" he asked hurriedly. - -"Yes," Rob told him. "Here's what it is. I've noticed that you keep on -putting up your hand every little while, and feeling to see that your -papers are safe inside your coat. It's become second nature with you, the -habit's grown so strong." - -"Well, you told me to keep my mind on that matter, and never to forget -it; and so every time it crops up I guess I feel to make doubly sure. -What is there wrong about that, Rob, tell me?" - -"Only this, Hiram; you're getting so careless that you do it openly, and -in such a way as to attract attention. If a person happened to see you do -it once and then later on saw the movement repeated, his curiosity might -be aroused, so that he would fall into the way of watching how often you -did it." - -"He might, that's so," muttered the disturbed Hiram uneasily. - -"And then the idea would become a conviction that you must be carrying -something very valuable in that inner pocket. You see, if the parties -chanced to be crooked, that would make them figure how they could get -hold of your property. So the very movement which you meant to be a -safeguard would prove your undoing." - -"Rob, I'll try and quit that, if you think it best," promised the other, -apparently more or less impressed with the logic the scout leader had -brought to bear on the subject. - -"That's all very well, Hiram, but I'm afraid your repentance comes too -late to do much good," Rob told him, at which the inventor gave a start, -and into his eyes there crept a look of concern. - -"Whatever can you mean by saying that, Rob?" he asked in a troubled -voice. - -"I'll tell you," said Rob. "I'm afraid that you've already attracted the -attention you wanted to avoid." - -"What! here on this train, in this sleeper?" whispered Hiram, appalled. - -"Don't look up now, when I mention the matter, because they might see -you, for I expect they're watching us. Both of you have undoubtedly -noticed two men who sit back of you, and at the end of the car, one of -them small and stout, the other tall and slim?" - -"Yes," Andy admitted, "the tall one nodded when he passed, and acted like -he wanted to open up a talk with me, but I turned to the window again as -if I was too much taken up with the scenery here to bother." - -"And the stout one nodded to me when he caught my eye," said Hiram. -"'Course I nodded back, but made out not to look that way again." - -"Well, they've been holding considerable conversation in low tones," -explained Rob. "I could manage to glimpse them in the glass at our end of -the car, though they didn't suspect me of spying. Every time either of -you thought to get up, or even turn your heads they made out to be half -asleep, with their eyes shut; but I could see they were talking about -you." - -"Then mebbe that Marsters did send emissaries along with me to try and -steal the product of my brains!" complained Hiram, with compressed lips -and stern demeanor. - -"Oh! that doesn't follow at all," Rob assured him. "These fellows may -just happen to be a pair of hard cases always on the lookout for signs of -a paying haul. When they noticed how you kept feeling of your inside -pocket they guessed from the signs you must have something worth while -hidden away there. Men who make their living from the world by sharp -tricks get to read character wonderfully well." - -"Yes," Andy put in just then, "they say that old and experienced customs -inspectors can tell from a person's looks in nine cases out of ten -whether he or she is trying to smuggle things into the country without -declaring them." - -"What can I do about it then, Rob?" asked Hiram. - -"I've got a plan that would fill the bill," he was told. - -"Yes, go on and tell me, Rob." - -"You come with me into the car ahead. We'll sit in the smoking -compartment for a few minutes if it happens to be empty. There you can -give me your packet, and I'll fasten it inside my coat, handing over some -worthless papers for you to do up as if they were priceless in value, to -pin in your pocket instead. Do you get what I'm telling you, Hiram?" - -"Rob, count me in," the other replied hastily. "It's a good thing, for -even if they did happen to rob me they'd be having their pains for -nothing. When you're ready, give me the tip and I'll follow after you." - -"Andy," Rob continued impressively, "as we pass out you change your seat -so that you're facing the two men. In that way you can seem to be -watching, and they're not so apt to follow after us." - -"All right," muttered Andy; "any time you see fit I'm ready." - -Rob first of all made a little packet with some old letters taken from -his pocket, and which he had been thinking of discarding for some time. -This he could do without exposing his hands above the shelter afforded by -the back of the seat. - -"All ready, Hiram; get up, and seem to be coaxing me to go with you. -Finally, lay hold of my sleeve and pull me. I'll act as if I didn't much -care to accompany you. That will serve to divert attention; and as you -pass the men turn your eyes the other way. If you can be saying something -about some one being glad to see me, it would make them believe we knew a -passenger in one of the forward cars." - -How Rob did look to the small details of everything he undertook! He knew -from past experiences that after all these are what bring success in the -long run. - -Although Rob had told Hiram to turn his head the other way while nearing -the two suspicious men, he himself gave them a nod in passing, just the -salutation one traveler is apt to bestow upon another when they have been -fellow passengers in the same car for hours, perhaps days. - -Rob did that purposely; he knew it would serve to allay any suspicion -that may have been bred in the minds of the men to the effect that their -actions had been observed. - -Once in the car ahead, they found that for a wonder the smoking -compartment happened to be empty. Taking advantage of this chance, Hiram -hurriedly unpinned the packet he had guarded so closely, and gave it into -the possession of his chum. In its stead he secured the dummy in his -pocket. - -All this had consumed hardly two minutes of time. Rob was careful to -notice that not a single soul had passed the door of the compartment; and -as soon as the exchange had been effected he stepped out in order to take -a survey of the car, to find that neither of the two suspicious men had -actually followed them from the other sleeper. - -"That job's finished, and I feel a whole lot easier in my mind," admitted -Hiram. - -"No matter whether I was right or not, there's no harm been done," Rob -told him; "and now, Hiram, see that every five minutes or so you keep on -feeling your coat as you were doing it before. I'm more than curious to -know whether they'll try it or not." - -"Well," chuckled the other, as if amused, "if they don't it isn't goin' -to be for want of chances, I tell you that, Rob." - -"Let's get back to our places," the scout leader added, "because I don't -feel altogether safe away from my suitcase, with all that wonderful stuff -in it the professor said represented so much research and effort that -made it priceless." - -The two men were there as they had left them. Rob again nodded carelessly -when he found that the short man was eagerly watching to catch his eyes; -but he did not stop to enter into any conversation when the other made -some casual remark, only replying over his shoulder as he passed on. - -"They kept talking like a blue streak while you were gone," said Andy, -after the other two had seated themselves. "Twice the tall man stepped -off as if he meant to follow you, but he must have thought better of it, -for he turned back before getting out of the car, and shook his head at -the other one. They are up to something evil, Rob, take my word for it." - -"We only have one more meal aboard the train, and then comes the hotel at -Los Angeles," said Hiram. "I guess we can hold 'em off that much longer." - -"You see how you can overdo things by being too much on your guard, -Hiram," Rob explained. "Only for the way you kept on feeling your pocket -they would never have suspected that Boy Scouts traveling alone could own -anything worth stealing. The best way to do is to make things secure, and -then appear to forget all about them." - -"I will at another time, Rob; but between the way that Marsters acted, -and the caution these people on the Coast impressed on me, it all got on -my nerves. You see, I thought it was only business to tell the Golden -Gate people how Eastern concerns had men buzzing me continually to sell -to them. That made them warn me not to take anyone into my confidence -while traveling. They know some unscrupulous firms would steal an idea as -big as my invention, if they could get away with it. But it's all right -now, and they can whistle for their prize for all I care." - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - A SHOCK AT LOS ANGELES. - - -The time passed, and when one of the waiters passed through to announce -supper, the boys had laid out their program. As before, Rob and Hiram -were to go first, while Andy held the fort for them. - -"Remember and don't leave the seat under any condition while we're gone," -was what the scout leader told Andy. - -"Do you suspect that they might even try to get away with our hand -baggage?" asked the other. "I thought it was only Hiram's pockets they -wanted to explore." - -"If they are thieves nothing is safe from them," explained Rob. "'An -ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.' Keep your foot on my -bag as you sit here. If anybody tries to tempt you to change seats just -say you've got a bone in your leg, and don't care to move around more -than you can help." - -"Sure thing!" chuckled Andy; "it hurts terribly, too; and the only thing -that is able to make me use it is the walk to the dinner--the cake-walk I -call it. Leave it all to me, Rob; I'm frozen to this seat." - -Accordingly, the pair passed along the aisle and headed for the -dining-car. Again the two men did their best to be civil, even nodding -and smiling genially as the two boys passed them. - -"Rob, they're chasing after us!" muttered Hiram, in some little anxiety, -just as he and his chum had entered the next car and were passing along -the narrow corridor. - -"All right, there's no law to prevent them from getting hungry at the -same time we do," replied Rob over his shoulder. - -"But they may choose to sit down with us at the same table, and make -themselves chummy," objected the other. - -"I guess not if we know it," Rob told him. - -"How can we help it without making some sort of scene?" asked Hiram. - -"That's easy enough, if we can pick a table that only accommodates two," -explained the scout leader, "and as we're in the advance, we have our -choice." - -"Oh!" - -Evidently, Hiram was considerably relieved by what his comrade had said. -He once more realized that Rob promised to be equal to the occasion. -Indeed, the record of past achievements should have told Hiram this long -ago; but in the presence of new dangers he was apt to forget what -splendid things Rob had accomplished on other occasions when the tide -seemed adverse. - -Upon entering the dining-car Rob smiled to see that there was just one -table seating two that did not have some one at it. - -"There's our chance, Rob, down at the further end of the car!" said Hiram -hastily, as though he feared the other might not see the table. - -Rob took the chair that placed his back against the partition. This -allowed him to survey the rest of the car. Nothing could have suited his -plans better, for there was a small mirror that he could use to spy upon -the two men who were now sitting facing him, halfway up the car. - -As the meal progressed and evening drew on, the electric lights in the -diner were turned on. Hiram somehow seemed to lack his voracious -appetite. - -"Don't just know what's the cause, Rob," he remarked, when the other -accused him of not disposing of much of the food he had ordered, "it may -be the rocking of the car, which is fierce just now; or else it comes of -my riding backward. I've been told that some people never can stand for -that. But I guess I won't starve to death between now and morning." - -The two men talked a good deal, but then there was nothing suspicious in -that. Rob also noticed that they watched him and companion from time to -time, as if their interest kept on growing. - -When Hiram happened to think of his instructions, and occasionally raised -a hand to feel for his coat in the region of that inner pocket, Rob kept -a close watch on the men. He could plainly see the shorter one nudge his -companion in the side, and say something, for his lips moved. Undoubtedly -he was calling the other's attention to Hiram's suggestive movement, and -while not a lip-reader, Rob could easily imagine him saying half under -his breath: - -"See, there he goes at it again! Just as we decided, he must have -something rich hidden away there. And we're fools if we don't make a big -bid for it!" - -Rob was by this time fully satisfied that the men had evil designs on his -comrade's inside pocket. He was determined to be unusually careful about -riding in a public conveyance while in Los Angeles, since that would give -the rascals a chance to accomplish their purpose. - -"If you're satisfied, Hiram, let's be getting out of here," said Rob, who -had seen the two men getting an extra portion of food, believing that -this might be a good chance to leave them in the lurch, since they would -hardly jump up and accompany the boys, for fear of attracting attention. - -The two scouts quickly arose, seized their hats, and passed along between -the tables, which were pretty generally occupied by that time. Rob took -occasion to keep his eyes on the two men, for several reasons. He even -returned their nods as though no such thing as a suspicion regarding -their honesty had come into his head. - -"They missed that chance, anyhow!" Hiram remarked, as with some -difficulty they threaded their way through the next car, for the train -was making fast time, and things rolled more or less. - -"We've got to keep on the alert all the time if we expect to leave those -smart chaps in the lurch," Rob told him. "You know the old saying, -'eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,' and it applies to us right -now." - -"Then you don't think they've given up all hope yet, Rob?" - -"That kind of men never do until they've exhausted every plan," the scout -leader replied. "I expect that right now they've got some scheme in mind -they mean to spring on us if they get but half a chance." - -Reaching their section in the sleeper, they sent Andy ahead to get his -supper. He told them he was as hungry as a wolf, and would make up for -what Hiram failed to dispose of, so that the company should not get too -rich off what they paid into its coffers. - -After a while the men came in and took their seats. Rob was a little -afraid one of them might be bold enough to push himself upon them. He had -prepared for this during their absence by having Hiram sit alongside of -him next the window, while the other seat was piled high with some of -their luggage, thus offering no chance for a third party to find room. - -But it proved a false alarm. Neither of the men made any advance -whatever, and Rob believed they had figured that action on their part -while on the train might get them into trouble. - -"The time will come when we are in the station at Los Angeles," he told -Hiram. - -"Do you really think so?" asked the other curiously; and it might be -noticed that he did not seem to be trembling any longer; for since his -packet was safe in the possession of Rob Blake, Hiram did not see any -necessity for further worrying over the matter. - -"We must be careful every minute of the time until we reach the hotel," -the scout leader explained. - -"Huh! do you know, Rob, what I've got a good notion to do?" - -"Be reckless, perhaps," chuckled the other, guessing this, perhaps, from -the little boastful strain he detected in the language Hiram used. - -"Why, to be frank with you, Rob, I really feel sorry for those chumps. -They've taken a whole lot of interest in a poor country chap like me, and -it seems a shame they should be bitterly disappointed." - -"Oh! that's the way things set, do they?" continued Rob. "You feel so bad -on their account that you're tempted to give them a chance to steal that -dummy packet you have fastened inside your pocket?" - -"I've gone so far as to take the pin out, you see," chuckled Hiram. "If -they do get busy they needn't have the worry of that to keep them back. -And when you look at it in the right light, Rob, wouldn't that be just -the quickest way to get rid of the slick rascals?" - -"Well, the chances are that if they did manage to lay hands on your -packet, they'd disappear in a big hurry, Hiram." - -"All right, then. Let them make the opportunity, and I'll try to be as -accommodating as possible. You know, Rob, that I'm said to be an easy -mark among the boys of Hampton. I hate to disappoint anybody in the worst -way." - -"Here comes Andy, and he looks as if he has enjoyed his supper -first-rate, too," Rob remarked. "I hope he doesn't let them get him into -conversation for an entering wedge. I forgot to warn him about that." - -Apparently Andy was wise enough on his own account to know the folly of -such a move, as he pushed past the two men, paying no attention even when -one of them plucked at his sleeve. - -"One more hour and we'll be there, the conductor told me," he announced. - -"Then we must be about on time, according to the schedule," said Hiram, -who had worn his time-table almost to shreds by consulting it so often on -the long journey from New York City. - -They proceeded to get all their belongings in shape, so there would be -nothing to delay them, once the station was reached. Rob had decided to -take a carriage to the Hotel Alexandria, and thus avoid all possible -contact with strangers. - -When the porter announced that they were entering Los Angeles there was -considerable confusion, as passengers caught up such of their hand -luggage as had not been already piled near the door by the porter. - -Rob had resolutely declined to let the negro touch his suitcase, though -his liberal tip to the man made him eager to be of some assistance. The -boy knew that at this point there was apt to crop up a crisis; and also -that the good record held up to that time might be shattered through any -carelessness on his part. - -Consequently, he held fast to his grip as he followed Hiram out of the -car, this mode of procedure having all been settled upon beforehand. It -gave Rob a chance to keep his eagle eye on the figure of Hiram; and so -long as he was able to do that he did not believe the other could be -spirited away, or his pocket picked. - -"Look out for getting in a crush, Hiram," Rob whispered in the other's -ear as they passed along the narrow corridor. - -"They went out ahead of us, Rob," Hiram informed him, as he turned his -head. - -"Yes, I know that, but we're going to run up against those men again -before we are out of this scrape," the scout leader prophesied. - -"Well, I'm awful glad we're in at last. That was a long trip, and I'm -tired of the old car," said the one in the lead. "Thank goodness we'll -soon be landed in San Francisco, where my business can be settled, one -way or the other." - -"I see them, Rob!" announced Andy, just then. - -"Yes, and they're waiting for us, just as I thought," ventured Rob. -"We'll push straight on to where we can get a carriage, and then leave -them in the lurch. Above all, nobody must stop to talk; keep walking, and -stick together!" - -"That's understood, Rob!" came from Hiram; while Andy in the rear gave a -grunt as if to signify that he had it all fixed in his mind. - -There was a lively scene as friends rushed this way and that to find -those for whom they were waiting; and as the three scouts walked steadily -along in line, headed for the exit where the carriages were to be found, -the two men suddenly appeared alongside them. - -"Sorry to bother you young fellows," said the tall man, in a low but -commanding voice, "but we are United States marshals, and you must -consider yourselves bound to come with us, for you are under arrest!" - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - TURNING THE TABLES ON TWO ROGUES. - - -"Arrested! Oh! my stars!" ejaculated Hiram, falling to trembling when he -felt the hand of the tall stranger drop heavily upon his shoulder. - -"Whew! this is a warm reception to California for a fact!" burst out -Andy, in considerable consternation, as he dropped his bundles, and stood -there staring at the two mysterious men. - -Rob, too, was somewhat staggered at the abrupt accusation, though he -quickly rallied his senses, and found his tongue. - -"Where's your warrant for doing this?" he demanded of the shorter man, -who immediately flipped back his coat to disclose some sort of nickel -badge pinned to his vest, not giving Rob enough time to make it out. - -"We don't need any warrant, being in the service of the Government," this -worthy assured him in as gruff a tone as possible. - -"But who do you take us for, and what are we accused of doing?" asked -Rob, continuing to keep a firm grip on his suitcase through it all, -though he allowed his eyes to rove around in search of a policeman. - -"Never mind about that, my boy; you will find it all out after we have -arraigned you before the United States Commissioner. We've been watching -your party for some time, and believe we've bagged the right birds. Now, -for your sake, we don't want to make a scene, so we'll just lock arms -with you, and pass out of the station that way to take a vehicle. If you -know what's good for you, pay no attention to any one; and if you attempt -to escape, remember, we're prepared to shoot." - -The tall man at that eagerly thrust a hand through the left arm of Hiram, -who made no resistance. Rob, even in that exciting moment, noticed that -he had managed to get on the side nearest the pocket where the inventor -had placed his valuable papers, now snugly reposing on Rob's person. It -was very significant, to say the least; and Rob began immediately to -discover what Hiram would have called "the nigger in the woodpile." - -"Come on, then, boys," said Rob, "we're in for it, and there's no need of -kicking up any disturbance. We'll go before the Commissioner and prove -our innocence." - -"That's right sensible of you, young fellow!" declared the shorter man, -as he took hold of Rob's arm and escorted him along. - -Other people were pushing past, but were so busy with their own affairs -that they did not seem to pay any attention to the little drama being -enacted on the station platform. - -A minute later and Rob believed the time had come to act. - -"Not that way, son; we're meaning to take a carriage over here," said the -tall man, designating the opposite direction to that in which Rob had -turned. - -"Please yourselves, gentlemen," said Rob, suddenly displaying quite a -different manner. "We've decided that _we_ want to go out this way; and -that policeman standing there has his eye on us this very minute. I think -I had better call him over and ask him to get you to show your colors." - -"That's the stuff!" said Andy, recklessly, all the pent-up indignation -that had been boiling within him breaking loose. - -Had a bomb fallen near them, the two men could not have shown more -concern. They must have realized that their shrewd little game had been -called. - -"Guess we've made a mistake about this business, McGuire!" said the short -man, hastily looking around him as though desirous of discovering a good -opening for flight. - -"Seems that way to me, Colonel; and we'll say good-by to you, boys!" - -"Why, they've gone!" cried Andy, as though he could hardly believe his -eyes. - -Rob had really been on the point of summoning the officer standing there; -but since the rascals had chosen to run and mingle with the out-pouring -crowd, and Rob did not wish to have attention called to himself and -chums, he wisely held his tongue. - -Hiram was laughing to himself as though it struck him in the light of a -good joke. - -"What ails you, Hiram?" asked Andy, not yet able to grasp the situation -sufficiently to see the humorous side of it. - -"I'm only wondering what they'll say when they come to find out how -they've been so badly sold, that's all," replied the inventor, again -indulging in one of his laughing fits. - -"Did they get it?" demanded Rob, instantly, guessing that there was a -reason for all this hilarity on the part of the other chum. - -"Oh! he slicked it out of my pocket the cutest way you ever saw," replied -Hiram. "I felt his hand going in, so I held my breath to give him all the -chance I could; and he did it, too, sure he did!" - -"Got the papers, you mean, don't you, Hiram?" asked Rob. - -"The dummy you made up for me, Rob." - -Then both the others had occasion to smile broadly. - -"Hope they'll enjoy reading those letters the boys wrote me while we were -over in Europe last fall," Rob remarked. - -"I'd give a heap to see them when they find what a wonderful windfall -they've struck to pay them for all their trouble," said Andy. - -"Well, let's get a conveyance and start for the Alexandria without any -more delay," advised the scout leader. - -"Me for a comfy bed to-night," Hiram laughed; "better get a room with -plenty of space for all of us, Rob. After this excitement to greet us on -reaching California, I think it would be as well to stick together till -we've unloaded our cargo, and have our time to ourselves." - -They were soon at the hotel. They were taken up to the fifth floor, on -which were three connecting rooms. - -"High enough up so we needn't be afraid of any one climbing in at the -window," Hiram remarked, after he had first of all taken in the view, -with the late moon just peeping above the mountains in the east. - -"Oh! no danger of those two fellows chasing after us any longer," laughed -Andy. "They got their fill of it, and will pick out somebody besides -scouts for their next victims. Who got bit, I want to know?" - -As everybody laughed and seemed satisfied, it could be set down as -positive that the three scouts were not feeling badly over the adventure -that had marked their introduction to the Coast. - -The night passed without any incident worthy of recording. Hiram declared -that he never knew a single thing after his head touched the pillow; he -was so much in need of a good night's sleep that he must have dropped off -instantly, to be finally aroused by hearing Rob announce it was time for -breakfast. - -They determined to put their valuables in the hotel safe, and spend -several days in and around Los Angeles, though they would not have time -to run down to San Diego and visit the other big exposition which was in -full blast there. - -This they did, and enjoyed every minute of the time, though they were -never long in one place, so many things did they have to see. - -It being Hiram's first chance to look upon tropical vegetation, he was -highly delighted with what he saw in the streets and public gardens of -the bustling city. - -Then they went out to visit an orange grove, and besides that, inspected -numerous enterprises connected with the great fruit-growing belt around -Riverside. This place the boys were ready to declare--with its groves -covering the broad valley, and with the mountains, their tops -snow-covered, looming up beyond--to be the most delightful town on the -face of the earth. - -But the boys came to the conclusion that while all these things were -truly wonderful and especially delightful, they had not come out to the -coast on a pleasure jaunt; and hence no further time should be spent in -this way until they had accomplished the several duties that awaited -their attention. - -"I've made arrangements for seats in the parlor-car with the train -leaving to-morrow morning," Rob announced on the second evening, as they -discussed supper and the many things they had seen since early morning. - -"When will we get to San Francisco then?" asked Hiram. - -"After dark," Rob informed him. "It's more than three hundred miles away, -you know, for California is a big State, especially from north to south." - -"According to that, then, Rob," continued the other, "on the day after -to-morrow we ought to be taking in some of the sights of the World's -Fair." - -"That's our programme," admitted the leader and guide of the expedition, -as he threw down his napkin, and pushed his chair away, in which he was -copied a little reluctantly, perhaps, by both his companions. - -"Excuse me for not asking if you were through, Hiram," said Rob in an -aside, "but honestly I was afraid Andy would founder if he ate any more. -He's developed such an enormous appetite since landing here, there's -liable to be an explosion unless we watch him pretty close." - -"He'll eat up all your spare cash, that's the worst of it," complained -Hiram, who was a little inclined to be close with his money as a rule; -possibly because he had found a pressing need for every dollar in -conducting his numerous experiments, for it costs more or less to -"potter" with schemes along the line of invention. - -Rob only laughed, and it was very evident that this contingency did not -worry him to any great extent. He knew there were ample funds at hand for -all ordinary expenses, with more coming if needed. - -They were off on the morning train, and all through that day enjoyed the -scenery that was spread out before them--through Santa Barbara and on up -until it reached San Francisco. - -That day's journey would never be forgotten by any of the three scouts. -They stored a thousand incidents away in their memories for future -enjoyment. - -As evening came on they knew they must be getting in the vicinity of the -great city that had recovered from the horrors of the earthquake and -destruction by fire with such marvelous speed as to awaken the admiration -of the whole world. - -"You can see the light in the sky whenever the train makes a turn," -remarked Andy to Hiram who, as usual, had his nose glued against the -glass. - -Taking a carriage after they had left the train they soon found -themselves installed at the Fairmont Hotel, which Rob had been told to -patronize by Judge Collins, because of its fine view of San Francisco -Bay, and the Golden Gate, as well as possibly the glimpses to be obtained -of the illuminated towers in the Exposition grounds along the shore. - -It was after nine when they arrived, and of course the boys were not -foolish enough to think of attempting anything until they had slept, and -felt reinvigorated. - -Looking from the windows of the large room they had taken, with two -double beds in it, they went into raptures over the scene. The moon, -though due before long, had not yet risen, and it seemed as though a -million lights dazzled their eyes in every direction, and made it look -like a scene from fairyland. - -And so, in due time, they sought their beds, and slept so close to the -Great Exposition that it would seem as though the whirr of innumerable -wheels in Machinery Hall, or the murmur of the multitude of visitors -roaming about the extensive grounds, must of necessity be borne aloft to -the ears of the three eager lads who had come thousands of miles to view -the wonders of the display. - -But, at any rate, they managed to put in a restful night, and when -morning routed them from their beds, they were in fine fettle to begin -the first day's sight-seeing. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - WITHIN THE GATES OF THE FAIR. - - -"What about those papers of mine, Rob? Had I better take charge of the -same now, or let you continue to keep them?" - -Hiram asked this question as they arose after finishing their breakfast, -and found themselves facing the business of the first day at the -Exposition. The whole city, as far as they could see, was in gala attire. -Bunting and flags were everywhere visible; and it was evident that the -good people of San Francisco, in spite of many great discouragements, -such as the breaking out of the World War abroad, and the failure of the -canal to stay dug on account of the slides, were doing all in their power -to make the fair a huge success. - -"If you leave it with me to decide, Hiram," the scout leader remarked, -"I'd say no to both your propositions." - -"But what's to be done with them, then?" cried Hiram, as though puzzled -by what the other had just said. - -"He means to duplicate our plan down at Los Angeles," spoke up wideawake -Andy. - -"Oh! put them in the hotel safe till they're wanted, is that the idea, -Rob?" demanded the owner of the said packet that had been giving them all -manner of trouble since the time they left San Antonio in Texas. - -"That seems the best scheme, according to my mind," Hiram was told by the -one in whom he felt such abiding faith. "Then, no matter what you find -out about those people you've come to see, the papers needn't worry you." - -"Guess you're right about that, Rob, and it's a go. Just as like as not I -would be doing some fool play, and mebbe losing the precious documents -that are to prove my case with the Golden Gate folks. I'll go to the desk -with you any time you're ready, and see that the clerk gets my property -snugged away in his safe." - -When this had been done they set out. Rob, of course, had his suitcase -along with him. He had taken out what few things of his own it contained, -and now it held only the precious documents and other small exhibits that -Professor McEwen had been carrying in person to his scientific colleagues -at the Exposition, where they were to be placed with other articles. - -What those numerous small rolls and packages contained none of the scouts -really knew. From some remarks, let fall by Judge Collins, Rob had an -idea they might be papyrus records found in some old ancient tomb or -pyramid, and said to have come down from thousands of years back. To the -boys these would not have been worth their bulk in sandwiches, possibly, -because they could not appreciate their intrinsic value; but in the eyes -of such men as the Scotch professor they represented treasures beyond any -computation, far too valuable to be intrusted to a common express company -that might lose them, or deliver them in a crushed condition. - -"There's a tower I can see; it must be the one that from our window last -night seemed as if a million fireflies had lighted on it," announced -Andy, with more or less excitement as they found themselves close to one -of the gates where entrance to the Exposition grounds could be had. - -"Yes, that must be the Tower of Jewels," said Rob, "and I should call it -pretty well named in the bargain. They've certainly chosen a splendid -spot for the Fair, fronting, as it does, on the bay, with its wide sweep -of water, and with the city rising up on tiers of terraces back of it." - -"That must be the Zone over there," Andy continued, eagerly; "because you -can see a monster seesaw, with one arm away up hundreds of feet in the -air, and what looks like a car on it full of folks. Yes, I remember it -now; it is called the Aëroscope." - -"Just what it is, Andy," said Rob, "and when we get up there for a look -over the harbor, the Exposition grounds and the city, we'll find -ourselves just three hundred and twenty-five feet off the earth--high -enough to make you dizzy." - -"Huh! seems like they do things on a big scale out this way," grunted -Hiram. - -"I reckon our Coney Island would hardly be in the swim with this show," -Andy declared, as they paid their way at the gate and entered the -grounds. - -Colossal buildings could be seen on all sides, most of them dazzling in -the sunlight. Rob had studied the arrangement of these buildings so well -that he appeared to recognize them now as though entirely familiar with -his surroundings. It was evident that the little party would not have -much use for a guide as long as Rob was along to serve them in that -capacity. - -"I calculate that this is the Panama-Pacific Court of the Universe," he -told his chums, "and that building over there is the Palace of -Agriculture, while this other must be the Palace of Transportation; then -there's the Palace of Horticulture where you can see that huge glass -dome. Over there is the Column of Progress, more than a hundred and fifty -feet high, and overlooking the Marino." - -The boys surveyed these sights with more or less awe. - -"I suppose," ventured Hiram, "after we've nosed around here for a week or -two we'll feel as much to hum with these big buildings as if we were in -Hampton, and lookin' at our Odd Fellows' Temple. But what a heap of -things they must all of 'em hold. It'll keep us hustlin' to see the hull -lot, workin' ten hours a day for weeks." - -"Oh! well, none of us expect to see everything that's on exhibit here," -said Rob. "Our tastes are not wholly alike, either. I may want to spend -most of my time in a certain quarter that wouldn't interest you other -fellows to any great extent; and on your part I've no doubt there are -certain things that will hold you spellbound, yet which we may only care -to take one good look at." - -At that Andy started to chuckle. - -"I warrant you I can guess where Hiram will be found pretty much all his -time at the show," he remarked, pointedly; and of course the other scout -felt impelled to take him up on that positive assertion. - -"Say where, then, if you know so much, Mr. Smarty," he asked Andy. - -"Just as soon as he gets the locations down pat," began the other, -"you'll never see him a great way off from the quarter where the -inventions are being exhibited. He's daffy on mechanics and such things; -and he'll be worse than any sticking plaster you ever saw, once he gets -planted in front of the booths, or finds out where the aëroplanes are -going up every little while." - -"Oh! well, I own up that's mostly what I wanted to come all the way out -here for," said Hiram, frankly. "But it's a toss-up, Andy, that once you -get in that amusement park they call the Zone, a place of more'n sixty -acres, I read, you'll spend most of your time watching the Fiji Islanders -dance, or riding around on that observation car to view the wonders of -Yellowstone Park, or mebbe the Great Colorado Canyon." - -"I can't get there any too soon, I'm telling you, boys," Andy confessed. -"Both of you have come out here on business as well as sight-seeing; but -it's different in my case. I'm carefree, and bound to enjoy myself to the -limit. In good time I'll wander all over every building in the grounds; -but first I want to be amused so as to forget the troubles of our long -trip here." - -"It's very evident," began Rob, "that we'll have to settle on some -particular place as a sort of general round-up. If each one is going to -start off on his own hook, now and then, unless we fix it that way, we -might wander all day long through the enormous buildings, and the grounds -covered by this Fair, and never meet." - -"Well thought of, Rob!" cried Andy. "Let me suggest that we take this -queer-looking tobacconist shop as our rendezvous. We can make an -arrangement with the owner for a couple of dollars or so, to take -messages, and hold the same for the rest of the bunch." - -"The sooner that's arranged the better it'll suit me, I guess," said -Hiram, who was plainly on needles and pins while being kept from hunting -up the building in which he would find myriads of remarkable devices -illustrating the inventive genius of the world, and particularly of those -from the American nation. - -"Of course I'm going at once to the exhibit in which Professor McEwen is -interested," said Rob, after they had arranged with the proprietor of the -Oriental tobacco booth, "because I'll not feel easy until I've done my -part of the contract, and delivered the stuff he intrusted to our -charge." - -"H'm, that means me too, I suppose, Rob," observed Andy, sighing. - -"Oh! I could do it alone," Rob started to say, when Andy braced up, bit -his lip, and continued: - -"That was the old selfish streak in me speaking then, Rob. You'll have to -overlook it once more. Of course, I'll not let you finish this business -by yourself. It would be a fine way of acting on my part, now, wouldn't -it--taking the goods and then refusing to pay for the same? Here, let me -carry the bag a while. I'm going to be your shadow for this one day -anyhow; though p'raps, after all, we can manage to drop in at the Zone, -and see what's what in that interesting district." - -Rob laughed. - -"I'll make a special point of it to oblige you, Andy," he said, clapping -the other on the shoulder. "As for Hiram, I can understand why he's so -anxious to find out where the aviation field lies. We've got to remember -that his business is with parties who are altogether interested in -airships and flying." - -"Thanks, Rob," said Hiram, nodding his head in that quick jerky way he -had. "It stands to reason that I want to pick up a few pointers on the -sly before I show myself to the Golden Gate people. By hanging around I'm -apt to hear some talk, and learn a few facts that may stand me in good -later on." - -"You'd better go some slow, Hiram," cautioned Andy. "Remember that we had -it arranged to back you up when the time came to interview your people. -So don't spoil all our plans by being too precipitate." - -"Meaning, I figure," Hiram answered, wincing under that last word, "that -I mustn't be rash, and put my foot in it. I promise you I'll fight shy -there, Rob; and when we meet here to get a bite of lunch together, p'raps -I'll have some news for you." - -"I hope it will be the right kind of news, then, Hiram," Rob told him, -seriously; "though for that matter it seems to me this company has -treated you splendidly already, and that they must be on the square." - -"And after that affair is all settled up," continued the other, drawing a -long breath of anticipation, "think of the great times I'm going to have -mousing around the building that houses the inventions. I tell you I'm -the luckiest dog that ever lived to get this big chance thrown right at -me." - -So Hiram hurried away, having already marked out his course from long -study of the little chart each one of the scouts possessed, and which -gave what might be called a "bird's-eye view" of the extensive Exposition -grounds, where the most prominent buildings were located, and the -shortest way to get from one point to another. - -Rob looked after him with a smile on his face. He turned to Andy and -laughed. - -"Isn't he the greatest crank in his line you ever saw?" asked Andy. - -"Oh! it's hardly fair to call Hiram that," expostulated the scout leader; -"he's enthusiastic over inventions, but what of that? Every fellow who's -dead in earnest could be spoken of as a crank. And it's the cranks, as -you call them, who make the wheels of progress go around." - -"Yes," added Andy dryly, "I've noticed that some of them even seem to -have wheels in their heads, though they get hopping mad if you mention -it, or turn your hand this way," and he indicated a revolving motion with -his finger that could hardly be mistaken by a sensitive person. - -"All I know is that Hiram is due to enjoy the greatest feast his soul -ever could imagine. But don't let us waste any more time here, Andy; I've -got my bearings by now, and can take you straight to the building where -the scientists love to gather and gloat over the queer things that are so -wonderful to them. Come along!" - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - ROB DELIVERS THE GOODS. - - -"What's that splendid looking arch over there meant to represent, Rob?" -asked Andy, as he pointed to the right. - -"They call it the Arch of the Setting Sun," replied the scout leader. - -"A mighty good name, considering how we're at the jumping-off place of -the United States. Seems to me, Rob, that the Far West has always gone by -the name of the Land of the Setting Sun." - -"That's why the arch has been built," Rob told him. "You see, in pioneer -days the constant drift was always this way. Men who founded homes in -what was then the wilderness along the Ohio kept hearing wonderful -stories about the richness of the soil farther west, and what unlimited -fur-bearing animals were to be captured by those daring enough to take -the risk." - -"And so they kept pushing farther and farther, year in and year out. In -this way settlers finally overran the prairies, and crossed the Rockies?" -asked Andy, as he surveyed the beautiful arch that had been raised to -commemorate the dreams of the men who blazed the way of civilization -through the wilderness. - -"Yes, and here along the shore of the Pacific lay the end of the dream," -explained the scout leader. "California represented the foot of the -rainbow of promise those hardy men had seen painted in the sky. The -western sun meant a whole lot in those days; it shone over the Land of -Promise; it was the hope and ambition of almost every settler. No one -drifted East; it was always into the mysterious and beckoning West that -families emigrated." - -Around them were crowds of eager sight-seers. At times they jostled -elbows with representatives of numerous foreign nations. - -"But there are not near so many foreigners visiting the Panama-Pacific -Exposition as there would have been only for the terrible European war -that's raging across the ocean," Rob happened to remark a little later -when the other scout called his attention to a group of dark-featured men -wearing the red fezzes of Orientals, and passing along as though viewing -the wonders of the exhibition with a lively interest. - -"I suppose the building erected by California is reckoned the largest one -of all on the grounds, isn't it, Rob? How much space does it cover, do -you know?" - -"They say five acres, Andy, which you must own is a shack of some size." - -"We haven't been in it yet," said Andy, "but I should imagine it must -hold about everything connected with the life of the big State. Why, it -would take a whole day to get around there, and see half of the things on -exhibition." - -"Plenty of time for all that when we settle down to the business of -sight-seeing," Rob told him. "First of all I want to get this load off my -hands," and he moved the suitcase as he spoke; "not that it's very heavy, -you understand, only it weighs on my mind; but what it holds means -sleepless nights for our good friend, Professor McEwen, until he gets my -wire that it has been safely delivered." - -"I declare if those two girls over there don't make me think of Lucy -Mainwaring and Sue Clifford away back in Hampton!" exclaimed Andy -suddenly. "Oh! excuse me, Rob, I didn't mean to give you a start by -mentioning Lucy's name. Of course it's only a chance resemblance, for -neither of the girls we've left behind us could be here at the -Exposition. But I'm a great fellow, you remember, to imagine people look -like some I've known." - -"Yes, and lots of times that failing has gotten you into a peck of -trouble, too, Andy," Rob remarked, laughingly; "there was that boy in -scout uniform this very morning that you rushed up to with outstretched -hand, and calling him Sim Jeffords. I nearly took a fit to see the blank -look on your face when he drew himself up and gave you the cold stare." - -"Yes, that's a fact, Rob, he did freeze me. Chances are to this minute -that boy thinks I was a fraud, perhaps some new sort of confidence -operator. I saw him grab at his watch-chain in a hurry. He backed away, -too, and never gave me half a chance to explain." - -"I'm expecting right along," Rob told him, "to have you discover some of -our old enemies hovering around, and waiting for a chance to give us a -jolt on account of the grudge they bear us. There's Jared Applegate, for -instance, the last we ever saw of him was at the time he was down in -Mexico, having been compelled to run away from home after getting himself -into a scrape by using some money that didn't belong to him." - -Andy, instead of appearing dejected while Rob was "rubbing it into him" -after this fashion, really seemed to enter into the joke himself. - -"Well," he went on to say with a snicker, "honest to goodness a little -while ago I did see two fellows walking along who made me think of Max -Ramsay and his pal, Hodge Berry, the two meanest boys of our home town. -Gave me something of a thrill, too, and I even had a sneaking notion to -run over and shake hands with them; though back home I would cross the -street rather than meet them face to face." - -"Yes," said Rob, "that's always the case with people who're away from -home. They get so tired of seeing strange faces that the sight of one -they know makes them friendly. But I suppose you've noticed that the -scouts seem to have quite a share in the running of things at this Big -Show?" - -"For a fact I've seen quite a number of them about, and it strikes me -they are a busy lot in the bargain," Andy admitted. - -"I understand they have a permanent camp on the grounds," Rob explained, -"which later on we must visit, and make acquaintances. They seem to be a -hustling lot, and a credit to the khaki they wear." - -"But what d'ye suppose they're doing here?" asked the other. - -"Oh! there are dozens of things Boy Scouts can find to do at a monster -Fair like this," said the patrol leader. "I think some of them are acting -as guides to parties of women and children. Others run messages for the -department heads, because there must be a tremendous lot of that sort of -thing that has to be done here. I saw one batch of scouts carrying a man -on a litter, and from that I concluded they must have a scout emergency -hospital somewhere on the grounds, where those who have been taken -suddenly sick or become exhausted from the heat in the machinery -buildings could receive first aid to the injured." - -Andy's face took on a look of pride. He even tenderly stroked the sleeve -of his khaki coat and touched the badge on his lapel as though he -considered it a great honor to be wearing that insignia of his rank in -the troop to which he belonged. - -That is one of the finest things about scout membership; it stimulates -boys to aspire to emulate those who are striving to help others, or -alleviate suffering in some way. - -"We ought to be nearing that building you spoke about, Rob," Andy -remarked, after more time had elapsed. "Seems to me we've covered miles -since we saw Hiram streaking off for the aviation field and the Hall of -Inventions." - -"I think that is it on our left; but to make sure I'll ask this scout -hurrying along as though the whole show would have to close its doors -unless he managed to do the important errand he's sent on." - -"I'll hang back while you do," suggested Andy jokingly. "Seems like they -think I'm a sort of suspicious looking person, though nobody ever told me -so in Hampton." - -The messenger condescended to slacken his speed sufficiently to catch the -question which Rob asked. After saluting, as became a fellow scout, he -nodded his head in the affirmative, being apparently too winded to say -even a single word. - -Accordingly the two boys entered the building and threading their way -among a multitude of exhibits, with a sprinkling of people examining the -same, most of them rather sober-looking in appearance, they managed to -find where the offices of the director were located. - -"We wish to see Professor Marsh, who is in charge of this building," was -what Rob said to an active little man wearing large glasses, and with all -the earmarks of a scientist. - -"That happens to be my name, son; what can I do for you?" replied the -other, as he bent a pair of exceedingly penetrating eyes upon the scouts. - -"We have come to you," Rob explained, "from Professor Andrew McEwen, of -Edinburgh University, who met with an accident while visiting an old -friend near our home, on Long Island, New York State, and while not -seriously injured could not finish his journey across the continent." - -The little man immediately showed signs of tremendous excitement. He -glued his eyes on the suitcase Rob was carrying. - -"Yes, yes, glad to hear that he is not seriously injured. Professor -McEwen is one of the most famous of his class, and the world could ill -afford to lose him at this interesting stage of events. But he was to -bring with him a collection too precious to trust to ordinary channels. I -sincerely trust that it was not harmed when he met with his accident?" - -"Oh! no, sir," exclaimed Rob, hastily, "not in the least, since he did -not have it with him at the time. But he grieved to think it might be -delayed in reaching you, and so he intrusted it to the keeping of myself -and my comrade here, as we happened to be of some assistance to him at -the time." - -The scientist seemed to be actually dumfounded. He stared from Rob to -Andy, and then looked hard at the suitcase. - -"Can it be possible that Professor McEwen intrusted those priceless -papyrus relics to the care of two mere boys? I am astounded, and likewise -worried. Oh! I hope you have taken great care with them. Give me the bag, -and let me see for myself. It would be a shock indeed if anything had -happened to destroy the labor of years, and caused such a dreadful loss -to science." - -He almost snatched the suitcase from Rob's hand and vanished like a -streak through a door that led to another room, leaving the two boys -exchanging amused glances. - -"Whew! I'm sorry for you if anything _has_ gone wrong with those rolls, -Rob," said Andy, making a wry face. "We're apt to go out of this building -faster than we came in, I'm afraid." - -"No danger," Rob told him; "they were prepared to resist ordinary shocks -in transit, and we've handled them as carefully as Professor McEwen -himself could have done. But he did look actually frightened, for a -fact." - -"Isn't it queer what a pile these learned scientists think of things that -other people wouldn't give five cents for?" remarked Andy. - -"Oh! well," said Rob, "that's because we're in the dark concerning their -real value. Look in through the half-open door and you can see several -men like Professor Marsh undoing those same rolls with trembling hands." - -"Yes, and notice the awed look on their faces, will you, Rob? The -director is shaking hands all around now, and beaming on his colleagues, -so I guess he's found things O. K. and hunky dory. Here he comes out to -tell us so." - -The look of deep anxiety on Professor Marsh's face had vanished, and -there was a trace of a pleased smile there when he again confronted the -two scouts. - -"The letter inclosed from Professor McEwen speaks in the highest terms of -you young gentlemen," he said, effusively, as he stretched out both -hands. "He writes that you were instruments in the hands of Providence of -saving his life; and for that let me remark that you deserve the -heartfelt thanks of all who are interested in the work that distinguished -gentleman is doing for science. I am proud to shake you by the hand. To -think that you have come three thousand miles bearing those priceless -rolls, and delivered them to us here without the slightest damage. And -this very night I shall write to Professor McEwen to that effect." - -"We are instructed to wire him in your name with your permission, -professor, that you have received them intact," ventured Rob. - -"I will sign any message you choose to send him, son," declared the happy -director of the building devoted to the interests of science. - -"And now, sir," said Rob, "would you mind returning my suitcase?" - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE PEOPLE OF THE "ZONE." - - -When Rob and his chum left the building they carried the empty suitcase; -and besides, Professor Marsh had written and signed a long and effusive -message to his learned colleague in care of Judge Collins, at Hampton, -Long Island, which Rob was empowered to send, at his own expense, by wire -as a night letter. - -"That job is done," said Rob, with the air of one who has gotten rid of a -load that had been on his mind. - -"And just to think how we can enjoy ourselves for weeks if we feel like -staying that long," pursued the happy Andy, fairly bubbling over with -enthusiasm and joy. - -"Even when we decide to start back home," laughed Rob, "the fun isn't -over by a huge sight." - -"You mean, Rob, we'll have the time of our lives traveling across the -Canadian Rockies, taking in wonderful scenery that is better, lots of -people say, than anything across in Switzerland?" - -"Yes," said the scout leader, "and if we choose to stop over for a day or -two to try the trout fishing at a lake we were told about, haven't we got -our rods and other material along in our trunk?" - -"It takes a wideawake fellow like you to think of every little detail, -for a fact!" declared Andy, with genuine admiration. - -"Oh! I'm far from perfect, I want you to know," the other told him. "I -can remember plenty of times when I've found that, after all, the very -thing of most importance was forgotten or neglected. But it pays to try -and cover the ground. It saves lots of trouble and disappointment in the -long run." - -"I believe you, Rob; with me it seems as though I fall into the way of -letting some other fellow do my thinking for me. I know it's wrong, but -anyhow it's satisfying to have that confidence in your chum." - -"You didn't think of letting some other scout do your work for you at the -time you were learning the various bugle calls, I noticed, Andy." - -"Shucks! that's different," returned the other, hastily. "Now that you -mention it, I can't remember ever asking a substitute to do my _eating_ -for me when meal time rolled around. Guess you must be right, though, -Rob; some of these days I intend to wake up and even think for myself." - -"Believe me you can't make that day any too soon, Andy. If you happened -to find yourself cast adrift on a big desert you would be sorry you -delayed so long, though, if you pulled through alive, it might be the -making of you." - -"Oh! I'll buckle down to the job without being forced that way," Andy -hurriedly assured the scout leader. "What's the next thing on the -program?" - -"I know you're just dying to get into the amusement section of the -Exposition called the Zone, and which is a good deal like the Streets of -Cairo and the Midway of the Chicago Fair. I'll make a bargain with you, -Andy." - -"All right; let's hear the particulars," exclaimed the other eagerly. - -"First of all," began Rob, "I want to get rid of this suitcase, and we'll -make for that tobacconist's odd booth, to leave it with him until we're -going back to the hotel." - -"That's over this way, past the big California building, with the Oregon -one that has a colonnade of logs alongside. Well, after we've shunted the -bag on the man who runs the tobacco shop, what next?" - -"We'll put in the rest of the morning," Rob explained, "in rummaging -through some of these places clustering around the Tower of Jewels. I've -got a string of things I'm wild to see, and that's as good a place to -make a start as anywhere." - -"That brings us to noon, when we agreed to meet Hiram, you remember, for -lunch?" Andy reminded his chum. - -"Yes, and I understand there are dozens and dozens of eating places to be -found in the Zone. If you want you can have an Arab dinner, a Chinese -chop suey, a French meal _à la carte_, a German one, or anything your -taste calls for. So we might as well head that way for our lunch, and -pick out a place that seems to promise good things for hungry fellows." - -"Huh! after I once get inside the Zone, Rob, nothing can drag me out -again for the whole afternoon. So, I hope you've concluded to make a -sacrifice, and devote the rest of the day to keeping me company in -roaming around among all the queer sights they tell me you can run up -against there." - -Rob nodded his head and smiled. - -"I promise you that, Andy, because I know you too well to believe there -could be any peace until you have had your way. Yes, and I admit that I -can get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing all those foreign things, as -well as the more important exhibits in Machinery Hall and such places." - -"Sure thing," said Andy, with an assumption of great sagacity. "In one -case we are shown wonderful development in the world's progress along the -lines of science and commerce; while in the Zone you can see man himself -as he appears all over this ball, how he lives, what his forefathers have -done for ages and ages in the past, and in fact study human nature. To me -that is better than gaping at some machine I never could understand in a -lifetime." - -By this time they had reached the shop where arrangements had been made -with the obliging proprietor to act as a medium of exchange between the -three scouts during their stay. The empty suitcase was disposed of and -once more the boys started out to gaze upon some of the myriad strange -sights that were to be met with on every hand. - -Doubtless Rob took a considerably greater amount of interest in what they -viewed during those several hours than did his companion, though now and -then Andy managed to display more or less enthusiasm. - -It would be utterly impossible to mention the things they saw as they -wandered hither and thither about that section of the grounds. Even a -guide-book of the Exposition would have to skim over the details, such -were the numberless attractions on every hand. - -"Getting on toward noon, Rob!" suggested Andy, finally, as he laid a hand -on his stomach, as if to call attention to the fact that it was unusually -flat. - -"And there's Hiram coming this way, too, as if he was beginning to -remember his promise to meet us for lunch. I wonder if we can keep him -with us the rest of the day?" - -"Not unless you get a rope and tie him," chuckled Andy, "for he's clean -gone daffy over the line of exhibits he fancies most, and will haunt that -part of the Exposition nearly all the time we're here." - -Hiram caught sight of them about that moment, and hurried over. - -"Just on the way to the meeting-place," he announced. "Knew it was near -grub time and wanted to get it over with. Say, they've got the greatest -lot of things worth while on exhibition over there in the building -devoted to inventions you ever saw. And the aviation field is a peach. My -stars! but they're a busy bunch of willing, hustling workers there." - -Rob had been studying the other's face, and it told him something. - -"You found your firm represented there, of course, Hiram?" he remarked. - -"'Course they are, and cutting some high jinks, too," came the reply. -"They've got some of their finished products working in the field, with -air pilots of national renown in charge of the flights. You must get over -that way some time and see." - -"We will, perhaps before the day is done," Rob assured him; "but I -suppose now, Hiram, you didn't introduce yourself to the Golden Gate -people?" - -"Naw. I just took it all in, and browsed around everywhere, laughing to -myself to think how surprised they were going to be when they found out -that the Hiram Nelson, inventor of the wonderful stabilizer for -aëroplanes, was only a Boy Scout. But what are we going into the Zone -for, tell me?" - -"Why, to get something to eat, to be sure," remarked Andy. - -"But I'm no cannibal," expostulated Hiram, holding back in pretended -alarm; "even if they do have that stripe of people here on exhibition. I -don't hanker after trying a roast Fiji Islander, or a fricasseed Igorrote -from the Philippine Islands--I'm not _that_ hungry." - -"Oh!" Andy told him, tugging at his sleeve, "we'll find a thousand places -here where they cook meals after the fashion of every nation under the -sun. I hope we pick out one that is close to that giant seesaw; because -I'm wild to go up in it so as to get a magnificent view of the harbor, -the Exposition grounds and the City of San Francisco." - -It was found to be an easy matter to accomplish this, and they were soon -being served at a table that stood out-of-doors, so that as they enjoyed -their lunch they could watch the endless procession of people passing and -repassing. - -As so many attractions in the amusement concession were connected with -foreign countries, it was really almost as good as being abroad to see -the various representative types that sauntered or hurried by. - -"I wonder how many of those Arabs, Turks, Algerians, Persians, Hindoos, -Hottentots and others are the real thing, and how many rank fakes," -suggested Hiram. - -"That's more than anybody can tell," laughed Rob. "It's the easiest thing -to put stain on the skin of an Irishman, dress him in the Oriental style, -clap a red fez on his head, and then call him a Turk. Only he has to keep -his tongue tight-locked; because his brogue would give him away. If you -listen to them chattering in their own tongue you can tell which are the -real thing." - -"As for me," spoke up Andy, frankly, "I just don't question any of them, -but take it for granted they're what they make out to be. And I want to -say, fellows, it's the biggest treat to me to be here, watching the -congress of all the nations and people on the globe." - -Hiram's lip curled and he snickered, but Andy pretended not to hear. To -Hiram's mind any one who could confess to caring for such frivolous -things when there was a building not far away just jammed with the most -marvelous inventions known to modern science and ingenuity--well, it -bordered on silliness. But then "many men, many minds," and perhaps it is -just as well that people do not all think alike. There is a deal of truth -in that old proverb to the effect that what is "one man's food may be -another's poison." - -So they sat there for a long time while the procession of Head Hunters -from Borneo, natives of the island of Ceylon, South American _vaqueros_ -in their picturesque attire, pigmies from the heart of Africa, Mexican -bull-fighters, Moros from our island possessions in the Orient, Chinese, -Japanese, Servians, Tyrolese mountain climbers and yodlers, and a -multitude of others continued to pass, many of them coming from the -villages and side shows of the great amusement park. - -From time to time the amazing arm of the giant Aëroscope would project up -against the heavens, the car filled with those visitors who wished to -obtain a view of their surroundings. - -Every time it arose, slowly but majestically, Andy would stop talking to -gape and watch, as though just then the one longing in his heart was to -take that skyward trip. - -Rob knew it would be the very first thing Andy would want to do after -they left the table; and indeed, he was not feeling at all averse to -complying with such a request, for it seemed as if the extensive view to -be obtained must be well worth the price charged for the trip aloft. - -"Three hundred and sixty-five feet they say in the guide book," Andy -gushed; "and all for a small sum in the bargain. I wouldn't miss that -sight for ten times fifty cents. Why, only for the Rockies being in the -way, with a _real good_ glass you might get even a peep in at Hampton -town, unless one of those nasty sea fogs blocked you off," and then, of -course, he had to laugh himself at the idea of any glass being able to -cover a distance of something like three thousand miles. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - A STRANGE MEETING IN THE AIR. - - -"Hiram, it's only fair that you stay with us for a while this afternoon," -Rob mentioned as they were leaving the table. - -"Oh! I expected to put in say an hour or so with you, Rob; and then later -on I hope you'll make your way over to the aviation field, where you'll -just as like as not find me hanging around, still picking up points." - -"That's a bargain, then, is it?" demanded Rob. - -"Just as you say," Hiram declared. "I guess now I c'n hit on the fust -thing our chum Andy here'll be wantin' to do. I've been watchin' him -stare at that old arm every time she rose up with the car; and I see -we're headin' that way right fast now." - -"Yes, it's a good idea to take that trip the first thing," said Rob, -"because you get a comprehensive idea of the lay of the land that serves -you better than any map you can buy. They don't stay up very long, -though, because there are more dollars waiting to be picked up from the -crowd that's always in line to occupy the car." - -"Three hundred and sixty-five feet up is going some," muttered Hiram. "I -hope now they don't have any accident to the machinery while we're taking -our look. I must see how they work this trick; it ought to be -interesting." - -He would have started to carry out this intention then and there only -that Andy held on to his coat and would not let go. - -"The machinery part can keep, Hiram," the impatient one declared. "Some -time when you're alone poke around all you like; but my tastes run in -another channel. You're like the geologists, with your nose pointed -toward the ground all the while; I'm built more after the style of the -astronomers who keep looking up and see the glories of the firmament that -beat the fossils all hollow." - -"H'm! you don't say!" was all the remark Hiram made, but it contained -considerable skepticism concerning Andy's sweeping assertion. - -They fell in line, and were fortunate enough to be able to get aboard -without having to wait, as they might have done later in the afternoon. - -"This thing must have cost a raft of money to build; it beats the old -Ferris Wheel to pieces, I should think; and that was a wonder in its -day." - -"Yes," said Andy, "but think of the money they must take in, running it -all the time from February up to December. Why, I should think they'd -have millions of passengers in that time, and at so much a head it would -be like a regular gold mine." - -About that time the car was closed and locked, so that by no mischance -could any reckless passenger be tempted to jump when it was high in the -air, so as to accomplish a spectacular suicide. - -"And they've got the windows screened in, too," remarked Andy. - -"They knew you were coming, I kinder guess, and wanted to make sure you -wouldn't lose your head up there so as to fall overboard," Hiram told -him. - -The car was crowded, so that they could not see who all of their fellow -passengers were. There was also considerable shouting going on, some of -those aboard bidding farewell to friends who had been unable to make that -trip, as though they fully expected to keep right on going up, once they -got started toward the blue heavens overhead, until they landed in Glory. - -"Here she goes!" announced Andy, eagerly, as the car was felt to vibrate. - -With that they left the ground and commenced to ascend. The motion was -fairly steady, as the weights on the other end of the great seesaw had -been adjusted to correspond to the number of those in the car, so that -after all the engine did not have a great deal of hard work to do in -lifting that load. - -"Whee! I only hope none of the balancing weight slips off!" said Hiram, -who appeared to be rather nervous. - -"I'm surprised at you, Hiram," remarked Rob; "it seems queer for a fellow -who aspires to be a bold air pilot some of these fine days, and who has -even been up several times as high as three thousand feet, to be -shivering with fear now, when at the most we're only going to get three -hundred odd feet from the ground." - -"Oh, well, that's a horse of a different color," Hiram explained; "when -you're up in an aëroplane it depends on your own self whether you come -down safe, or have an accident. In this case you haven't got a single -thing to do with it, but just trust to a mechanic, who may be as reliable -as they make 'em, but could make a mistake just once. That's what gets my -goat; my efficiency don't count for a cent in this game." - -"Well, there is something in that," Rob admitted; "but let's try to find -a place and look out as we keep on rising. Already the view seems to be -getting pretty fine." - -There was more or less talking and laughing and all that in the car, for -when there happens to be a spice of danger connected with any of these -amusements many people become half hysterical. - -The view was, indeed, becoming grand, as Rob had said, and both boys were -soon copying Andy, who was staring first one way and then another, as sea -and shore began to be spread out before him like a Mercator's chart. - -Although the huge arm of the giant Aëroscope had by no means reached the -upper limit of its sweep, the great buildings lying below had the -appearance of squatty "ant-heaps," as Andy termed them; and the crowds -that swarmed many of the walks of the Exposition looked so minute that it -was hard to believe they were human beings. - -All at once, the working arm of the big seesaw stopped with a rude jerk -that caused a number of girls aboard to give vent to cries of alarm. Even -strong men had a nervous look on their faces, Rob immediately noticed. - -"What's this mean?" demanded Hiram, laying a hand on Rob's arm. - -"We haven't reached the highest sweep yet, I'm dead sure," complained -Andy, in a petulant tone, just as though he believed the management meant -to cheat those aboard out of the full benefit of their money. "We want a -better view than this. All the others went to the top, and I don't see -why we shouldn't, too." - -"Rob, this stop wasn't meant, was it?" demanded Hiram, insistent as -usual. - -"Don't talk so loud, Hiram," he was advised. "You'll only frighten those -girls all the more if they happen to hear you. No, I don't believe it was -intended that we stop this far up, and with such a bump, too." - -"But is there any real danger of an accident? I wouldn't care so much if -I had my new-fangled parachute with me, and could only get outside; for -even if the old car did drop, I'd be able to sail down like a feather." - -"Danger--of course not a bit," Rob told him sternly. "You don't suppose -the managers of this big Exposition would allow a mechanical affair like -this Aëroscope to be run day after day unless the owners had made it -absolutely accident proof. Just hold your horses and we'll soon be moving -again." - -"Yes, and Hiram," said Andy just then, "don't put yourself on a par with -those silly screeching girls over there, who are hugging each other so. -Poor things, they don't know any better! But you're a scout, Hiram, and -have been taught never to show the white feather. Brace up! You're -wearing khaki right now, and for the sake of the cloth show yourself a -man!" - -That brought Hiram to a realization of the fact that he was indeed hardly -proving himself a worthy scout. He pretended to be indifferent. - -"Shucks! who cares?" he exclaimed. "I do wish them girls'd let up on -their racket; it gets on a feller's nerves to hear 'em shriek that way." - -"Well, I know what ails the old thing!" suddenly announced Andy, with a -grin on his face that told how his love for joking exceeded any faint -feeling of alarm that may have seized upon him. - -"Let's hear it, then!" demanded Rob. - -"Oh, if you had only guessed it before we started it would have saved -lots of bother!" called out Hiram. - -"They miscalculated the weight, you see!" continued Andy. "Some fellows -are so deceptive in their looks. Now right across from us there's a fat -boy with his back turned this way, and staring hard out of the window. I -bet you they figured wrong on him, and that's why we've got stuck up here -four-fifths of the way to the top." - -The other two now looked, and owing to some of the passengers in the car -crowding together an opening was made like a little lane. At the end of -this they discovered, just as Andy had said, an exceedingly fat boy -occupying more than his share of space, with his chubby legs braced under -him, and his face pressed against the heavy wire netting that covered the -open windows. - -Rob stared, and looked more closely. He half opened his mouth to make -some sort of remark, and then as though seized with a second thought, -refrained. - -"Do you really think so, Andy?" asked Hiram, in a half-awed way, as -though he actually took some stock in the ridiculous assertion made by -the other. - -"Well, tell me a better explanation if you know one!" demanded Andy, -which was a queer way of clinching an argument. - -"Then the quickest way to mend matters would be for you to go over there -and toss the heavy-weight overboard, don't you think, Andy?" asked Rob, -entering into the spirit of the joke, especially since he really believed -he held the whip-hand over the fun-loving Andy. - -"Huh! think so, do you, Rob?" said Andy, making out as though he felt in -a fighting humor. "Well, now, perhaps that would be the easiest way to -fix things. I've got a good mind to try it. Watch my smoke, Hiram!" - -With that he actually squared himself, rolled up the sleeves of his coat, -and even started across the car. Hiram turned pale. He seemed to forget -that there was no possible way in which any one inside the car could -manage to effect their escape so long as the great arm of the giant -seesaw was elevated in the air. - -"Rob, are you going to stand for that?" he burst out. - -"No use trying to stop him now, Hiram," he was told. - -"But look at him squaring off, Rob, like he really means it!" cried -Hiram. "It would be just like Andy, he's so rash, you know, to get us all -arrested. What if he did knock that fat boy off the car! Why, Rob, don't -you see the sudden jolt when the weight was changed might make us fly up, -and bring about a catastrophe?" - -"That's so, it might, Hiram," said Rob, trying hard to keep a straight -face. - -"Oh! it's too late to stop him, Rob!" - -"Yes, I see it is," replied the scout leader, and somehow there was not -much of excitement about either his voice or his manner, only an apparent -inane desire to grin, Hiram thought as he looked at his chum. - -"There, he's actually grabbed hold of the fat boy, and is trying to lift -him up so as to get him out of the window." - -"You're a little off there, Hiram. Seems to me I would say Andy was -trying to hug the poor fat boy, because he's certainly thrown his arms -around him, and acts as if he might be glad to meet him!" - -"Why, Rob, whatever can that mean! He is acting just as you say, and it -seems to me Andy isn't doing all the hugging, either." - -At that Rob broke into a hearty laugh. - -"You know what it stands for, and you won't tell me a thing, which I -think is a mean job," complained Hiram. - -"Look again," Rob told him. "Now the fat boy happens to have his face -turned this way. Don't you think you've seen that same moon phiz before, -Hiram? Doesn't it somehow take you back to dear old Hampton, and the many -jolly times we've had on our camping trips? Say, you ought to know that -boy, Hiram." - -As soon as he could catch his breath, Hiram gave a shout. - -"Why, consarn my picture if it isn't our chum, Tubby Hopkins!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - FOUR SCOUTS IN THE WHIRL. - - -"Come on, let's join them," suggested Rob, as he led the way over to -where Andy Bowles and the stout youth had started to shaking hands as -though they never meant to stop, chattering away like a pair of magpies, -and utterly unmindful of the fact that others aboard the car were -shrieking aloud with growing fear. - -But as it happened just then, whatever may have been the cause for the -sudden stoppage of the car suspended in midair, the trouble seemed to -have been rectified; for even as Rob led Hiram over to the other pair of -Hampton boys, the upward passage was resumed as smoothly as though -nothing had occurred. - -"Well, well! if this isn't the biggest surprise ever!" Tubby exclaimed as -he seized upon a hand of each of the two newcomers, and then looked -around just as if he had begun to believe the whole of Hampton Troop of -Boy Scouts must have come on to take in the sights of the big show. - -"Only three of us, Tubby," Rob told him. "We consider ourselves the -luckiest scouts in the whole U. S. A. to get a chance to make this side -of the slope. Of course we knew you were out here somewhere, but you -might as well hunt for a needle in a haystack as to think to find anyone -in this mob." - -"But tell me, won't you, please, how did you make it?" asked Tubby, whose -round, rosy face seemed redder than ever under all this excitement. - -"Wait till we get down out of this high box," said Hiram. "We came up -here on purpose to get the grand view, you know. Besides, there are too -many ears around for _my_ private business to be talked over." - -"Whew!" said Tubby, surveying the speaker with more respect than he had -ever before felt toward Hiram, whose many attempts to invent wonderful -things had never been taken seriously by his companions. - -"But Hiram is right," said Rob. "We'll only be up here a short while, so -let's use our eyes the best we can. It's well worth coming a long way -just to get such a panoramic view of the City, Bay and Fair." - -"Panoramic--whew!" whistled Andy; "but I guess that covers the ground as -well as any word you could scare up, Rob; for it is a panorama a whole -lot better'n any I ever saw painted on canvas, like the Battle of -Gettysburg and such." - -They remained at their several posts drinking in the wonderful features -of the magnificent view until finally the machinery was set in motion -again, and they found themselves being gradually lowered toward the -ground. The buildings lost their squatty appearance, the moving throngs -of human beings ceased resembling crawling flies, and finally the four -boys issued from the cage satisfied that they had experienced a sensation -worth while. - -"Now, let's sit down here in the shade for a little while, where we can -talk," suggested Tubby Hopkins, who had been one of the scouts with Rob -over in Belgium and France on the previous late summer and fall when the -war was going on, and consequently could be looked on as having passed -through some lively experiences. - -"Just a little while," agreed Andy; and Hiram, after looking longingly -away, no doubt in the direction of the quarter given up wholly to recent -remarkable inventions, seemed to resign himself to martyrdom for a spell, -for he, too, found a seat close by. - -"Now tell it all to me," demanded Tubby, "because I'm just sure it must -be a story worth hearing. What happened to bring you three fellows out -here? Did some one die and leave you his fortune? It takes a pretty hefty -wad of money to pay all the expenses of a jaunt across the continent." - -"A poor guess that time, Tubby," said Rob. "We'll have pity on you, and -give you the details before you lose weight trying to hit on the true -explanation. To begin with, Hiram won the trip his own way, while Andy -and myself just happened by a stroke of good luck to run upon our -chance." - -"Tell that to the marines, will you, please?" scoffed Tubby. "Things -don't just happen to you that way, Mr. Assistant Scoutmaster Blake. Every -time I've known you to get a thing you earned it by the sweat of your -brow. I'd rather believe it was the other way, and that Hiram had dropped -on a piece of good luck." - -"Well, mebbe I did, Tubby; but then I showed perseverance and grit such -as a true scout should allers possess, they say; and so I claim I earned -my right to be out here at the Exposition. Go on and tell him the hull -story, Rob." - -Seeing that he was expected to undertake the job of being spokesman for -the entire party, Rob started in. He was not the one to embellish facts, -or try to make things seems of more importance than they really were. -Indeed, if anything, Rob was apt to go to the other extreme, especially -if he figured at all in a leading rôle in the narrative. - -In this way Tubby was finally put in possession of all the needful -information connected with their coming. He heard about the smart way in -which Hiram had conducted his negotiations by mail with the company that -made a specialty of aviation goods, and which apparently had so much -faith in his patent stabilizer that they had advanced sufficient funds to -enable the inventor to come out and visit them at their headquarters in -San Francisco. - -Then followed the account of how Rob and Andy had been of such signal -service to Captain Jerry and his famous scientific passenger at the time -the old naphtha launch took fire while crossing the bay to Collins' -Point; together with what resulted from that rescue. - -It was all very interesting to Tubby, who asked many questions when he -thought Rob was holding back certain facts that had a direct bearing on -the narrative. - -"You see, my uncle has gone up to Portland for a week or more on -business," Tubby told them. "He left me to enjoy myself at the Exposition -as I pleased. I'm not going around in my scout clothes, but I've got the -khaki suit at the hotel; and now that I've met you fellows, of course, I -mean to wear it right along, even if I astonish the natives." - -"Oh, boys wearing khaki are such a common sight these days!" Rob told him -in a consoling way, "that you'd not be apt to attract any person's -attention, even if you are stouter than any other scout going." - -"Yes, I've met quite a few of the boys and chatted with them, too," -admitted Tubby. "You see, I always make it a point to wear my badges -under my coat even if I am in mufti--is that what they call it, Rob, when -a military officer dresses in civilian garb? Yes, the scouts are -everywhere, and it doesn't surprise you one bit when you see a couple of -them taking part in a camel race, as I did." - -Having finished their explanations, and urged on by the impatient Andy, -the little party began to make the rounds of the amusement zone. It was -laid out on such an extensive scale that one could hardly expect to do it -justice in one afternoon; indeed, Andy announced that he anticipated -putting in a full week there, taking in the sights, and feasting his eyes -on the wonders that had been collected from the four corners of the earth -for this special occasion. - -"Here's where we can see in miniature what some of us have actually -looked on before when building--the working of the great Panama Canal," -announced Tubby, as they arrived at the panorama section. "Shall we pay -and take chairs on the moving platform for a trip around?" - -Of course there was not a dissenting voice, for they were boys, and had -plenty of spare change and wanted to see all the sights, at least once. - -After that nothing would do for Andy but that they must embark on the -train for a trip through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, which was well -executed with regard to color effects so as to excite their ardent -admiration. - -"I was sorely tempted to take that side trip on the way here," Rob -confessed. "We could have done it easily enough, but you see I didn't -know what to do with that priceless stuff we had charge of for Professor -McEwen. I couldn't carry it on mule back, and didn't dare leave it behind -at the hotel. Besides, we promised him we wouldn't linger on the way -going, but do all our sight-seeing coming back." - -"I'm going to fix it with uncle," asserted Tubby eagerly, "so that I can -hold on with you fellows if he has to return sooner, or by another route. -I believe I'd enjoy seeing the Selkirks up in Canada first-rate, 'cause -I've heard a lot about that wonderful scenery." - -"We'll be glad to have you along, Tubby," said Andy. - -"That goes without saying," added Hiram; while Rob smiled, and nodded in -a way that Tubby knew meant "those are my sentiments, too, every time." - -The next thing on the program was seeing Yellowstone Park, another scenic -trip so realistic that Andy declared he would always have trouble -convincing himself he had not actually been through the National -Reservation where the hot springs and geysers flowed, some of the latter -rising a hundred and fifty feet into the air, with steam and vapor -forming a dense canopy around. - -It was just after they had come out from this that the absence of Hiram -was discovered. Tubby professed to be somewhat alarmed, and feared their -old chum might have fallen from the observation car; but Rob set his mind -straight when he admitted that he had seen Hiram sneaking away. - -"He'd reached his limit of endurance," he told Andy when the latter -expressed his opinion of one who cared so little for amusement; "and -we've got to remember that our chum is a queer fish at best. Besides, his -heart is wrapped up in things along a certain line. Let him go his way; -and later on, perhaps, when some of us have grown a little tired of all -this clatter in the Zone, we'll hunt up the aviation field and see what -Hiram is doing." - -Andy had many more things on his list, but Rob told him not to try and -rush it all into one afternoon. - -"Take it easy, Andy," he advised. "'Rome wasn't built in a day,' you -remember. We're going to be around these haunts for a good long while, -and one by one we can see all the shows that are gathered here--that is, -all worth seeing. These odd people from the wilds interest me -considerably, too, so that I wouldn't miss looking in on their villages, -where they're genuine, as most of them are, because the management stand -for that fact." - -It may have been nearer four o'clock than three, when, being more or less -tired with their first day at the Exposition, the three chums turned -their faces in a quarter that up to then none of them had visited save -Tubby, and he only casually. - -"We'll take a look in at the aëroplane boys first," said Rob; "and if we -don't run across Hiram there, we will go over to the building where he -says many of the latest inventions are on exhibition." - -It was not difficult to discover which way to go, for overhead several -aëroplanes were whizzing this way and that. Far up in the heavens they -could see a small speck which was no doubt some daring pilot trying for -an altitude record. - -"Makes me think of those days over in Belgium and France, eh, Rob?" -remarked Tubby Hopkins, "where we saw German and French and British and -Belgian fliers; yes, and even a big Zeppelin that was meaning to bombard -some city." - -"Well," Andy told them, "here we are on the field, and like as not we'll -find our aviation mad chum over in that crowd around the machines on the -ground, where the starts are made." - -"I rather think those must be the various models of new machines," -observed Rob, and immediately adding, "There's Hiram now; he's sighted -us, and is heading this way." - -"Yes, with a grin as big as a house on his face," asserted Tubby; "which -I take it must mean he's struck something that tickles him just fierce." - -Hiram joined his three comrades a minute later. - -"Well," he said, in a mysterious fashion, addressing himself particularly -to Rob, "the Golden Gate Aëroplane Manufacturing Company has a -contraption on one of their machines, intended to equalize shifting -weights; but shucks! it isn't in the same class with my dandy little -stabilizer. I guess they mean business in my case, with a big B." - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - TUBBY IS OUT OF HIS ELEMENT. - - -If there had arisen any doubt in Hiram's mind as to the deep interest -those chums were taking in his enterprise, it must have been quickly -dispelled when he made this announcement, and saw the looks of delight -spreading over their faces. - -"Bully!" cried Andy. - -"Best wishes, Hiram!" added Tubby, genially, as he patted the other -fondly on the shoulder. - -Rob did not say anything, but if looks could speak Hiram might easily see -that he had the sincere sympathy of the scout leader; though he knew that -much before. - -"While I've been hovering around here," continued Hiram, "making myself -useful whenever a flier was going up by running with the machine to give -it a good start, I've kept my eyes and ears wide open, let me tell you." - -"So as to learn all you could about the Golden Gate Company, of course?" -remarked Andy. - -"Yes," Hiram told him, frankly enough, "and soak in any sort of knowledge -that might be useful to a feller that's got the aviation bee abuzzin' in -his bonnet. And I've learned a heap, let me tell you, boys. Why, it's -paid me already for my long and arduous trip across country. I c'n start -on as many as _three_ schemes I've been hatchin' in my fertile brain this -long time. I was up agin' a blank wall, you see; but now I've got ideas -worth a hull lot to me." - -"That sounds all right, Hiram," Rob told him; "only I hope you go slow -about this business. Don't overdo it, or we may have to take you home in -a strait-jacket yet." - -"Nixey, not for me," jeered the other; "my head's as clear as a bell. -Fact is, I never felt half as bright as I do now. The clouds have been -scattered, and seems like the sun was shinin' all the time. Once I get -this stabilizer business well off my hands, and have some coin to go to -work with, you'll see the dust fly." - -"And he belongs to the Eagles, too!" said Tubby, in wrapt admiration. -"Seems as if you just _can't_ suppress 'em, no way you try. There never -was a patrol of scouts organized that had as many bright minds on the -roster roll as ours contains." - -Andy immediately took off his campaign hat and made Tubby a low bow. - -"That's nice of you, Tubby, to say such sweet things of your chums," he -remarked, just as if it sprang straight from his heart. "And we want you -to know that with the other seven the name of Tubby Hopkins will go -ringing down the ages in Boy Scout history as one who always made his -mark. And I can testify to that from my own personal knowledge." - -From the way in which Hiram and Rob tittered when Andy said this it could -be inferred that they knew very well to what those last few words -referred. The fact of the matter was that once upon a time Andy had had -the misfortune to be under a tree when Tubby was knocking down nuts; and -the fat scout, losing his grip on a limb, came down with tremendous force -directly on Andy, who was flattened out on the ground like a pancake. - -He carried the bruises he received on that occasion for quite some time; -but no one could bear malice against Tubby, who, scrambling to his knees, -had immediately expressed great solicitude for his unfortunate comrade, -saying: - -"Oh, excuse me, Andy, I didn't know you were right under me, or I might -have chosen some other place to land." - -"You don't wonder at me being chained to this place, do you," asked -Hiram, "when there's so much happening all the time, with pilots going up -and coming down, agents explaining the use of new designs of aëroplanes -they are putting on the market, and everybody 'talking shop'? They reckon -I've been employed in some place where they make these fliers, because I -know somethin' about them. So they let me help in a lot of ways. It's -fun, I tell you, the best fun I ever knew." - -Anyone could see that Hiram was right in his element. His freckled Yankee -face seemed to glow with enthusiasm, and his little eyes shone in a way -Rob had never noticed before. Indeed, if the scout leader had been -inclined sometimes to fear Hiram would develop into a harmless crank, -with only vague unreasonable ideas rattling about in his loose brain, -that suspicion was rapidly vanishing. - -Perhaps it had commenced to have an effect upon Rob's opinion when he -read that letter from the Golden Gate people. They were hard-headed -business men, and not visionary dreamers; and surely they would never -have advanced all that money to a strange inventor unless they believed -in him, and meant to attach his genius to the fortunes of their company. - -"I own up, Hiram," said Andy, as they stood there and watched the many -things that were going on all the time around them, "that there must be a -sort of fascination about this thing to fellows who have a leaning that -way. But as for me you never could tempt me to climb up thousands and -thousands of feet like the air-pilot in the monoplane that looks like a -swallow against the sky." - -"It takes some nerve, I'll admit, Andy," said Hiram, modestly. - -"Huh! plenty of people may have nerve enough," objected Andy, "but all -the same they'd be laboring under physical disabilities." - -"As how, Andy?" asked the other. - -"Oh, well, take our chum Tubby here; you never could expect him to make a -flier, and bore up into the clouds. In the first place, it wouldn't be -fair to the people down below. He nearly killed me once by dropping just -ten feet; think what would happen to the poor chap who happened to get in -the way if Tubby came down from where that aviator is now?" - -Even Tubby had to laugh at that highly colored supposition. - -"Well, one thing sure!" he exclaimed, "I wouldn't have to beg pardon for -squashing him." - -"But think of the mess," chuckled Andy. - -"Watch that man who has just gone up in a monoplane. He's the best there -is on the Coast, next to Beachey himself, who is a native of California. -You'll see him turn flip-flaps to beat the band presently. Why, I've -watched him go around twice, and as neat as a circus tumbler would do it -off a springboard over the backs of three elephants. There he goes! What -d'ye think of that?" - -"Whew! he's a corker, for a fact!" ejaculated Tubby, as he stood with -open mouth, gaping at the wonderful exploits which the reckless air-pilot -was engineering far up above the earth. - -Rob, chancing to turn toward the stout boy, saw to his amusement that -there was something of a wistful expression on his rosy face. Tubby could -at least feel the charm that this hazardous sort of life might possess -for venturesome boys, even though he knew he could never hope to attain -any standing in the ranks, owing to what Andy had well called "physical -disabilities." - -Athletes alone make good air-pilots, and a fellow who had the shape of a -tub would only be useful as an anchor, or something like that. - -Poor Tubby! It did seem that Fate was cruel to him, since he was debarred -from taking an active part in so many sports such as boys enjoy. But -Nature had at least given him a cheerful disposition, so that no matter -how keenly disappointed he might be, he never allowed this to sour his -temper. - -They stood there and watched the trick aviator doing what Hiram called -"stunts." Sometimes the boys fairly gasped with sudden fear lest the man -aloft had made a miscalculation, and would come plunging down like a -stone to his death; but his agility and quick wit always served him -faithfully. - -"Some of these fine days something will happen that he doesn't count on," -Rob said, soberly, "a flaw may develop in some part of his machine, just -where it counts the most; and then--well, it will be his finish." - -"That depends," remarked Hiram, quietly. - -"On how high he happens to be at the time, you mean?" asked Andy. "Oh! -just a few hundred feet will be enough to put him out of business for -keeps." - -"Not if he is a wise man, and has a patent Nelson self-acting parachute -fastened to him all the time!" declared the other, proudly. "It'll open -and allow him to drift slowly down, like you see hot-air balloon -performers come to the earth after they've cut loose above." - -"Good for you, Hiram!" exclaimed Tubby; "I reckon folks have got to sit -up and take notice, now that you've come to town! Young blood will tell -every time. Oh, but I'm glad I met my chums! It was getting mighty -lonesome for me, in a crowd all the time, but with not a solitary fellow -to speak to. And Hiram, I'm glad you coaxed us to come over here. I'm -getting interested in flying; p'r'aps if I cut down my feed, and knock -off a hundred or so pounds I might have a show in this business yet." - -As they did not know whether Tubby was joking or really meant it, no one -laughed at his strange remark; for they did not want to hurt his -feelings. But when they glanced from the corners of their eyes at his -girth the absurdity of his hope was manifest. Perhaps they may even have -remembered a remark once made by Joe Digby to the effect that Tubby would -have to have an extra big pair of wings given to him if ever he became an -angel. - -"There's another exhibition pilot going to start up, boys," said Hiram -just then. "Suppose we walk over closer, and you can watch me lend a hand -to shove him off on a good start." - -"That's right, let's get closer and see how things are done," added -Tubby, as he bent over, and, picking up a stick of clear pine that had -caught his eye, he took out his penknife and commenced to whittle away -just as though he might be the representative Yankee of fiction. - -But whittling had always been a favorite occupation with Tubby; somehow -it seemed to soothe him and cause his thoughts to flow more smoothly. He -never could resist an extra fine bit of wood, though besides shavings he -had never been known to produce any especial result from the use of his -keen-edged knife-blade. - -There were quite a number of people around, and they seemed to be more or -less interested in the claims made by the representatives of the -different aëroplanes that were being displayed, and in the practical -demonstrations. - -Tubby listened with rapt attention as some of the men talked, explaining -what improvements had been made in the working construction of the -machine just then about to be put to the test. - -Hiram was doubtless dreaming of the hour of his triumph when one of these -aëroplanes would be equipped with his wonderful stabilizer, and he might -stand there listening to the fulsome praise of the Golden Gate Company's -demonstrator, before a practical test was made, to show how impossible it -would be for a flying machine that carried such a life-saving device to -be upset by flaws of wind, or the sudden movements of the pilot. - -When all was ready for the flight, Hiram was one of those who laid hands -on the aëroplane with the intention of running a score or two of feet, so -as to assist in the start. Unnoticed by Rob, Tubby, too, had copied -Hiram's example, urged on by some irresistible impulse approaching -madness, perhaps. - -When the word was given, and with propeller whirling, the aëroplane -started along on its bicycle wheels, with a dozen pushers to assist, -there was Tubby in the midst. - -Suddenly there arose a series of shouts of alarm. - -All of the other willing helpers had dropped off, only Tubby was -sprinting furiously after the aëroplane, which was bumping along over the -ground with ever increasing momentum. Rob felt a thrill of real alarm -when he believed he saw that the left arm of the stout boy was drawn out, -as though in some unfortunate way it had become caught in a trailing -cord, so that he was compelled to keep on, no matter how much he wanted -to break away! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - THE ILLUMINATED FAIRYLAND. - - -"Oh! Tubby!" Andy was heard to cry out above the clamor. - -It was all over in a few seconds. Rob believed he saw the fat boy manage -to get his other hand out; and it flashed through the scout leader's mind -that the last he had noticed Tubby was gripping his open knife in that -hand. - -They saw the stout boy roll over and over like a big rubber ball. At the -same time it became evident that the shouts of sudden alarm and horror -bursting forth from the crowd must have warned the aviator that something -was wrong, for he instantly shut off the power, and the monoplane was now -slowing up instead of increasing its speed over the level ground. - -Rob, Andy and Hiram joined in the forward rush, everybody fearing the -worst with regard to poor Tubby. But when they arrived on the spot they -were more than pleased to see him calmly brushing off his clothes. - -"Did you get hurt, Tubby?" demanded Andy, anxiously. - -"Never a bit," replied the grinning Tubby. "That's the good of being -encased in fat, you see. If it had been you, Andy, you would have gotten -a broken rib, or something like that. Oh! thank you for my hat, mister. -Did anybody see my knife; it slipped out of my hand just as I cut the -cord that was holdin' me to the machine?" - -"Good for you, Tubby, if you had the presence of mind to do that!" cried -Hiram. - -"And here's your knife, my boy," said an air-pilot, advancing. "You had a -narrow escape, and if I were you I would let it be the last time I ever -tried to run with a machine. If you had fallen over you might have been -dragged and killed." - -"Not by that cord, I should think, mister," declared Tubby, holding up -the piece that still dangled from his left arm, where a loop had -accidentally become fast. "It would have broke short on me; but all the -same I'm through trying games like that. I'm not built for it, I guess." - -They were pushing the monoplane back for another start. The aviator -stopped to survey Tubby from head to foot. - -"So, it was you holding me back, was it? Didn't get hurt any, I hope? But -looky here, young fellow, when I want an _anchor_ I'll get a real one, -and not just a tub of jelly; understand that, do you?" - -It was pretty rough on Tubby, for the crowd laughed uproariously, but he -disarmed the anger of the air-pilot by joining in the mirth. - -"I meant all right, mister," he told the aviator, "and it would have been -easy only for that cord that was hanging out. It got caught around my -arm, and I couldn't break away. Thank you for letting me off so easy." - -After that the boys walked away. It had threatened to be a serious matter -at the time, but now that everything was over Andy and Hiram were -secretly exchanging nods, and chuckling over the remembrance of their fat -chum sprinting after the swift monoplane, going faster no doubt than he -had ever done before in all his life. - -"I see the finish of the rest of the boys in Hampton when the foot races -are on next fall," Andy complained, in what he meant to be a serious -tone, "if you take to doing your practicing that way, Tubby." - -"Yes," added Hiram, "when it comes to the point that Tubby can keep along -with a racing aëroplane, or a speeding motorcar, the rest of us might as -well throw up the sponge and quit. He'd make circles around us like Rob's -boat the _Tramp_ could with the old _Sea Gull_." - -"Make your minds easy, boys," Tubby told them pleasantly. "I'm going out -of training. Once is enough for me. You can have the field to yourself, -Hiram; only if I were you I'd quit that running business. An inventor has -no right to take chances; and what's happened once may happen again." - -"Well, now, I never thought of that, Tubby," admitted the other, shaking -his head seriously. "Just as you say, an inventor has no right to expose -himself like an ordinary person. No telling what he might not think up -some day for the uplift of the civilized world. He sorter belongs to -science, don't he? Yep, I'll stop chasing after aëroplanes; but of course -I'll have to go up once in a while in order to keep in touch with -things." - -"We're about ready to start for the hotel, Hiram," announced Rob; "and if -you've decided not to introduce yourself to the Golden Gate people -to-day, you might just as well come back with us." - -Hiram sighed, and allowed his glance to rove over to where the crowd -still gathered around the demonstration station. - -"I s'pose I'd better," he replied with an effort. "I don't want to be -greedy, and overdo things; but it's giving me a jolt to have to break -away from here. How about you, Tubby; coming along and have dinner with -us to-night?" - -"Of course he is," said Rob immediately. "To-morrow he must change -hotels, so he can be one of our party." - -"Why, you took the words right out of my mouth, Rob," declared Andy. - -"That makes it unanimous," added Hiram, vigorously; "so you see there's -no way for you to back fire, and break away from your moorings from the -same old crowd, Tubby." - -Tubby smiled, and looked pleased. - -"It's nice to know you're appreciated, let me tell you, boys," he -observed. "I'll be only too glad to join you at dinner. Yes, and in the -morning I'll pack my grip so as to change base. I can leave a letter for -Uncle Mark that he'll get as soon as he comes back from Oregon." - -So that much was settled, and somehow all of them seemed to feel pleased -over the addition to their ranks. Tubby Hopkins was always like a breath -of Spring and a welcome guest at every camp fire. Gloom and Tubby never -agreed; in fact he radiated good cheer as the sun does light and heat. - -"What's the use of going to the city, and eating an ordinary dinner at -some hotel or restaurant, when we can get such a corking fine spread at -the place where we had our lunch?" asked Andy. - -"Well, there's a whole lot of sense in that," admitted Rob. "We can sit -around and get rested, then go to our dinner before the evening rush -starts in; and by the time we're through, the illumination of the -Exposition will have gotten fully under way. And that's a sight we're -wanting to see, you know." - -Hiram fell in with the idea at once, and Tubby declared it suited him -perfectly. So once more they headed toward that section of the Zone where -the giant Aëroscope lifted up its cage of sight-seers hundreds of feet -every few minutes, for the eating-place had been close to this spot. - -Since they were looking forward to several weeks at the Fair, no wonder -the boys felt very satisfied and happy. There was so much to see that -they believed they could put in all the time to advantage without -duplicating anything. - -When they were seated at the table, Tubby kept his chums in a constant -roar of laughter by his many quaint remarks. Sometimes these were called -forth by some queer type of foreigner chancing to pass by; and then again -it might be Tubby would revive some ludicrous memory of past events in -which he had figured. - -They certainly seemed to enjoy their "feed," as Tubby called it; it was -not unlike a camp supper, when eaten under such odd surroundings. Andy -openly declared that with so many swarthy turbaned Arabs strolling by, -not to mention Egyptians, Hindoos, Algerians, Moors, and the like, he -could easily imagine himself away off on a sandy desert, with camels as -the only means of transportation. - -"Makes me so thirsty just to think of it that I have to keep on drinking -all the time; so please get me another cup of coffee, waiter," he said. - -"A poor excuse is better than none," remarked Hiram. "Now, I'm going to -have a second helping of that ambrosia nectar just because I want it. I -don't have to ring in all that taffy about hot deserts, camels and such -stuff." - -By the time they were through with dinner the illumination of the -Exposition grounds was in full blast. It certainly looked like fairyland -to Rob, Andy and Hiram; though the last named seemed to be more -interested in figuring how an improvement might be made in the wonderful -electrical display than in admiring the amazing effect of the myriads of -colored lights. - -The roofs of buildings, the domes, the turrets and the towers, as well as -the Triumphal Arch of the Setting Sun were all aglow. It made a spectacle -not easily forgotten, and which the boys were never weary of gazing at. - -As all of them felt pretty stiff and tired from having been on their feet -so much that day, and not being used to it after sitting so long on the -train, it was determined that they would not linger any longer. - -"We'll be here on plenty of nights up to the closing hour," said Rob, -"and I think it would be poor policy to overdo things in the beginning." - -"Yes," added Tubby with the air of an oracle, "I never forget what I was -once told, that it's very unwise to press your horse in the start of a -long journey. Let him generally get used to going, and by degrees he'll -be able to do better work right along--and finish strong." - -"Same way," added Andy, "the jockeys hold back racers till they reach the -last lap. The one that's the freshest on the home stretch is the one -that's going to win, nine times out of ten." - -"I'm going with you, boys, and see all I can of my chums," announced -Tubby, who undoubtedly hated to spend even one more night alone. "I can -engage a room near yours for to-morrow, p'r'aps; and besides, Rob has -something he promised to show me, which won't keep over the night." - -What he referred to happened to be some photographs Rob had taken on the -way to California, and which would have looked just as good on the next -day; but then Tubby was hunting for even a poor excuse to hang on to the -party as long as he could. - -They took a carriage at the exit. At the office of the hotel they waited -until Tubby had interviewed the clerk, with Rob at his elbow to vouch for -him. - -"Great luck, fellows!" announced Tubby, as he rejoined Andy and Hiram. "I -got my room all right, which in itself is a wonder with all the crowds in -the city right now; but would you believe it I'm next door to you!" - -"It's some more of that everlasting Hopkins' luck," Andy told him. "You -can't be kept down, Tubby, no matter how they try it. We've seen you bob -up on top before now. And look at you chancing to have that open knife in -your hand this afternoon, when that cord held you! One chance in ten -thousand of such a thing happening, and yet it did with you. Sometimes I -wish my name wasn't Bowles; if I couldn't have it that I think I'd choose -Hopkins. Sounds lucky to me!" - -Chattering as they went, the four chums sought the elevator, and were -soon on the fifth floor where the boys' connecting rooms were located. - -Rob had secured only the one key at the desk. With this he opened the -door, and stepping inside reached out his hand to switch on the electric -light. As this flashed up the boys stared about them. - -"Wrong room, Rob, I bet you!" exclaimed Andy. "We never left things -scattered around on the floor like this." - -"But that looks like your suitcase, Andy; and this open steamer trunk is -mighty similar to the one we fetched along to hold our extra clothes!" -exclaimed Rob. - -"Looks like somebody had been in here looting!" remarked Tubby, whose -eyes seemed as round as saucers as he turned from one object to another. - -"Well, what d'ye think of that?" cried Hiram, bitterly; "here's my bag -turned inside out, just like some sneak thief had been looking for money -or jewelry. There's been an attempt at robbery here, fellows, as plain as -the nose on my face!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - PRYING FINGERS. - - -"Let's see if there's anything missing!" - -As Andy made this remark he started to gather up some of his possessions -that strewed the floor close to his suitcase, where they had been hastily -thrown when the leather receptacle was emptied. - -"Wait a minute," said Rob, halting him in the work; "let's take a general -look around first. It seems to me as if they hadn't gotten more than -half-way through our trunk. That would indicate something had alarmed the -thief, and caused him to leave in a hurry." - -"Oh, mebbe I'm not tickled nearly to death!" exclaimed Hiram, suddenly, -beaming on the others as though he felt like shaking hands with himself -over something. - -"What about?" asked Tubby. - -"I can give a guess," said Rob. "It's about the papers we left in the -safe downstairs, eh, Hiram?" - -"Just what it is, Rob," admitted the other, continuing to show his -pleasure. "Only for your smartness in getting me to deposit the packet -with the clerk under a seal, it might have been in my bag right here. -Say, I wonder now, if that was what the thief wanted?" - -"But no one out here would suspect that you carried valuable papers, -Hiram," objected Rob. - -"How do we know that?" asked the other, who had seized upon that -explanation of the mystery, and saw no reason as yet to abandon his -theory. "Didn't I tell you how several companies I approached had men in -their employ who tried to play smart games on me, so as to steal the -fruits of my labor? Rob, you haven't forgotten that unscrupulous -Marsters, have you?" - -"Why, no, but there's a whole lot that would have to be explained about -him before I could believe he had anything to do with this game," Rob -told him. - -"Then you're of the opinion it's just an ordinary everyday hotel sneak -thief who's been looking through our stuff in hopes of finding some spare -money hidden away in one of our grips, is that it, Rob?" and Andy started -in once more to gathering up his scattered property, rubbing at the bosom -of a shirt where it seemed to be marked with dirty fingers. - -"I don't believe he found anything worth taking," said Hiram, "because we -made it a point never to keep valuables in our bags, outside of those -rolls belonging to your Professor McEwen." - -"If anything worth a considerable amount had been stolen," ventured Rob, -"I'd have stopped Andy before now from destroying one of the finest clues -that could ever be found. I mean that finger-print so plainly marked on -the bosom of your white shirt. With the modern methods used by the police -to fix a crime on a criminal, that dark impression of his fingers would -prove the fellow guilty in case they could use a drag net and round-up a -bunch of suspects." - -Tubby stood and watched the others work, gathering their belongings -together. Both Hiram and Andy growled occasionally because the thief in -his haste to look through everything had jumbled things considerably. - -"What did he want to waste his precious time for trying to find anything -worth while in the belongings of three boys?" Andy asked, as though he -had a personal grievance against the rogue who had entered their rooms -with a duplicate key, since they had certainly found the door locked. - -Struck with an idea, Rob stepped over to one of the windows and looked -out. - -"Think he may have climbed in from some fire-escape, don't you, Rob?" -demanded Tubby, who had noted this move on the part of the scout leader. - -"The idea struck me," admitted Rob, "but it only took one look to tell me -such a thing is quite impossible, and out of the question. No, he must -have come in by the door." - -"And went out the same way?" continued Tubby. - -"Yes, after upsetting our things in the way he did," pursued Rob. - -"I s'pose he found out that the owners of the trunk and bags were only -three boys," Tubby went on to say in his logical way, "and then he threw -up the game; no use expecting to run across jewelry or any extra cash in -baggage belonging to boys seeing the Fair." - -"Seems like it's the old story over again," Hiram remarked, "and there's -no end to the queer things we run up against. I'm getting so nowadays I -expect some surprise to break in on me any minute, day or night. If it -isn't one thing then it's another. And when all else fails why we c'n -depend on Tubby here to keep the wheels spinning with some of his -antics." - -"Antics!" echoed Tubby, indignantly. "I object to you giving my adventure -of this afternoon such a name as that. You must think I would purposely -tie myself to a speeding aëroplane, and then have to run after it just -for the fun of the thing. Antics nothing. Misfortunes, you'd better call -my troubles after this." - -"Oh, never mind, Tubby! After all, you didn't get hurt," said Andy. "In -this case it looks like the thief had had his troubles for nothing." - -"I've got a theory," said Rob, "but of course there's no way of proving -it. It's connected with those two fellows who tried to play a smart game -on Hiram here at Los Angeles, and got left for their pains." - -"Hello! I haven't heard anything about that up to now," exclaimed Tubby. -"Who and what were they, Rob? Ten to one you engineered a scheme to block -them, because it would be just like Rob Blake to do that." - -So Andy, having a glib tongue, took it upon himself to relate the -adventure of the through train, and how the two clever rogues had tried -to get them to enter a carriage as prisoners, meaning, of course, to rob -Hiram as soon as the chance came. - -Tubby laughed when he heard how their plan was brought to naught. His -merriment grew even more boisterous after he learned that Rob had taken -Hiram's papers to secrete them on his person, while the other hid some -old letters in an inside pocket, which were deftly "lifted" during the -short time the boys happened to be in close touch with the pair of -rogues. - -"Just to think of the bitter disappointment they met with," said Tubby -between his gasps. "I'm sure they'll remember you fellows with anything -but pleasure. Every time they glimpse a boy in khaki they'll be apt to -utter some hard words." - -"Well," continued Rob, "it was on what they must feel that I based my -theory. You see, they must have been coming to one of the expositions, -probably the big Panama-Pacific show, to ply their trade. That would take -them here to San Francisco. By some chance or other they may have seen -us, and found out where we are stopping; and this raid was carried out -more with a desire to have revenge on us than anything else. If some one -hadn't alarmed the fellows they might have amused themselves destroying -everything in our bags and trunk." - -"A mean revenge, but I wouldn't put it past a thief who was boiling mad -because three Boy Scouts had managed to get the better of him," Andy -declared, with considerable emphasis, which looked as though he rather -favored the theory advanced by the scout leader. - -"Whee! I hope this thing isn't as catching as the measles," ventured -Tubby. "You know, I've gone and paid out some good money for several -things that caught my eye in the booths at the Exposition; and I'd hate -to have some one get away with them during my absence." - -"Oh, small chance of that happening, Tubby! And if you're afraid to stay -alone to-night, why, I'll go over with you to get your bag, and come on -here," Andy told the anxious one. - -Perhaps Tubby was at first sorely tempted to accept that offer; but then -he chanced to catch a gleam of amusement on Hiram's face. That settled -the matter. Pride stepped in and took the reins. - -"Oh, never mind about that, Andy!" he hastened to say. "It's very kind of -you to offer me help, but I think I had better wait until morning. I'll -be around early and take breakfast with the bunch, remember. What time do -you eat?" - -Hiram and Andy allowed Rob to settle that for them. - -"Call it eight o'clock, then. We'll wait that long for you, Tubby," the -scout leader said. - -"I'll be on the move by seven, and as I expect to pack my bag to-night -before turning in, it isn't going to take me long to finish." - -Tubby got up as though he knew he ought to be going; but apparently he -hated to part from his chums. They had been together so much of recent -years that they were as thick as peas in a pod. - -Rob somehow did not seem to be altogether satisfied with the result of -his first examination of the room; he was heard moving around in the -second apartment. When he joined the rest again, Andy, who must have -guessed what he had been about, began to question Rob. - -"Find anything to give the game away in there, Rob?" he asked. - -"Well, no, not that I could see," the scout leader replied. "The door, as -you may remember, is locked, and the key at the office, where we haven't -bothered taking it out. Besides, when we left this morning I shot the -bolt home, so that no thief could have entered by that door; and -certainly no one left the room that way, or the bolt would not be in the -socket as it is." - -"Oh, well, what's the use of bothering about it? We don't as a rule -believe in crying over spilled milk. If that's the case, why should we -fret when there's been no damage done at all, except my white shirt being -soiled by finger prints?" - -"Send that to the hotel laundry and forget it," advised Tubby. "Where did -I leave my hat? Oh, here it is! By the way, don't be surprised when you -see me in the morning, because I expect to be togged out in my khaki -uniform, which Uncle had me fetch along in my big collapsible grip." - -"We'll try and stand the wonderful sight the best way we can," Hiram told -him; "but break it to us by inches, please, Tubby, so as to avoid as much -risk as possible. I've got a weak heart, you know, and a sudden shock -might be serious." - -"Too bad you made your bargain with the hotel clerk before you donned -your khaki, Tubby," ventured Andy. "He might have given you the room at -half the price you expect to pay for it now on the European plan. Your -presence here would be a standing advertisement for the place. They could -afford to let you stay for nothing if only you'd agree to stand outside -the restaurant door an hour each day, and pick your teeth." - -All this kind of "joshing" had no effect on Tubby, who really seemed -rather to enjoy being a target for these shafts of sarcasm leveled by his -comrades, for his smile was as bright and cheery as ever. - -"I'll tie my shoe first, and then skip out. Must be going on nine o'clock -now, and I've got some lost sleep to make up." - -Saying which he dropped down on one knee and set to work. The others -accommodated themselves to the several easy-chairs, Hiram swinging one of -his long legs over the arm of his seat in real Yankee fashion. - -Rob yawned, and then taking out his little notebook--in which he was -particular to jot down every daily event of any consequence on the -trip--he felt in his pocket for a pencil. - -"By the way, Hiram, you borrowed my pencil this afternoon, and didn't -return it," he remarked, stretching out his hand toward the other scout, -who, with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders, fished the article in -question out of his vest pocket and handed it over. - -It was just then that Tubby fairly scrambled to his feet. Rob looked up -in some surprise, when to his further astonishment the fat boy tiptoed -over, bent down, and said: - -"Please don't give me the grand laugh, Rob, when I tell you I saw -something moving under that bed there--a pair of shoes!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE THIEF UNDER THE BED. - - -"Hey, what's that, Tubby?" - -It was Hiram who whispered this in a rather hoarse and strained voice. He -had managed to just barely overhear what the fat scout was telling Rob, -and could hardly believe his ears. - -Rob instantly held up a warning finger. His face looked serious for, -while after all it might prove that Tubby's imagination was playing -tricks with him, there were circumstances that gave the matter a -suspicious look. - -Some one had certainly been in their rooms turning things upside-down, as -though searching for articles of value, or with the intention of creating -as much havoc and confusion as possible. - -Besides this, had they not already concluded that this person must have -been disturbed in his vandal work? They believed he had fled, but after -all it was possible that, hearing them at the door, he had made the -utmost haste to conceal himself in the first hiding place available, -which was under one of the beds. - -Rob had to think quickly. - -The man must be a desperate rascal or he would never have taken the -chances he did in entering their apartments bent on such work. -Consequently he would, of course, be armed, and if given half a chance, -might make things exceedingly disagreeable for the four scouts. - -What should be done? - -Hiram was already pointing toward the house telephone, as though -suggesting the use of it to bring help from below. Rob shook his head to -indicate that the plan did not seem to appeal to him when there might be -a better one to adopt. - -They were four in number, and pretty husky fellows in the bargain, who in -times past had accomplished quite a few feats worth mentioning. It would -be too bad if a squad of scouts of their caliber and experience could not -manage in some way to smother a single concealed thief. - -Of course, by this time, Andy had come to realize that there was -something very exciting and mysterious going on. He wanted to burst out -with a plain question, and ask Rob what it was all about; but reading the -signification of that upraised finger, and the frown on the scout -leader's face, he simply put out a hand and rested it on Rob's sleeve -while a pleading expression gripped his face. - -Taking pity on Andy, and believing that they must all work together if -they expected to accomplish anything, Rob bent over and whispered in his -ear. - -"Somebody's hiding under the bed, Tubby says. Now laugh out loud as -though we were having a joke; that is to keep him quiet a while longer." - -Fortunately Andy Bowles was quick-witted enough to grasp the peculiar -situation. He understood just why Rob wanted him to make it appear as -though things were moving along as usual, and that no suspicion had been -aroused. - -So Andy laughed. If there was a queer, husky touch to the sounds he -emitted to order surely Andy could hardly be blamed, for he must have -been quivering all over just then from hysterical excitement. - -Rob drew the heads of Tubby and Andy down close to his mouth. They knew -he meant to issue instructions, and hence eagerly strained their hearing -so that not a single syllable might be lost. Meanwhile Hiram was standing -near by, and busily engaged in taking off his khaki coat which, being -quite new, he evidently did not mean to have mussed in any rough and -tumble work. - -At another time Rob would have smiled to see Hiram carefully folding his -coat and then softly depositing it on the bed that was held under -suspicion; but it did not cause a ripple of amusement to cross his -serious face now. - -"You and Tubby pass around to the other side of the bed, and try to act -as if you were cutting up," Rob whispered. "Keep your eyes on me, and -when I give the word lay hold of his legs and yank him out. Tubby, we -depend on you to keep him from getting to his feet; squash him if -necessary. Get that, both of you?" - -Both heads eagerly nodded an affirmative reply. The plan was so extremely -simple that there did not seem to be any possibility of confusion. - -Tubby's face was not quite so rosy as usual, perhaps, but no one could -say he looked frightened in the least. He immediately started some -"horse-play" with Andy, laughing as he pushed the other around the foot -of the bed so that they could presently bring up on the other side. - -Taking advantage of the very first opportunity, Tubby, even while -continuing to pretend to wrestle with Andy, pointed a finger downward. -Knowing what this was meant for, Andy ducked his head in order to also -get a glimpse of the object the fat boy considered so suspicious. - -Meanwhile Rob and Hiram were holding themselves in readiness to jump -around to any point where they could make their presence count. The -former was keeping an anxious eye on Tubby and Andy. When he saw the -latter make that quick movement, Rob knew what it meant, and understood -that considerable would depend on how Andy came to decide. - -So Rob fairly held his breath awaiting the verdict. If after all Tubby -had allowed his imagination to get the better of him, and had mistaken -some simple object for a pair of shoes under the bed, Andy's keen eyes -would quickly detect the illusion, and they might expect to hear him give -a roar of amusement. - -Nothing of the kind happened, it turned out. Instead of this, when Andy -once more straightened up he nodded his head toward Rob in a way that -could have only one meaning--he was ready to risk his reputation for -veracity along with Tubby in admitting that the facts looked suspicious. - -That settled the matter with Rob. They must combine to make a sudden -assault on the concealed thief and try to overpower him before he could -place himself in a condition to do them harm. - -Like a wise general, the scout leader took one last look around in order -to see that his forces were all in their respective positions before he -gave the signal that would precipitate action. - -Andy, impatient to get busy, made a significant gesture, opening and -shutting both hands rapidly, while a faint grin could be seen on his -face. This was intended to convey the intelligence that he was eager to -lay hold on the lower extremities of the sneak thief cowering under the -bed, and start to drag him out from his place of concealment. - -There was no need of any further delay, and so Rob made a quick movement -with his hand, at the same time exclaiming: - -"Now's your time; get him!" - -Before the last word had been uttered Andy was bending down and hurling -himself part-way under the bed. He immediately began to back out, tugging -with all his strength at something upon which he had pounced. - -Tubby also took hold and united his power with that of the other scout. -They made short work of it, once that combination got started. Out from -under the bed they dragged a struggling figure that was scratching, -clawing and trying in every possible way to swing around so that he would -not be taken at such a terrible disadvantage. - -By that time Rob and Hiram had managed to arrive, the latter scrambling -directly across the bed in his hurry to get into action. - -There was a lively little scene for a brief interval, with all of them -trying to keep those kicking legs and violently driven arms pinned down. - -A few blows were given in the struggle, and not all on one side, since -Andy had a thrust in the eye that made the tears come, and Tubby received -a kick which forced a grunt from his lungs. - -Whoever the fellow might be he evidently was convinced that his condition -was desperate, judging from the wild way he fought, to break away, with -the intention of bolting from the room. - -In the midst of the _mêlée_ Tubby settled the affair in a unique way all -his own, and which none of the others could have imitated even though -they sought to do so. - -He simply allowed himself to sit down squarely on the squirming figure -with which they had been battling so fiercely. When that heavyweight -settled down, it was like a stone wagon dropping into a hole in the road. -They heard a gasp from the unfortunate wretch underneath, whose struggles -immediately began to lose much of their former vigor. - -It happened that at the time the thief was lying on his stomach, so that -Tubby perched on his back, which might have been broken had the fellow -been less sturdily built. - -After that there was really nothing more for the others to do; Tubby was -equal to the task of keeping his victim pinned there in spite of anything -the wretched fellow might try to do. - -It was then they heard him wheezing as though short of breath, and saw -his hand moving as if in abject appeal. - -"I give up! I'm all in! Please don't kill me, Rob and Andy! Won't you let -Tubby get up off my back; he's smashing my ribs, I tell you!" - -Rob, Andy and Hiram stared at each other as though they hardly knew -whether they could be awake or dreaming. Why, the squirming wretch whom -they found hidden under the bed, and who had undoubtedly been searching -their effects with robbery in view, had actually mentioned the name of -Rob and that of Andy. Yes, he had even begged that Tubby be restrained -before he utterly crushed his back and sides! - -It gave them one of the greatest surprises in all their experience; for -how a common hotel sneak thief should know who they were, and address -them so familiarly, was past their comprehension. - -Tubby, too, looked astounded, though he made no move to get up in -response to the pitiful wheeze of the wretch he was pinning to the floor. -Perhaps it filtered through the slow-moving brain of the fat scout that -this might be only one of those clever tricks known to sharpers, and -entered into simply to gain some advantage. - -Rob knew differently. There seemed to be something about that whine on -the part of the prisoner that was familiar, though on the spur of the -moment Rob could not have told where he had last heard it. - -Accustomed to prompt action, the scout leader motioned to Andy and Hiram -to hold themselves in readiness to seize upon the fellow's arms, and in -this manner keep him from taking advantage of his newly acquired freedom -when Tubby arose. - -"Now you can get up, Tubby!" said Rob. - -Tubby thereupon gave one of his satisfied grunts and commenced to roll -off his human cushion for, as a rule, when he wished to gain his feet, -like the elephant he resembled in many ways, the fat boy had to get upon -his knees first of all, and then make a further effort. - -"Turn him over, Andy, Hiram; and if he tries any funny business he'll -wish he hadn't, that's all!" Rob told the others, who immediately started -to obey. - -"Oh, believe me, I've had enough as it is, Rob! I hope you won't be too -hard on me this time! I was wild to get back home, and that's the truth," -the fellow was crying as Andy and Hiram turned him on his back. - -The former bent down to stare into the thief's face. Rob fairly held his -breath, awaiting the explosion something told him was due. Nor was he -mistaken, for Andy drew back, uttering exclamations of wonder. - -"Why, who d'ye believe it is," he burst out, "but that sneak of a Jared -Applegate who had to skip out of Hampton when things got too hot for him, -and who you last ran across when you were down in Mexico? Rob, he's up to -his old tricks of trying to steal what belongs to others. Say, this is -one of the biggest surprises that ever came our way. Old Hiram -Applegate's bad boy, and a common hotel thief!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - AN ENEMY OF THE PAST. - - -They all recognized Jared now, although he had grown considerably since -last Rob had seen him, and was a husky looking fellow, easily capable of -doing a man's work. - -In other days he had been a thorn in the flesh of the newly organized -troop of scouts in Hampton, doing every mean thing his wits could devise -in order to annoy them. Then, later on, when some of the boys had visited -the Panama Canal, in process of being dug at the time, they ran across -this same young reprobate, and found him associated with a number of -desperate foreigners who were trying to blow up the locks of the canal in -order to effect the ruination of the whole grand project to unite the two -oceans across the isthmus. - -Still later, Rob had run across Jared down in Mexico, where he was having -a hard time of it, having joined forces with some of the rival warring -elements that at the time were smashing things right and left. Whatever -became of Jared, Rob had never learned, nor had he bothered himself very -much over the disappearance of the unscrupulous young rascal. - -And now, to find him trying to steal things from their baggage, was -enough to make them believe the world was a pretty small affair after -all. Of the hundreds of thousands of people in San Francisco it was -certainly queer that Jared, their old-time enemy, should be the one to -attempt this thing. - -"What's this checkered jumper he's wearing mean?" remarked Andy, when he -could find his breath, which had really been taken away by the -astonishing discovery. - -"Looks like Jared might be doing some honest work at last," added Hiram. -"Else he's just put it on to make people believe he belongs here in the -hotel." - -"No, no, that isn't so, Hiram!" hastily cried the wretched Jared. "I'm -really a sort of porter here, you see. I fetch trunks up to guests' -rooms, and all that. Mebbe you didn't know it, but I brought that steamer -trunk of yours here when you were out. That's how I got my first -knowledge some of my old schoolmates had come on to the Fair, because I -read the name of Robert Blake on the same, and Hampton, L. I., ditto." - -"Oh!" said Andy, "and you felt so warmly drawn to your old schoolmates, -Jared, didn't you, that you just couldn't resist sneaking up here when -they were out, and rooting all through their baggage in hopes of picking -up a windfall?" - -The wretched Jared groaned in a way that told how badly he felt, not -because he repented for anything he had done, as Rob well knew, but on -account of having had the ill-fortune to be caught in the act. That was -what pinched the most, though it was not to be expected he would admit as -much; for Jared had always been one of those tricky, whining, cowardly -fellows who make big promises when in trouble, but forget all about them -as soon as the wind blows fair. - -"I'm just sick to get back home again, and that's the truth, I give you -my word it is, Rob!" he said, trying to appear very dejected and humble, -because he knew from past experiences that this was the best way to work -upon the sympathies of these good-hearted former school companions. - -"And ready to rob us so as to get the money to take you there, you mean, -don't you, Jared?" Rob demanded. - -"Oh, it was wicked, I realize that now, but everything has been against -me out here," whined the one who lay on his back on the floor. "I get to -thinking of the folks at home on Long Island and it seems I would go -crazy I want to get back there so bad again. If I ever do, I'm meanin' to -be a different feller than in the past. I've had my lesson, Rob; I've -been kicked around like a dog till I came to hate nearly everybody that -lived. But if I could only have one more chance I'd try awful hard to -make good, sure I would. Oh, I hope you'll believe me, Rob Blake!" - -Now Rob, through so many dealings with this treacherous fellow in the -past, had lost all faith in his possessing the least trait of decency in -his composition. In most bad boys with whom Rob had ever had anything to -do he could discover some sign of decency, even though it required -considerable searching to find it; but upon Jared he had come to look as -worthless. - -All these promises Rob believed were only made with one idea in view, and -this a wild desire to escape the punishment he so richly deserved. - -Caught hiding under the bed after their effects had been searched and -thrown recklessly around, Jared must certainly be treated as a common -thief if arrested, and the management of the hotel would take great -satisfaction in prosecuting him if only to discourage other employees -from copying his example. - -"Let him sit up, boys!" the scout leader told the two who had been -pinning both of Jared's arms to the floor. - -They did as Rob requested, but from the way in which Andy and Hiram -seemed to watch the culprit, meanwhile holding themselves in complete -readiness to hurl their weight upon him at the first show of aggressive -action on his part, it was evident that they attached small importance to -his claim of repentance. - -Rob hardly knew what to do. They had no reason to think well of this -scamp who, in the past, never lost an opportunity to do them an ill turn, -whether in the home town on the shore of Long Island, down at Panama, or -upon the wide plains of Mexico. In Rob's mind there was no shadow of -belief with regard to that promise of reformation, or the gnawing desire -to return home. - -Still, so far as they knew, nothing had been stolen, so that there was no -real reason why they should sink so low as to want to revenge themselves -on Jared. - -He certainly presented a most pitiable object as he sat there and turned -his anxious eyes from one face to another of the four boys with whom he -had gone to school for years, and who now held his fate in their hands. - -"If I got anything, Rob, I meant to make it up to you later on when I -could earn the money," he was saying again, mistaking that serious look -on Rob's face and fearful that he meant to turn him over to the police. -"I'm ready to go back to the farm and work it with the old man. This -thing of knockin' about the world ain't all it's cracked up to be, and -I'm dead tired of going hungry half the time. Let me off, Rob, won't you, -please? It'd nigh 'bout kill the old woman if she learned I'd been caught -tryin' to steal from my schoolmates." - -Like all cowards, Jared, when he found himself face to face with the -consequences of his folly, was ready to play the part of the prodigal -son, and bring in his parents as a reason why he should escape -punishment. Rob and the other scouts knew his mother and father, and -while they had no reason to respect Farmer Applegate, still the fact that -Jared was his son and must have almost broken the hearts of his people at -home, was bound to influence Rob. - -"Get up, Jared!" said the scout leader, shortly. - -Andy gave a grunt of displeasure. He could guess what Rob was about to -do, and felt like expressing his disgust, though it was seldom any of the -boys ventured to differ with Rob, such confidence did they have in his -long-headed policies. - -Hiram simply contented himself with shrugging his shoulders. If Rob -considered it best that they let the contemptible sneak thief off, after -catching him in the very act as it were, well, it must be all right. -Scouts were taught that when a foe was on his back and begging for mercy -they must not be too hard-hearted. Jared was deceiving them, Hiram felt -sure of that, but after all why should they bother with punishing him any -further? - -"Are you meanin' to let me go, Rob?" quavered the fellow, as he managed -to get upon his feet, with the four scouts clustered around him. - -"Yes, because we haven't lost anything through you as far as we can find -out," the scout leader told him, at which Jared's face lost some of its -strained look, and Andy thought he caught some of the old-time crafty -gleam in his shifting eyes. - -"I give you my word for it, Rob, I never took a single living thing," he -hastened to say. - -"Well, we'll make sure of that by taking a look through your pockets!" -declared Rob, sternly. "You don't seem to like that, do you? But make up -your mind that if you start to show the first sign of resistance we'll -not only pile on you, but hand you over to the police afterward without -listening to any more promises. Andy, you tap his pockets, and see what -he's got." - -Andy did not hesitate an instant; indeed, to see the way he started in -one might believe this was an avocation with the scout, and that he had -been employed a long time at police headquarters searching the pockets of -prisoners before they were thrust into cells. - -A number of things were brought to light, which did not possess any -particular interest for the scouts. When, however, from an inside pocket -Andy drew a roll of bills, fastened with a rubber band, Tubby was heard -to give a "whee!" and Hiram nudged Rob in the side as if to say: "See how -he yarned when he vowed he wanted to get back on the farm, but didn't -have the railroad fare East!" - -Andy deliberately proceeded to count the contents of the roll, while the -wretched owner followed his every move, as though he feared that by some -hocus-pocus or sleight of hand process, with which he himself was -possibly familiar, some of the money might take wings and fly away. - -"Just ninety-seven dollars here, Rob!" announced Andy. - -"Yes, that's right," declared Jared, cringing before Rob's look, "and I -earned every cent of that roll by honest days' labor, every cent of it. I -thought I needed just a little more to see me through all the way East. I -was told it'd take about--say a hundred and ten clear. But I c'n wait now -till I get my next wages. I was a silly fool to think to rob my old pals -of the days in Hampton." - -"You never said truer words than those, Jared," Rob told him, plainly, -but with a feeling that nothing the other declared would be believed -under oath, for truth and Jared Applegate had never been friends. - -"But, Rob, I hope now you ain't a-goin' to keep any of my cash roll, or -hand it over to the manager of the hotel. I've been working here quite -some time now, and they treat me white so I'd hate to get bounced when -I'm so near makin' up the amount I need. It's all clean money, Rob, you -believe me, don't you? Look at my hands and see how calloused they are? -That's a pretty good sign, I take it, that I ain't been layin' around, or -playin' cards like I used to." - -He had certainly been doing some sort of hard labor, though Rob was -rather inclined to believe Jared must have been working in the mines with -pick and shovel, and had only come to the city when driven out of the -camp because of some crooked doings. - -"You shouldn't judge everybody by your own standard, Jared," he told the -other. "None of us could be hired to take a single cent of yours, no -matter how you got the money, which is no affair of ours. Give it back to -him, Andy; and I guess you've searched enough to satisfy us he is -carrying away nothing that belongs to us." - -Jared clutched the money as might a miser, and hastened to stow it away -again. - -"And you mean me to go, don't you, Rob? I take it you're too high-minded -to want to have revenge on a poor devil who's down in the world, even if -he has done you dirt in the past. Say I c'n skip out, won't you, Rob? I'm -a changed boy, I tell you; and you'll never be sorry you acted white with -me!" - -"Open the door, Tubby," said Rob, and the fat scout did so, though with -apparent reluctance, for Tubby did not have the slightest faith in -Jared's wonderful reformation, and thought he ought to be punished in -some way. - -"Now go, and I only hope we never set eyes on you again, Jared Applegate. -Only for the fact that you've already brought enough trouble on the heads -of your folks at home I'd be in favor of handing you over to the police -to deal with. Hurry up and leave before I change my mind." - -Jared did not linger a second longer than he could help. He gave each of -the three scouts a look, and although he tried to appear grateful, they -could see that there was the same old crafty gleam in his eyes as though -deep down in his heart there existed not a trace of the desire to reform -of which his lips had boasted. Passing through the open door, he vanished -from their sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - LOTS OF EXCITEMENT. - - -After all that excitement, Tubby could not immediately tear himself away -from his chums. - -"Why, seems as if all the sleep had been chased out of my eyes!" he -declared, as he once more composedly sat down; and of course a general -discussion took place in connection with their past experiences with -Jared Applegate. - -In the end they had to fairly pry Tubby away from that chair, and put him -out of the door, in a friendly scuffle; he protesting to the last that as -he had no expectation of getting a wink of sleep that night, there was no -need of hurrying. - -"Why, it's half-past eleven right now," Andy told him. "We'll be a nice -lot of blinking owls to-morrow unless we hit the hay in a hurry. You come -back when you promised, and join the bunch. Good-night, Tubby!" - -With that the door was closed, and of course the unwilling Tubby found -there was no use trying to change the program; so he headed for the -elevator, smothering a tremendous yawn by the way. - -He made his appearance promptly on time when morning came, and they -started for the Exposition grounds in a squad, all of them filled with -lively anticipations of another great day of sight-seeing. - -Of course the most anxious one of the company was Hiram. His business had -not as yet come to a focus, and he was not at all certain how it might -turn out. The others did not wish to hurry him unduly, for they knew -Hiram to be very set in his ways; but at the same time they gave him -plain hints that he would be unwise to wait too long. - -"They're expecting me any day now," Hiram had explained in answer to -these remonstrances, "and I'm just keepin' 'em on the fence, you see. -When I kinder guess the time's ripe I'll drop in on the company and tell -'em who I happen to be." - -"Hiram means he's engineering a sort of climax," explained Andy; "but the -rest of us will be as mad as hops if he pulls the thing off without -giving us a chance to see the fun." - -"You wouldn't be so mean as that, I hope, Hiram?" pleaded Tubby. - -"What d'ye take me for?" the other had exclaimed, in seeming indignation. -"Guess I ought to know what my duty to my chums is. You'll all have front -seats on the band wagon when the music begins. Consider that as good as -settled, Tubby. I'm having an extra big chair fixed for you, too, so -you'll be comfy." - -Tubby beamed his gratitude, and as they had arrived at the turnstile by -that time the subject was dropped. - -It was decided that they should keep together, for a while at least, -though anyone could see that Hiram was wild to hurry over to where the -Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company had its headquarters adjoining the -field where the airships gave frequent exhibitions. - -The crowd had not begun to make itself felt as yet, so that they found -splendid opportunities to inspect numerous things that attracted their -attention in some of the many immense Fair buildings. - -An hour was spent among the pictures in the art building. Rob enjoyed -this, for he was very fond of paintings, and at some future date he meant -to put in a whole morning here. - -Tubby soon tired of it, and as for Hiram it seemed to be pretty much of a -bore. One whose heart and mind were wrapped up with all sorts of -inventions could not be expected to content himself gazing upon works of -art; they were too tame for his spirit; what Hiram delighted in was the -whirr of machinery, the clack of the aëroplane propeller, and kindred -objects that meant real _work_ for him. - -Just how it happened that about the middle of the morning they found -themselves once more treading the devious ways of the Amusement Zone -neither Rob nor Tubby nor Hiram could somehow understand. They dimly -suspected, however, that the artful Andy must have managed to coax them -in that quarter under a specious plea that he wanted to show them -something wonderful. - -The first thing they knew they were seated in chairs on the moving -platform, and viewing the scenery along the stretch of the Panama Canal, -which had a very realistic look for those who had been there themselves. - -Each chair had a dictaphone attachment connected with the arm, and by -applying this in the proper manner to their ears the occupants were -enabled to hear a description of each section of the great ditch as it -was reached. - -Taken in all, it was a novel experience, and one they enjoyed very much; -though in the end it required the strength of the other three scouts to -drag poor Tubby out of his chair, which happened not to have been -capacious enough for the standard requirements of the fat boy. - -"Honestly," said Tubby, in explanation of his sticking so tight, "I -believe some skunk went and put a piece of shoemakers' wax in that chair; -and I feel that I'm lucky to have saved the seat of my new khaki -trousers. If it had been the old ones there's no telling what might have -happened." - -"H'm! a poor excuse is better than none, they say," muttered Andy; "but -seems like instead of calling these chairs comfortable they might have -added that they were the 'Fat Man's Misery.' But forget it, Tubby; you're -safe and sound again, breeches and all. Come on and see what there is in -this Bedouin Camp. The camels look like it ought to be a heap -interesting." - -The others were not as much taken with the show as Andy. To him it was -all real, and breathed the atmosphere of the desert and the traders' -caravan; but Rob saw how much was tinsel and make-believe, and really -suspected that some of the so-called Arabs talked among themselves in -pretty fair English. - -It happened that shortly after they had issued from this concession, and -Hiram was commencing to show signs of uneasiness, as though wanting to be -off, something came to pass that for the time being made them forget -their plans. - -"Hey! what's all that running about over there?" suddenly exclaimed Andy. -"Mebbe there's goin' to be an Oriental elopement or a wedding? Let's -hurry over and get in line to see!" - -"More'n like a dog-fight," grumbled Hiram; "for I've noticed that in some -of these squalid villages of foreigners they have some ugly yellow curs -hanging around, which I should think the Fair people wouldn't stand for." - -All the same, Hiram ran as fast as his mates to see what was going on. -They made a discovery before they were more than half way to the spot. -Indeed, the loud outcries borne to their ears, as well as the smoke that -came from a building where the signs indicated that a celebrated Egyptian -fortune-teller could be consulted, made this very manifest. - -"Whee! it's a fire!" gurgled Tubby, who was puffing very hard in his -effort not to be left in the lurch by his more agile companions. - -The excitement can be easily imagined in that always thronged section of -the Exposition grounds. Scores of persons, many of them turbaned Arabs, -Turks with red fezzes on their heads, or other foreigners were rushing -this way and that, all wildly shouting, and wringing their hands as -though they expected that a dreadful misfortune threatened that part of -the Amusement Zone. - -The gayly-dressed fortune-tellers were apparently up against a hard -proposition. They could pretend to tell what the future held for others, -but apparently had not been able to foresee such a common everyday -occurrence as their booth taking fire. - -No one seemed to be thinking of trying to do anything. The authorities of -the Fair had provided arrangements for such accidents, and in due time, -doubtless, the fire company would dash upon the scene, ready to pour a -stream of water on the flames. - -But seconds count when fire is seizing hold of flimsy curtains and -woodwork. A minute or two in the commencement of a conflagration means -that it may be smothered before it gets a firm clutch on the building. - -Rob possibly remembered what had happened on that Long Island bay at the -time he and Andy saved the naphtha launch owned by old Cap. Jerry. - -Just then he discovered a couple of local scouts hurrying up. They were -small lads, and might hardly know what was to be done in such an -emergency. Rob seized hold of the first one. - -"Tell me, do you know where the nearest fire extinguisher is fastened; I -remember seeing some around the grounds here?" - -No sooner had Rob put this question to the small scout than his face -lighted up eagerly. - -"That's the ticket!" he exclaimed, shrilly. "I knew there was something a -fellow ought to do! Why, yes, there's one right back yonder, mister. All -you got to do is to grab it off the stand and get busy. I know where -another is further on!" - -With that he darted off, followed by his companion. Rob had not even -waited to hear all that was said. He had his eye on that little -extinguisher immediately, and was leaping toward it, followed by the gaze -of his admiring chums. - -Why, it seemed almost no time at all before the scout leader had wrenched -the extinguisher loose. His first thought was that luck favored him -because lo! and behold it chanced to be one of the same pattern he always -carried aboard his little motorboat, to provide against a catastrophe by -fire. - -Thus armed and equipped, Rob started into the small building from which -the dense clouds of smoke issued, and amidst which tongues of angry flame -were to be seen. - -Andy, Hiram and Tubby followed close on his heels. They had nothing with -which to fight the fire, but somehow seemed to consider it a part of -their duty to back their energetic leader up to the full limit of their -capacity. - -It was, after all, nothing of moment, once Rob got the little stream -started on the flames. The fire had not gained sufficient headway to make -a stubborn resistance of it, and inside of three minutes Rob had it -entirely subdued. - -"Back out, fellows; it's all over!" he managed to exclaim, though half -choked by the penetrating smoke. - -Just as the scouts came out, and by their smiles assured everybody that -there no longer remained a spark to endanger the neighboring flimsy -structures, the fire squad came hustling up. Of course there was a -perfect mob gathered by this time, and Rob found it hard work to try and -make his way through. - -The man in charge of the fire-fighters hunted the scouts up and insisted -on shaking hands with them, a procedure that many in the crowd copied, -greatly to the displeasure of Rob, though Tubby and the others did not -seem to mind it in the least. - -One alert young fellow, who announced that he was a reporter on a San -Francisco daily, tried his best to get an interview with Rob, who -positively declined to say anything except that they were scouts from -Long Island. - -As this persistent newspaperman kept after them, and was seen in eager -conversation with Tubby in the rear, it might be taken for granted that -the fat scout was of a different mind from Rob. Trust Tubby to "blow the -horn" good and strong, especially when he could sing the praises of one -he cared for as much as he did for Rob Blake. - -"Seems like things keep on happening wherever we go," said Andy, after -they had finally managed to shake off the last of the curious crowd, and -retreated to another part of the Zone. - -"It's lucky for some people that such is the case," asserted Tubby, -promptly. "If we hadn't happened to be around I reckon that -fortune-teller's place would have been burned to the ground. Some time we -may be sorry we bothered with it. They're all a lot of fakes, say what -you will." - -Andy chuckled audibly at hearing that remark. - -"You mustn't mind Tubby, fellows," he said, pretending to whisper, though -he knew the fat scout could hear every word plainly; "ever since that -time we were down at Coney Island, and a woman seeress there told him he -had a glorious future as the world's most famous fat man, Tubby has been -sore on the craft. Now, that same wise woman told me I was going to be -the greatest traveler since Livingstone's time. She read my longings and -aspirations, and I often think she could lift the curtain and see into -the future." - -"Aw! you're silly if you believe a single word they say!" burst out -Tubby, with wrath and indignation; but in less than two minutes he was as -amiable as ever; the unpleasant incident was forgotten; for Tubby could -not stay out of humor long, and as Hiram was accustomed to saying, -"trouble and anger slipped from Tubby just like water does from a duck's -back!" - -More people were coming as the morning progressed, though the crowds -would not begin to compare with those that the afternoon and evening -would bring; when the band concerts were an added attraction, with -numerous other events going on in every direction, until one would wish -they could have a thousand eyes and ears so as not to miss anything. - -Rob was tired of the scenes in the Amusement Zone, and ready to suggest -that all of them make a change of base, though he knew it would not be an -easy task to tear Andy away from the sights his heart yearned to keep in -contact with. - -"There's one of the yellow curs we saw in that Indian village," remarked -Tubby; "and some boys are plaguing the life half out of him by throwing -sticks, and trying to round him up. He must have broken loose from the -enclosure where he was confined, and don't know how to get back again. -Look at the way he acts, will you? They'd better go slow, or he'll bite -one of those sillies! Oh, look at him snapping, will you, Rob? Makes me -think of the mad dog that ran through our town last----" - -"Stop that talk, Tubby!" ordered Rob, sternly; but apparently it was too -late, for some one gave a shout, and like magic the cry was taken up -until dozens of frightened voices sent it rolling along the street of the -Zone: - -"Mad dog! mad dog! run for your lives, everybody!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE MAD DOG PANIC. - - -No more dreadful cry can be imagined than the one the four scouts now -heard rising all around them. It made many faces turn deathly white, and -there was a hasty flight on the part of the more timid in order to gain -the shelter of the adjoining walls of the booths. - -Some boys and men also remained, and commenced to pelt the wretched cur -still further with stones, sticks, or anything they could lay hands on, -meanwhile keeping up more or less wild shouting. - -"The fools!" exclaimed Rob, indignantly; "that dog is no more mad than I -am; but they're doing everything they can to make him so. He's already -scared half out of his head with all those things being shied at him. He -snarls and snaps because he's at bay, and the old wolf nature shows then. -All he wants is to get back home somehow!" - -The clamor grew in violence as new voices joined in. Those who came -running up, always eager to see whatever was going on, began to hurl -things at the cringing yellow cur flattened against the wall; though when -the poor beast once started toward them it was amazing to see how the mob -melted away, men falling over each other in their frantic fear of being -bitten. - -Rob was growing more and more indignant. He tried to speak to some of -those nearest him, but he might as well have tried to stop the flow of -Niagara for all the effect his words of expostulation had upon the -shouters. - -Women and children were shrieking in fright, even though they were -apparently safe in the various buildings that lined the sunny street of -the Zone. - -"I just can't stand for this racket!" the others heard Rob say, as he -suddenly left them and sprang forward. - -Immediately loud voices called out, some warning him not to be rash, and -others applauding his daring, for it is always so easy to stand back and -clap hands when some one is taking the chances. - -"Oh! what does Rob mean to do?" cried Tubby, who had seen the mad dog -killed in the main street of Hampton the previous summer, and had a -perfect horror of being brought into personal contact with any animal -suffering from the rabies. - -"He isn't intending to try and grab the beast!" explained Hiram. "Rob -knows better than that, even if the dog is only scared, and not mad. It -would bite him just as quick, I guess, as if it was rabid. Watch and see -what his game is, fellows; Rob knows what he's about, you'd better -believe!" - -Every eye was centered on the form of the boy as he advanced toward the -cowering dog. Rob was snapping his fingers, and acting as friendly as he -could, wishing to assure the beast he had no hostile motive in -approaching. This he did in order to keep the frenzied and tortured dog -from jumping at him before he could manage to put his little plan into -operation. - -At least it held the attention of the dog, though the animal suspected -the genuine nature of his advance, and cowered there watching him, still -snarling viciously. - -It required considerable nerve to keep on in spite of the increasing -growls of the dog at bay. Rob was ready to act in case the beast did -spring toward him, for he certainly had no intention of allowing its jaws -to come in contact with his flesh. - -Most of the shouting had died out by now. Everybody was watching with -held breath to see what that venturesome boy in khaki would attempt. Many -doubtless believed, as they stared with distended eyes, that Rob actually -meant to grapple with the animal and throttle it. - -"It's a burning shame to let a boy try what men might have done!" one -white-faced woman near the other scouts was heard to say; and they could -readily imagine that she had boys of her own at home, of whom she was -doubtless thinking as she watched Rob walking forward into the danger -zone. - -But Rob had another scheme in view. Unarmed, he did not covet an -encounter at close quarters with that yellow dog, whether the beast was -mad or only frenzied with fear. - -In fact, Rob meant to try and cage him, if it could be worked. He -believed that if given a chance the dog would only too gladly slip in -through any opening that seemed to offer him a temporary refuge from all -those shouting tormentors. - -Rob, in taking a rapid survey of the situation, had noticed what seemed -to be a partly finished booth which was being erected for some late -coming concession owner. The small building was almost finished, and had -a door, which he had seen was ajar, though not fully open. - -It was the boy's plan, made up on the spur of the moment, to reach that -door and push it wide open. Then in some fashion perhaps the frightened -dog might be influenced to enter, when the door could be closed, and thus -he would be held in a trap. - -Perhaps Rob's heart beat like a trip-hammer within him as he came close -to that door, and he fancied he saw the dog starting to jump toward him. -He snapped his fingers again and spoke kindly. It may be these -expressions of good-will had a little effect on the beast; at any rate -the advance movement was delayed, though the vicious snarling and whining -continued. - -Then Rob found that he could stretch out his hand and reach the door. He -started to push it open, though it was no easy task. - -Having accomplished this to his satisfaction, he began to back away, -still keeping his eyes on the dog, and ready to seek some friendly place -of safety in case of necessity. - -The dog had seen his action. It must have known that an avenue of escape -had been opened up by the pushing back of that door. Possibly the poor -beast anticipated a safe return to the village where it had been at home -among its kind. - -"Look! it's going to accept Rob's invitation!" cried Tubby, excitedly. - -"Smart dog!" said Andy; "he may save his bacon by that clever move." - -"There he goes in; now what d'ye think of that for a bright trick?" Hiram -shouted. - -That was just what the badgered dog did--slipped along the wall until it -came to the partly open door, and then vanished from view. - -"There goes Rob back! What's he meaning to do now, I wonder?" Tubby -exclaimed, in fresh consternation. - -"He wants to complete the job by shutting the door," explained Andy, who -could grasp a situation like this much better than the stout scout, -because his wits worked quicker. - -All sounds ceased again as Rob pushed along the wall of the new building -until he could reach out his hand. Then the door began to close, faster -and faster until the yawning gap was entirely filled. - -Hardly had this been done than there arose a deafening cheer. Everybody -seemed to be wild with delight, and shook hands with one another in their -excitement. Now that the terrible "mad dog" had been caged, plenty of -weapons would be remembered; and it would be so easy, and safe, to shoot -through the windows of the building. - -"Let's get out of this, fellows!" said Rob, when he managed to worm his -way through the crush and join his mates. - -Tubby frowned as though it was against his principles to run away when -people were wanting to shake hands, and call one a hero; but not wanting -to be left behind the others, Tubby had to go. - -They had not reached a point far distant when the report of several -firearms reached them. Rob shook his head and frowned. - -"That's about the silliest thing I ever ran up against," he said. "The -dog was no more mad than Tubby here is. Those boys pestered him, and got -him scared. Then all that shouting and waving of hands and throwing of -things at him finished the business. It was a foolish scare, and I guess -nine out of ten mad dog hunts are in the same class." - -"Well, they've finished the poor thing now, I guess!" ventured Hiram. - -"It sounds like it the way they're cheering, just as if they've done -something mighty heroic!" added Andy. - -"The only thing worth a cheer," remarked Tubby, emphatically, "was when -our chum Rob walked right at the snarling beast, and took all sorts of -chances of getting bit and clawed up. That needed nerve, let me tell -you!" - -"Oh! not any to speak of," said the scout leader, hastily. "I made sure -to have my eye on a shed close by all the while; and if he'd really made -a jump for me you'd have seen a mighty fine exhibition of high and lofty -climbing. Mad or not, I wasn't meaning to stay there and tackle him, -without a thing to hit him with." - -"But it all worked well, as nearly always happens with you, Rob," said -Tubby; "though once my heart seemed to be up in my throat; that was when -you had to snap your fingers and coax him, Rob. Only for that he'd have -made for you, thinking you meant to strike him." - -"I'm glad it's over," observed Hiram, shuddering. - -"That dog belonged to the Injuns we saw in the village," ventured Andy, -thoughtfully; "and you know Injuns think roast dog is the finest dish -ever. I expect they'll want to claim the remains. Little they'll bother -about any talk of mad dog; it's more likely to be mad Injun when they -find out what's happened." - -And after that they tried to put the latest incident out of their minds, -though Tubby would explode some new idea concerning it every once in a -while, as they wandered about the Fair grounds taking in new sights. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - TAKING IN THE SIGHTS OF THE FAIR. - - -"Well, he's gone, Rob!" said Andy, as they were coming out after an hour -spent in the wonderful Transportation Building. - -"Oh, you mean Hiram?" remarked the scout leader, after taking a -comprehensive glance around. "Well, I've been expecting him to give us -the slip for some time. He held on longer than I thought he would." - -"No trouble guessing where he's bound for," laughed Andy. "That hall -where the latest modern inventions are on exhibition draws him like sugar -or molasses does the pesky flies in summer time. He sticks there nearly -as hard as--well, as Tubby did in that skimpy chair at the Panama show." - -"Bring it nearer home, can't you, Andy, and say about as well as you -_want_ to stick to that Zone of freaks and flimsies and Coney Island -shows," ventured Tubby, with singular quickness, for him. - -"I arranged it with Hiram to stay with us just as long as he could stand -for it," explained Rob; "and that when he did feel he had to go, to call -at the little booth of the tobacconist where we've arranged to meet, not -later than four this afternoon." - -"Remember that, you Andy," warned Tubby, shaking a fat finger in the -direction of the other, "in case we _happen_ to get separated! Accidents -will come along sometimes, you know; and you're likely to feel that call -to the wild again any old time." - -Andy only laughed. Apparently he had a tough hide when it came to -resisting such harmless blunt-nosed shafts as Tubby could launch against -him. - -"I'll keep it in mind, Tubby, I promise you," he remarked; "but after -we've had something to eat, you won't try to keep me any longer. We're -all here to enjoy ourselves according to our bent, you must remember." - -"And your bent runs along the line of the spectacular display of gaudy -tinsel and all sorts of make-believe frauds!" continued Tubby, pretending -to curl his short upper lip in disdain, though truth to tell he rather -enjoyed a little of the same pleasures himself. - -"Have it as you please, Tubby," Andy told him. "To me they're all real, -and when I find myself surrounded by that wonderful foreign atmosphere, -it's just like I'd taken wings and flown over there to Africa, or Asia, -or the islands of the Far East. Rob, make him stop trying to interfere -with my pleasure. Just because one fortune-teller riled him, Tubby sneers -at everything that wears a Turkish fez, a Bedouin bournoose or a Persian -caftan. I guess I know how to sift the chaff from the wheat. And a fellow -who means to be a world traveler some day ought to rub up against these -sort of people all he can." - -Tubby gave it up. He knew nothing he could say would alter Andy's -deep-rooted convictions. Indeed, it was more to get even with him that -the stout scout spoke as he did. - -Later on they hunted up a dining-place where they could secure a fair -meal for their money, at least as good as was to be expected under the -circumstances. - -"Now laugh if you want to, Tubby," said Andy, boldly, after they had -issued forth from the restaurant. "I'm going to break away, and you know -where I'll be heading. You keep Rob company the rest of the day. He's got -a list of things he's fairly itching to see, and it's as long as my arm, -at that. Good luck to you!" - -He hurried off without waiting to hear what Tubby might have to say; but -the latter only shook his head as he caught the amused look in Rob's -eyes, and shrugged his fat shoulders as though ready to give Andy up as -beyond redemption. - -"Let him go and enjoy himself as he feels like," commented Rob. "That's -everybody's privilege when they come to a show as tremendous as this one -is. And, Tubby, I think you're too hard on Andy. I happen to know that -he's been devouring every book on travel and exploration he can find -anywhere. The subject fills his mind." - -"Then he really does mean to make that his life work, Rob? I thought it -was just a sort of cloak, as you might say, to cover his wanting to see -these Oriental humbugs carry on. Fortune-tellers ought to be suppressed -by law; they do lots of harm, I understand, especially where silly people -believe in 'em." - -Rob came very near remarking that, for one who scorned their class, Tubby -himself seemed to be bothered considerably over a certain foolish -prophecy; but on second thought he concluded not to add to the color in -the fat boy's cheeks by embarrassing him. - -Being now free from the two chums who had such peculiar and strong -notions as to what they wanted to devote all their time to, Rob and Tubby -started in to spend several hours to the best possible advantage. - -They were not merely seeking amusement, but instruction as well; and -there were copious fountains to be tapped within the borders of those -extensive grounds of the wonderful Exposition that would repay the -laborer manyfold for his trouble. - -"I tell you I'm mighty glad I happened to run across you, Rob," Tubby -remarked, for perhaps the tenth time, as they watched the process of the -Government fish hatchery, where millions of eggs were transformed into -tiny objects that looked like animated specks in the water, but which -under proper care would some day be placed in certain lakes or rivers or -in the sea, to add to the prosperity of the nation that was fast learning -how to conserve its food supplies. - -"And I'm just as pleased on my own account," the scout leader told him. -"You see how my two chums are bound to desert me, each crazy along his -own particular line, and bound to follow his pet whim through thick and -thin." - -"Haw! then I'm the only _sensible_ one of the lot, seems like!" grunted -Tubby, with beaming face. "Thank you for intimating as much, Rob. I do -seem to fancy many of the same things that strike you as worth seeing. -'Course I sort of enjoy the humbug of the Zone, but a little goes a great -way. My better nature craves educational value for the time spent in -coming away out here!" - -When Tubby said this so grandly he tried very hard to keep a straight -face; but discovering the gleam of merriment in Rob's eyes, he burst into -a laugh. - -"Well, it's part way true, anyhow, Rob," he declared. "I am having a real -good time keeping up with you, even if we're walking miles and miles, and -my shoes are getting to pinch me something fierce." - -"Let's get somewhere and sit down for a spell," Rob suggested, for he -awoke to the fact that poor Tubby was not built for getting over acres -and acres of ground with all that flesh to carry along. - -"Now, isn't that queer, Rob; but d'ye know I was just going to dare you -to go me a plate of that ice cream over there. We can sit at a table and -get rested while we partake of the stuff. Excuse me for calling it that, -but the chances are against getting anything first-class when you're -dealing with a man who put up an enormous sum to pay for his concession, -and has to get it back somehow out of the public." - -They spent almost half an hour there, watching the crowds and resting. -Then as Tubby declared he felt capable again of almost any exertion, they -resumed their sight-seeing walk. - -"I notice, Rob, that you're working around so as to come on our -meeting-place after a while," suggested Tubby. - -"I was waiting to see if you'd pay attention to that," the other told -him. "I'm glad to find you did. A scout must have his eyes on the alert -all the while if he wants to keep up with the procession, Tubby." - -"Oh! I'm improving right along, Rob; my folks at home tell me that, too. -Time was when my favorite occupation used to be to stretch and yawn. All -that's changed now, for I yawn and stretch, you see. This scout business -does work wonders, doesn't it?" - -But then everyone knew that Tubby had changed wonderfully since he joined -the troop. Considering the handicap under which he labored on account of -his size, and the difficulty he had in doing things that were easy for -his chums, he managed to get along tip-top. Rob always gave him more -credit than the rest when an object they had been laboring to accomplish -had been attained; because the one who overcomes the most strenuous -barriers deserves greater praise than those who have not been compelled -to draw upon their reserve powers. - -They stood there looking up at the vast Triumphal Arch of the Setting -Sun, which, it seemed to Tubby, was the most beautiful thing in the whole -Exposition. It appealed to him in a way he could hardly explain, except -that something seemed to draw him back there again and again. - -"Why, before you came, Rob," he remarked, "I used to just haunt this -place, together with the vicinity of the Column of Progress looking out -on the Marino. I'll see them in my dreams long after all the other -effects of the Fair have faded away. And I reckon now every visitor will -somehow have a certain thing stay with him through all time, as a memory -of the greatest Exposition that ever was given." - -"Step back here, Tubby!" said Rob, as he took hold of the other's sleeve -and drew him swiftly around a corner. - -"Why, what's all this mean?" gasped the stout boy, looking startled. - -"Oh! I saw that hustling newspaper man again," explained Rob, "and I was -afraid he'd corner us and try to worm out something of our past." - -"Shucks! is that all?" said Tubby, in disgust. "Why, Rob, honest to -goodness now, if I didn't think it might be another mad dog scare we were -up against." - -"Well, it was something I dislike almost as much," vowed Rob. "And if he -ever got _you_ cornered I'm pretty sure you'd give him all the details -about that other little happening that would make me look silly in the -paper. Now he's gone, and it's safe for us to step out." - -Tubby shook his head, and sighed. - -"You sure are the queerest fish ever, Rob," he observed, with a -disappointed air. "I never yet ran across the fellow who wouldn't be only -too glad to see a write-up about him in the paper where he was called a -hero, and all that. Why, they'd hurry off to buy a dozen copies, and mail -the same to all the girls they knew. But say, whenever you do a thing -worth mentioning you try to sneak away as if it was something to be -ashamed of." - -"I don't like it, and that's the only explanation I can give you, Tubby. -Come, let's go into this building, and then half an hour from now it'll -be time to make for our meeting-place so as to pick up the other -fellows." - -"I hope Hiram has made up his mind it's about due to spring his surprise -on the company he's come all the way out here to see and talk with," -Tubby said, as they started into the building mentioned by Rob. - -"I've got a hunch that he will, after to-day, Tubby. I mean to speak with -him about it this very night, and see if it can't be settled to-morrow. -Hiram looks so anxious every little while it's too bad he doesn't take -the bull by the horns and settle the matter once for all." - -When the half-hour was up the two boys issued forth, and headed in the -direction of the tobacconist's booth, which was not a great way off. -Tubby was again feeling tired, and seemed pretty well used up. - -"We'll go home as we did last night, right after eating," suggested Rob. -"Then to-morrow we needn't hurry around, for we'll stay until the gates -close at ten, so as to see the illumination, and the play of the electric -fountains." - -"That suits me first-rate, though I've seen all those things already, and -more than once," the other told the scout leader. - -A few minutes later and Tubby burst forth again. - -"There's the booth we're aiming for, Rob," he declared; "and isn't that -our chum Andy walking up and down like a tiger in its cage? There, he -sees us now, seems like, and he's beckoning. Let's hurry on," and Tubby -actually forgot that he was tired in his eagerness to learn why the other -was showing such signs of excitement. - -"A note from Hiram that he left here for us, fellows," Andy hastened to -say as the others reached his side; "and he wants us to chase around -there hot-footed, because there's something big on the bills." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - HIRAM FACES THE MUSIC. - - -"Read it out, Rob, please," pleaded Tubby, with round-eyed wonder. - -Thus urged, the scout leader proceeded to oblige. - -"This is what he says here," he announced. "'Come around to the aviation -field as soon as you possibly can. Something doing. Guess my chance is -knocking at the door like opportunity that comes once to everybody, they -say. Please _hurry_! - - "'Signed Hiram.'" - -"Do we go, Rob?" gasped Tubby, with intense eagerness in his whole -manner. - -"Without losing a single minute!" declared the other. - -"Well, I should remark," added Andy. "We've been up to our ears -interested in this affair of Hiram's from the day we left home; and we -mean to see him through his troubles to boot." - -"So let's be on the move," suggested Rob. - -"That suits me," breathed Tubby. "You see, I've gotten over my tired -feeling. There's nothing can revive a weary scout half so quick as a -chance to get in the swim. Why, I feel as fresh as a daisy, whatever that -can mean." - -"Well, toddle along with us then, Tubby," said Andy; "and take my -advice--don't talk so much when you're hurrying; it's a bad thing, -because you need every bit of breath you c'n get." - -Evidently Tubby realized this fact for himself, because he subsided from -that moment; all they heard from him were frequent heavy sighs that -accompanied his strenuous efforts to keep at their heels. - -They knew the way to the aviation field, and took as direct a course as -possible when aiming for that favorite portion of the grounds. There -could always be found a large crowd watching the bird-men in their -preparations for going aloft, and making landings after showing what -their airships were capable of doing. - -As a rule most of the spectators were debarred from getting too close to -the aëroplanes, for many reasons; but Hiram had made himself so useful on -former occasions that no one questioned his right inside the ropes. So -also the other three scouts would doubtless be allowed to loiter near the -starting point, where there were always a dozen or two air-pilots -gathered, comparing notes and joking each other after the manner of -daring adventurers, which all of them undoubtedly are, since they take -their lives in their hands every time they ascend. - -Hiram was waiting for them on the border of the great throng of deeply -interested spectators. They saw immediately that the inventor scout was -very much worked up over something or other, and naturally all of the -other boys were deeply curious to know what had happened to excite him. - -Hiram was evidently on the lookout for his three chums, since he beckoned -them over as soon as he caught their eyes. - -"Well, we've come!" said Tubby, breathlessly, as they lined up alongside -the other. - -"Now tell us what's in the wind!" added Andy, impatiently. - -"Something has happened," began Hiram, mysteriously. - -"You said that in your note," grumbled Andy. - -"The Company," Hiram continued, "have been waiting for me to show up, and -they're just so eager to find out what my stabilizer can do that they -can't stand for the delay any longer." - -"Great governor! they don't mean to steal your idea, I hope?" asked -Tubby. - -"Oh, no, I guess not!" replied the other, calmly. "You see they've -applied it to one of their best machines to give it a try-out." - -"Bully! that suits you all right!" urged Andy, enthusiastically. - -"I should say yes!" declared Hiram, with a wide grin. "And if you crane -your necks right now so as to rubber and look up you'll see that same -aëroplane soaring along there!" - -"That monoplane you mean, don't you, Hiram?" asked Andy, after all of -them had taken a good look to where the other was pointing. - -"Yep, she's the one, and my stabilizer's aboard," Hiram went on to tell -them, with a pardonable touch of pride in his voice, though he was -careful that no one else should hear him speaking. - -"Have they tried it out yet, d'ye know?" inquired Tubby. - -"I think the pilot's just starting in now to see what she can do," he was -told. - -"Oh! Did you see him tumble then?" ejaculated the fat boy, gripping -Hiram's arm nervously as he spoke. - -"That was looping the loop," explained the inventor; "lots of pilots c'n -do that trick nowadays; why, I've heard that Beachey even makes two -complete turns. That bird-man up there is second only to Beachey, I'm -told. Watch some more of his bold stunts; and hold your breath, Tubby, -for he'll give you lots of thrills." - -"But I've got to breathe, don't you see," complained the fat scout, who -was already unduly red in the face from his exertions in this line. - -They watched the aviator go through a number of hazardous exploits. It -was doubtless generally known among the pilots assembled that he was -testing some new idea, for he seemed to be closely observed by everybody -within the enclosure. - -Hiram could see that some of the bird-men were pleased, for they nodded -their heads as they exchanged remarks. Fancy how this fact thrilled the -boy, for it was _his_ invention that interested these veterans among -air-pilots. - -"Now I kind of guess he's exhausted every trick he knows, and is goin' to -come down," said Hiram, presently. "We'd better be gettin' inside, for I -want to be as close as I can when he makes his report to the folks." - -Accordingly he led his chums inside the roped enclosure. He seemed to -have made good with the attendants, for they smiled and nodded to Hiram. -That Yankee "gift of gab" which Hiram possessed was very apt to get him -into the good graces of those upon whom he chose to exercise it. - -The scouts presently found themselves in close touch with many of the -participants in the exhibitions that were hourly taking place. Here were -men famous in their line, from aviators to makers of machines. Here also -had collected those who were interested in the future of aviation, and -thinking more or less seriously of embarking in the business. - -As may be expected, the talk was "shop" every minute of the time. No -matter what terrible distress the war over in Europe might be causing, -these enthusiasts could only think and speak of matters that were -connected with the game of rivaling the birds in their flights. If they -mentioned the battles that were taking place day in and day out, it was -only in connection with the exploits of the aviation corps on the side of -the French, the German, the British or the Belgian armies. - -"See that gentleman with the white mustache, the one that looks like a -Kentucky colonel, or an army officer?" whispered Hiram. "Well, that's the -head of the Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company, and the person I expect -to do business with pretty soon." - -"He's a fine looking gentleman, I must say," admitted Rob. "I think -you'll have no trouble making fair terms with him, if I'm any judge of -faces." - -"I'm glad to hear you say that, Rob," breathed Hiram, with a sigh, -"because one minute I think everything looks rosy, and the next I'm -groveling in the dust. But the agony will soon be over. There, he means -to land this time; get ready to stick by me, because I want to be near -when he climbs out of his seat and meets that boss of the whole company -face to face." - -The monoplane came swooping down, and like a great bird with wings -extended, sailed along close to the ground, with constantly decreasing -speed, as the power had been shut off. - -Now the wheels under the frame had come in contact with the ground, and a -dozen eager hands were outstretched to bring the machine to a full stop -on the border of the group. This assemblage was being constantly -augmented by fresh arrivals, all eager to pass the good word with the -pilot, and possibly congratulate him on the fine showing he had just -made. - -Hiram was looking as sharp as a fox as he strained his ears to catch -every syllable that the air-man uttered. - -He leisurely climbed out of his seat and reached the ground. There was a -satisfied smile on his face that sent a wave of delight to the anxious -heart of the waiting boy, to whom the success or failure of this, his -first real invention, meant so much. - -The pilot looked around. He was evidently expecting to make an immediate -report to the gentleman with the white mustache, and Hiram had been very -careful to keep in close touch with that man. - -Yes, the pilot, after exchanging a little badinage with some of his -comrades, immediately pushed directly toward the spot where the four -chums stood. Straight up to the head of the large firm by whom he was -employed the bird-man strode. - -"Well, what is the decision?" Hiram heard the gentleman say, a note of -anticipation in his voice. - -"Decidedly favorable, Mr. Curley. In fact, with only one trial I am -convinced that it is going to be the best stabilizer so far on the -market. You have made no mistake, take my word for it!" - -Rob almost feared Hiram was going to faint. He leaned so heavily against -him, as though for the moment his heart had ceased to beat. And yet, -strange to say, the very first thing the overjoyed inventor did was to -turn and clap his mouth close to the ear of the scout leader and mutter -in trembling tones: - -"By jinks! Did you hear _that_, Rob? Say, I meant to ask 'em just -twenty-five hundred cash for the patent, but she's doubled in price now. -And don't you think they'll pay the five thousand all right, Rob?" - -The Yankee in Hiram was on tap, Rob saw with amusement. At the same time -he hastened to assure his chum that he was well within his rights in -demanding all he thought he could get for his cunning device. - -Evidently Hiram had determined to break the ice while the opportunity lay -within his reach. Long had he waited for this glorious moment to arrive. -By day he had pictured it in a dozen fantastic forms, and while he slept -his dreams must have carried him through numerous interviews with the -powers that swayed the fortunes of the wonderful Golden Gate Aviation -Supply Company. - -He pushed forward a little further. If some of those present noticed the -boy in scout uniform they paid little attention to him, being taken up -with what was passing between the pilot and the builder. - -So Hiram managed to squeeze himself along until he could put out his hand -and actually touch the two central figures in the discussion. - -Rob and the other boys were not quite so fortunate, but being within easy -hearing distance, they believed they would not be apt to miss anything -that went on. - -They saw Hiram put out his hand and give a tug at the coat of the -fine-looking gentleman with the white military mustache. The latter -looked down and was apparently annoyed to see that it was only a youth -who sought to distract his attention. - -"What do you want, boy?" he was heard to ask, impatiently. - -Then Hiram spoke up. If his voice quavered a little that was not -surprising; indeed, in Rob's mind the wonder was that the excited scout -could find his tongue at all. - -"Do you think, Mr. Curley, that the little stabilizer has proved to be -all that was claimed for it, sir?" was what Hiram asked. - -The gentleman stared hard at him. Others who heard his question did the -same, and Rob saw a smile as of amusement appear on the bronzed face of -the noted air-pilot who had just come down, after experimenting with the -device, bringing a favorable report; it was as though he had begun to -smell a rat, and realized what a joke it would be to have a boy invent -such an important appendage to a heavier-than-air flying machine. - -"Why, what business is that of yours, may I ask, boy?" demanded the -business head of the big company, as he continued to stare at the eager, -flushed face of the lad who wore the khaki of a Boy Scout. - -"Oh! Because I happen to be the Hiram Nelson you've been corresponding -with, sir, that's all!" said Hiram. "I used the money you sent me to come -out here, but was a leetle bit afraid to face you. But I guess it's all -right now, Mr. Curley, because I heard your pilot say the thing worked -fine. That suits me; and I'm ready to talk terms with you right away!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - A BOY SCOUT'S TRIUMPH. - - -"What's this you are telling me?" asked Mr. Curley, quickly. "Have you -the proof of what you claim with you, young man?" - -Rob noticed that it was no longer "boy" with the gentleman; Hiram was -evidently climbing in the scales, and rapidly at that. - -"Oh, yes, sir, I've got everything to show you; and my patent right -papers are in the hotel safe ready to be turned over in case we can reach -a bargain." - -The gentleman looked hastily around him. There were representatives of -other makers of aëroplanes present who might endeavor to bid against him -if only they knew he did not as yet have any positive agreement with the -inventor of that successful stabilizer. - -"Please say no more until we are in my office, Mr. Nelson," he remarked, -softly; "and if you have the time now we might as well adjourn there. -I'll ask a few of my people to accompany us, as well as this pilot who -has just given your little trick its first try out." - -"I'll be glad to enter into a talk with you, Mr. Curley," declared Hiram; -"but I must insist that my friends, who have come out to the Coast with -me, be along." - -He beckoned to Rob and Andy and Tubby, who immediately started to push -their way through the crowd to where Hiram and the gentleman with the -white mustache stood. - -"Certainly, it is only fair that you should have equal backing with us," -observed the gentleman, whose eyes twinkled with amusement now, as he -began to grasp the situation, and realize that his company was up against -a boy who knew his rights, and was possessed of considerable business -sagacity, as well as inventive talent. - -Accordingly they all headed for some buildings not a great ways off, and -thus it came that presently the scouts found themselves behind closed -doors with Mr. Curley and a number of others. - -The head of the manufacturing firm was frowning a trifle, Rob noticed, -even if there were times when he allowed a trace of a smile to steal -across his face on glancing down at the figure of Hiram Nelson. Rob knew -why this should be so, and he considered that it was only natural. - -As a shrewd business man Mr. Curley realized that Hiram had been too -smart for them. Instead of announcing his presence immediately, and -taking what they chose to offer him for his clever device, the young -Yankee inventor had hung around and waited for the climax to come. He had -heard the favorable report made by the bird-man, and of course that had -strengthened his case. - -The gentleman understood that this unfortunate happening was likely to -cost them dearly, since the inventor, knowing the value of his patent, -would be likely to hold out for a much larger sum. - -"Now, if you will let me see some papers to prove your identity, Mr. -Nelson, we will talk shop with you; and I might as well confess in the -beginning that if you are inclined to treat us fairly we can come to -terms with you; but please consider that only one trial has been given to -your stabilizer; and it may, after all, be of less value than appears at -this moment." - -Hiram needed no second invitation to get busy. He immediately unloaded a -mass of proof upon them to show he was all he claimed, and that he also -had the papers connected with his patent. - -"I am satisfied, so far as that goes," announced the gentleman, as though -desirous of arriving at the most important part of the whole proceedings -as soon as possible. "Now will you please state the very lowest cash -price you will accept to turn the patent over to this company?" - -"Five thousand dollars, sir!" replied Hiram promptly. - -Rob was watching the other's face. He saw something there that told him -Hiram had at least not exceeded the amount which would have been reckoned -a price limit for the invention. Mr. Curley, however, was too good a -business man to show any eagerness in the transaction, though there was -certainly a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes as he seemed to consider -the offer. - -"I am going to be frank with you, Mr. Nelson," he remarked, presently. -"The sum you mention, although somewhat larger than we had contemplated -paying for an invention the value of which has still to be fully proved, -is within the amount we could afford to risk in the hopes of getting a -really dependable stabilizer. Now, if we agree to do business with you, -would you consent to sign a paper here and now to turn over your patent -right entirely to us on the receipt of the sum you mention, five thousand -dollars?" - -Hiram was holding his own remarkably well. He refused to show any signs -of being overwhelmed by his great good fortune, and seemed to be capable -of displaying his customary shrewd Yankee bargaining qualities. - -"I'll agree to do it, Mr. Curley," he said deliberately, "if your company -also makes the bargain so it can't be broken. It mustn't bind only me. -Pay a certain sum in hand, and agree to give me the balance to-morrow, -and I'll sign the paper you speak of, handing over the patent rights -transferred to you when the balance is put in my hands." - -"That's strictly business acumen, Mr. Nelson," said the gentleman, now -smiling broadly, for there was no longer any danger of a backdown, and -the wonderful little invention could not be taken away from them by some -rival and wealthy company; "and with your permission, then, here is an -agreement, in duplicate, with the amount left blank, which I will fill in -according to your proposition; and if everything is agreeable, we will -both sign it in proper form." - -A few minutes later the agreement, filled out as settled upon, was handed -to Hiram to look over before signing. He immediately backed over to where -his three comrades stood. - -"I want you to go over it word for word with me, Rob, and if there's any -sort of hitch or trap, tell me; though I don't expect to find that sort -of thing, because I guess Mr. Curley is too straight a gentleman to try -and take advantage of a boy." - -They weighed every sentence, and fortunately the agreement was very -simple, so it was easily understood. - -"How about it, Rob?" asked Hiram, trying to control himself as best he -could, for he knew curious eyes were upon him, and he did not want any of -the men to believe this was his first venture in the realm of finance, -which in fact was the actual truth. - -"It seems to be all right, Hiram, and I wouldn't hesitate to sign it," -the scout leader advised him. "If you want a witness allow me to put my -signature on it. I'll be proud to know that I've had something to do with -your first real success." - -"Something to do!" echoed Hiram, with considerable emotion, "why, Rob, -you've been my backbone up to now. Only for you I'd have made a botch of -the hull thing. I owe you more'n I c'n ever tell." - -He went back to where Mr. Curley was waiting, a little anxiously Rob saw, -as if he feared Hiram might be overcome with greed, and attempt to boost -the price he had already named. - -"I see you agree to give me a check for five hundred dollars right now, -Mr. Curley," Hiram commenced, "to bind the bargain with. Well, I would be -tempted to say I didn't want you to do that, but I know it's a poor thing -to refuse money in hand, and also that it fixes it so neither of us can -back out. So I'll accept the sum, sir, and sign the agreement." - -This he hastened to do, and Rob was called on to add his name as a -witness; then other names were placed upon the agreement, as well as the -duplicate which was to be given into the possession of Hiram as the other -party. - -When that check for five hundred dollars was placed in Hiram's hand he -smiled, and then coolly doubling it up, placed it carefully away in his -pocketbook. - -"That, for a beginning, isn't so bad, Mr. Curley," he said, as the -gentleman was shaking hands cordially with him. "I'm meaning to use every -cent of this money to advance several little schemes I've got started. -Only for my need of cash to push them along mebbe you mightn't have got -that stabilizer without a few bids from other companies; but you sure -treated me white, Mr. Curley, and I wanted you to know I appreciate it." - -Possibly Mr. Curley may have thought that Hiram had worked a pretty sharp -trick on them in hanging around, and learning what they thought about his -invention before disclosing his identity; but then certain things are -allowable in business, and at least he had shown himself capable of -looking after his own interests. - -"If any of your later ideas happen to be in line with our work, Mr. -Nelson," the head of the firm said, "I hope you will give us a look at -them before you approach any rival company. In one way it is a good thing -for an inventor to keep advancing with the firm who first patronized him, -of course, granting that they will meet any price he may be offered -elsewhere." - -"I guess I c'n promise you that, sir," said Hiram, who was very happy, -and at that moment felt drawn toward the fine-looking gentleman who had -treated him so splendidly. - -So the four boys wended their way toward the gates of the Exposition. -Hiram hardly knew whether he was walking on air or on ground. It seemed -to him that his heels must be made of some magical rubber that kept pace -with his ecstasy of mind, for he came near dancing at times, much to the -amusement of Rob. - -"First thing for me to do, fellows," Hiram said, as they reached the -hotel, "is to send a night letter to my folks telling 'em that I've got -the coin. My maw she believed in me right along, but dad he's allers been -kinder skeptical, you know, and used to say I was spendin' heaps of money -on foolishness. Guess he's due to change his tune after this, hey?" - -Rob found that there had been a telegram for him that morning which -somehow he had failed to receive before leaving for the Exposition -grounds. It was a night letter from Professor McEwen in answer to the one -he had sent, signed by the name of Professor Marsh, who was in charge of -the exhibit. - -In this communication, limited to fifty words, the Edinburgh scientist -tried to express the deep satisfaction he felt because Rob and Andy had -successfully filled his place, and handed over that precious packet to -the gentleman in charge, without any accident. He declared that he would -remain until their return home, and that he hoped to be able to thank -them again most heartily. - -The boys were a happy lot that evening. They attended a theater where -there was an instructive show well worth seeing by all scouts. Indeed, -Hiram seemed to have actually grown two inches since morning. - -Of course his chums gloried in his success; so that the rest of their -stay at the City of the Great Exposition was likely to be one long -picnic, with not a single hovering cloud to mar their pleasure. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - HOMEWARD BOUND. - - -On the following day, at the appointed hour, Hiram and his three chums -turned up at the offices of the Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company, -where the final exchanges were made. Hiram handed over his papers to the -new owners of his invention, and received their check for the balance of -the purchase price. - -At Rob's solicitation he proceeded to the city and opened an account at a -bank, against which he could check from time to time as he needed cash in -pursuing his work. - -Then, having now relieved themselves of all source of worry and anxiety, -the four Eagle Patrol members gave themselves up to the full enjoyment of -their holiday. - -What wonders they continued to see as they daily visited the great Fair, -would take volumes to describe. New and amazing things were constantly -cropping up as they prowled hither and thither through devious ways that -up to then they possibly did not know existed. There was a constant -succession of surprises awaiting them with each new day. - -"Why, I honestly believe," Tubby declared many times as they discovered -some display that up to then had eluded them, "everything that was -thought of in the whole world must be included in the exhibits inside -this enclosure. I'll never get over being thankful to Uncle Mark for -fetching me here. And to think that I was given a chance to be with the -dearest chums any scout ever had--that's a whole lot the best thing of it -all. Oh, it was certainly my lucky day when I decided to go up on that -Aëroscope, because only for that we never might have met at all; and just -think what I would have missed." - -"The sight of Hiram here winning his prize for one thing; that was a -spectacle for sore eyes, let me tell you!" remarked Andy. "We're all -proud of him, and we want him to know it too." - -"Then there was that fire scare," said Hiram, "when Rob got the blaze -smothered with that little extinguisher before the regular department -arrived on the spot--don't forget to count that as something, Tubby." - -"And the mad dog chase, with our leader again demonstrating what a scout -should be able to do when an emergency arises," Andy added. "The poor dog -got shot, but there was no human being injured in the panic, which there -might have been only for the handsome way Rob coaxed the cur to slip -inside that inclosure." - -"Yes," added Tubby, anxious to display his view, "and we don't want to -forget about Jared Applegate, either. He gave us something of a racket, -you remember, by sneaking into that room at the hotel, and hiding under -your bed when he heard us coming along the hall." - -"It makes me laugh when I remember how he almost licked Rob's hand, and -promised to be good if only he was let go," said Hiram, rather -disdainfully. - -"That sounds as if you didn't have much faith in Jared's promises to -reform?" said Rob, smilingly. - -"He never meant a word of it, and I know it!" declared Hiram. "I could -see the nasty snap in his eyes just like they used to be. Haven't we -known him to crawl and make all sorts of big promises before, but always -to break the same the first chance he had? Huh! that money in his pocket -was never earned honestly, I'd like to wager; and it won't be used either -to carry him back home." - -"Oh, well, he's left the hotel, which is one good thing," said Rob. "I -thought it was my business to find out this morning, for as we knew him -to be a thief it hardly seemed fair to keep quiet, and not put a flea in -the ear of the management here." - -"He saved you the trouble then by skipping out?" remarked Andy. - -"Yes, I suppose he imagined we might tell on him as a duty, and thought -he had better leave between two days," Rob explained. "Of course, when I -learned he had thrown up his job, been paid off, and was gone, I -concluded it was no use saying anything more about it." - -"Like as not Jared's been doing more than one shady job since he came -here," suggested Hiram, shrewdly, "and he was afraid they'd take him to -task for the same, p'r'aps shut him up in a cell; so he concluded to get -away while the going was good. Well, here's hoping we may never run -across the snake again." - -"I don't know," ventured Tubby. "Seems like there's some queer fatality -about it, but we do come on that scamp in the most re_mark_able ways. -There he was down in Mexico, and before that at Panama. To think that -he'd be out here where the Big Show's going on, and of all places acting -as a porter in the very hotel where we took up our quarters." - -"'The pitcher that goes once too often to the well comes to grief,' they -say," mentioned Rob. "If Jared keeps on bobbing up as he has been doing, -and getting in our way, he'll rue it some time or other." - -As the days came and went, Rob and his three chums certainly managed to -have the time of their lives. If there was one part of that mammoth -Exposition that they failed to investigate it was not because they wasted -any of their time; at least this could be said for Rob and Tubby, who -were most energetic in making the grand rounds. - -As was to be expected, the other two were so wedded to their idols that -it was not an easy task to tear them away; and at times Rob had to insist -on their accompanying himself and Tubby to other parts of the inclosure. - -Andy never tired of watching the quaint scenes in the Zone, where the -tides of humanity from all over the world ebbed and flowed through all -the hours of the day and evening. He dearly loved to just imagine himself -in far-distant lands, close in touch with these brown or yellow people. -And the resolution to become a world traveler when he grew to manhood -seized hold of Andy with renewed vigor. - -As for Hiram, he could not be blamed for haunting that section where his -heart found the greatest charm of the entire Exposition. Here he pored -over the various ingenious inventions fashioned in the clever brains of -the foremost among the nation's talented men and women, from Edison down -to the most humble. - -And Hiram, having already reaped the fruits of his first venture in this -fascinating field of human endeavor, naturally looked forward to the time -when perhaps his name, too, might be linked with those for which he felt -such reverence. - -When Tubby's uncle returned he was well satisfied to go East alone and -leave his nephew in such good hands. - -During the remainder of their stay in San Francisco the boys never once -caught a glimpse of Jared Applegate. If he still remained in the City he -made it a point to religiously avoid meeting any of his former school -companions. - -Rob had determined that he might let the crabbed old farmer and his wife -know they had met Jared while on the Coast, so as to ease their minds, if -they had not heard from their bad son for a long while, though he decided -he would say nothing about the deplorable circumstances under which the -meeting had taken place. - -"I never liked the old farmer and his wife," Rob had said to the others, -when they were discussing the matter their last evening at the Fair, -sitting at their ease, disposing of some ice cream, and watching the -throng pass by. "But I suppose they have feelings like the rest of us, -and in their own way, care for their boy. It would only give them a new -stab to be told that Jared was as bad as ever, and do no good; so I hope -none of you will whisper anything about that little episode." - -Being true scouts, and with malice toward none, the others readily agreed -to do as Rob asked. They could easily afford to forget that unpleasant -adventure, since things had turned out so wonderfully well for them. - -"And to think that this is our last night at the Exposition," said Tubby, -with a vein of despondency in his voice. "I tell you I'm awfully sorry, -much as I want to see the folks at home again. I'll never, never forget -all I've seen out here, let me tell you; for even if half of the -civilized world is at war and killing each other off by tens of thousands -each day, you'd never know it in this beautiful land of peace and -plenty." - -"Hear! hear! Tubby's getting poetical!" exclaimed Andy, pretending to -pound on the table with his fist. - -"Well, it's enough to stir anybody up that's got a soul for things -besides old fakers with red fezzes and turbans, who make out to be -fortune-tellers from Egypt and such places, when the fact is they were -born in Cork or Hoboken!" the other shot back at him. - -"It is the greatest Fair that ever was held," said Rob. "When we get back -home to Hampton we'll tell every boy we know that if he has a chance to -come out here and fails to take advantage of the same, he's missing the -treat of his life, barring none!" - -"We all can subscribe to what you say, Rob," agreed Tubby. - -"And that isn't all," continued the scout leader. "Think of the things -we've been allowed to put through. There was the fetching of that fragile -exhibit all the way across the continent, without any accident. And Hiram -here has struck the first round on the ladder of fame. Even that doesn't -exhaust the list of our pleasures, because we've still got another treat -before us." - -"Meaning the homeward trip, I guess?" ventured Hiram. - -"Yes, when we find ourselves among the mighty Rocky Mountains that the -Canadian Pacific Railroad climbs in passing from Vancouver to the East, -we can feast our eyes on the grandest natural mountain scenery of the -world. As for me, I'm anxious for the time to come when we'll be enjoying -it." - -As they were starting for Vancouver in the morning, with the intention of -passing over the railroad line that pierced the famous Selkirks, it would -seem that Rob would not have long to possess his soul in patience. - -And since they finished with the Great Panama-Pacific Exposition on going -to their hotel that night, it would seem that this is the proper place -for us to say good-by to the four chums. But while our story must end -here, there can be no telling what the future may have in store for Rob -and his comrades of the Eagle Patrol; and if fortune is kind enough to -throw them in the way of further adventures and triumphs, we hope ours -may be the pen selected to place these events before the readers who have -so long accompanied them in their numerous journeys. - - - THE END. - - -[1]See "The Boy Scouts on Belgian Battlefields," also "The Boy Scouts - with the Allies in France." - -[2]See "The Boy Scouts Under Fire in Mexico." - - - - - HURST & COMPANY'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - - - _A Volume of Cheerfulness in Rhyme and Picture_ - - - KINDERGARTEN LIMERICKS - - By FLORENCE E. SCOTT - - _Pictures by Arthur O. Scott with a Foreword by Lucy Wheelock_ - -The book contains a rhyme for every letter of the alphabet, each -illustrated by a full page picture in colors. The verses appeal to the -child's sense of humor without being foolish or sensational, and will be -welcomed by kindergartners for teaching rhythm in a most entertaining -manner. - - _Beautifully printed and bound. In attractive - box. Price, Postpaid One Dollar._ - - - HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES - - By MATTHEW M. COLTON - - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 75c. per vol., postpaid - - _Frank Armstrong's Vacation_ - - How Frank's summer experiences with his boy friends make him into a - sturdy young athlete through swimming, boating and baseball contests, - and a tramp through the Everglades, is the subject of this splendid - story. - - _Frank Armstrong at Queens_ - - We find among the jolly boys at Queen's School, Frank, the - student-athlete, Jimmy, the baseball enthusiast, and Lewis, the - unconsciously-funny youth who furnishes comedy for every page that - bears his name. Fall and winter sports between intensely rival school - teams are expertly described. - - _Frank Armstrong's Second Term_ - - The gymnasium, the track and the field make the background for the - stirring events of this volume, in which David, Jimmy, Lewis, the - "Wee One" and the "Codfish" figure, while Frank "saves the day." - - _Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker_ - - With the same persistent determination that won him success in - swimming, running and baseball playing, Frank Armstrong acquired the - art of "drop-kicking," and the Queen's football team profits thereby. - - _Frank Armstrong, Captain of the Nine_ - - Exciting contests, unexpected emergencies, interesting incidents by - land and water make this story of Frank Armstrong a strong tale of - school-life, athletic success, and loyal friendships. - - _Frank Armstrong at College_ - - With the development of this series, the boy characters have - developed until in this, the best story of all, they appear as - typical college students, giving to each page the life and vigor of - the true college spirit. - - Six of the best books of College Life Stories published. They - accurately describe athletics from start to finish. - - _Any book sent postpaid upon receipt of 60 cents, or we will send the - six for $3.50._ - - - HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text - is public domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific -Exposition, by Howard Payson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPO *** - -***** This file should be named 42086-8.txt or 42086-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/0/8/42086/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Brenda Lewis and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition - -Author: Howard Payson - -Illustrator: Charles Wrenn - -Release Date: February 13, 2013 [EBook #42086] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPO *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Brenda Lewis and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - - - THE BOY SCOUTS - AT THE - PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION - - - BY - LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON - - AUTHOR OF "THE MOTOR CYCLE SERIES," - "THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE EAGLE PATROL," - "THE BOY SCOUTS ON THE RANGE," - "THE BOY SCOUTS AND THE ARMY AIRSHIP," - "THE BOY SCOUTS' MOUNTAIN CAMP," - "THE BOY SCOUTS FOR UNCLE SAM," - "THE BOY SCOUTS AT THE PANAMA CANAL," - "THE BOY SCOUTS UNDER FIRE IN MEXICO," - "THE BOY SCOUTS ON BELGIAN BATTLEFIELDS," - "THE BOY SCOUTS WITH THE ALLIES IN FRANCE," ETC. - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY - CHARLES L. WRENN_ - - - NEW YORK - HURST & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - Copyright, 1915, - BY - HURST & COMPANY - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. Two Scouts on a Motorboat 5 - II. Prompt Work and a Rescue 17 - III. When Luck Came Their Way 29 - IV. A Stunning Surprise 41 - V. Headed West 53 - VI. A False Alarm 65 - VII. Across the Continent 77 - VIII. A Shock at Los Angeles 89 - IX. Turning the Tables on Two Rogues 101 - X. Within the Gates of the Fair 113 - XI. Rob Delivers the Goods 125 - XII. The People of the "Zone" 137 - XIII. A Strange Meeting in the Air 149 - XIV. Four Scouts in the Whirl 161 - XV. Tubby Is Out of His Element 173 - XVI. The Illuminated Fairyland 185 - XVII. Prying Fingers 197 - XVIII. The Thief Under the Bed 209 - XIX. An Enemy of the Past 221 - XX. Lots of Excitement 233 - XXI. The Mad Dog Panic 247 - XXII. Taking in the Sights of the Fair 257 - XXIII. Hiram Faces the Music 269 - XXIV. A Boy Scout's Triumph 282 - XXV. Homeward Bound 293 - - - - - The Boy Scouts at the - Panama-Pacific Exposition. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - TWO SCOUTS ON A MOTORBOAT. - - -"Seems to me, Rob, I ought to know that old tub of a motorboat we're -overhauling." - -"Why, yes, Andy, it's Captain Jerry Martin's _Sea Gull_. Time was when -she had a reputation for speed, but her engine is a back number now." - -"Huh! that must have been away in Noah's time, I reckon, Rob. Why, we -could make circles around her, if we chose to drive our little _Tramp_ to -the limit." - -"As we happen to be in no hurry to-day, there's no use making the old -skipper feel that his boat is down and out. With vacation opening up -before us, I've been trying to settle on some scheme for the scouts of -the Eagle Patrol to have a rousing good time this summer." - -"Well, I know where I'd be if I had the cold cash to pay my expenses; -and, Rob, chances are you feel the same way about it." - -"Now, I suppose you're thinking of Tubby Hopkins' great good luck in -having his uncle, Dr. Mark Matthews, the famous globe-trotter, carry him -off three days ago for an extended trip to the big show out in -California?" - -"Just what was on my mind, Rob. I don't believe I ever wished so much for -anything as a chance to hike away out to the Pacific. Nothing comes my -way any more, seems like. Some of us scouts were lucky enough to have our -turn down in Mexico that time Tubby's uncle was taken sick, and couldn't -get there to meet his old friend, General Villa, so as to dispose of the -cattle on his ranch before they were stolen by the raiding Mexican rival -armies. How the rest of the boys envied us that glorious trip, Rob!" - -"I admit it was a rare streak of good fortune to have things come our way -as they did," the boy named Rob remarked, as he gave a slight turn to the -wheel of the bustling little motorboat, aboard which he and Andy were the -sole passengers. "We ran up against quite an interesting bunch of -experiences, you remember, Andy, that none of us will ever be apt to -forget." - -"As if that wasn't enough fun for Tubby and Merritt and you," continued -the boy called Andy at the wheelsman, "it came about that you all got a -chance to go across the water to England and Belgium late last summer on -an important mission for Merritt's family, and saw a heap of what was -going on in the fighting zone where the Germans are up against the armies -of France, Belgium and Great Britain."[1] - -"We've shaken hands with ourselves dozens of times since, I give you my -word, Andy, on account of that fine streak of luck. Yes, we did encounter -a whole lot of remarkable adventures over there, and saw sights we'll -never forget. Some of them I wish I could put out of my mind, because -they were mighty unpleasant. But that page is turned down, Andy; and now -the next thing to consider is what we are going to do this summer to make -the time pass happily." - -"Oh! I suppose I shouldn't complain," Andy Bowles continued, trying to -smile away the discontented frown that had settled across his forehead. -"Here, in this good old Long Island town of Hampton, there are lots of -ways a pack of lively up-to-date Boy Scouts can have good times during -vacation. With the big bay at our doors, and a bully little motorboat -like this to go fishing or cruising in, there's no reason for us not to -be hustling most of our spare time." - -"Yes," Rob Blake went on to add, wishing to soothe the ruffled spirit of -his comrade, "and you know what glorious camping trips we can have with a -lot of the boys, just as we used to in other summers. There is the full -Eagle Patrol, except our fat chum, Tubby, who's gone to see the sights of -the Panama-Pacific Exposition, and Merritt Crawford, who expects to be -away for a month and more with his folks." - -"Besides," continued Andy Bowles, as though the fact gave him more or -less solid satisfaction, "all the other patrols are full--eight each in -the Hawk, the Black Fox and the Badger, with a new one forming in the -bargain. Boy Scout activities are at flood-tide around Hampton these -days." - -"One reason for that, I take it," mused the skipper of the little -_Tramp_, "is the fact that through our activities in the past we have -managed to keep our troop in the public eye, more or less. People know -what the Eagles have done, and on the whole they favor their boys joining -the newer patrols. There's been a big change in the young fellows of -Hampton, I'm told, since this Boy Scout movement first came to town." - -When the young leader of the Eagle Patrol made this modest assertion, he -certainly hit the truth squarely on the head. During the last two years -the members of the Eagle Patrol had made a name for themselves in Boy -Scout annals--as the new reader will find out for himself if he cares to -read the earlier books of this fascinating series. - -Among other things they had, through a happy chance, become associated -with certain scientific gentlemen connected with the United States -Government, who were experimenting with a new and secret model for a big -airship patterned somewhat after the famous Zeppelins of the Germans. - -On another occasion they had been enabled to assist in saving the design -of a wonderful submarine, also intended for the use of the Government, -and the secret of which it appeared was coveted by emissaries of a nation -supposed to be hostile to the United States, and desirous of learning all -about such an important discovery that was apt to play an important part -in future ocean warfare. - -Some of the scouts later on were given a chance to pay a visit to the -wonderful canal that was then being dug across the Isthmus--at Panama; -and the record of how they made themselves exceedingly useful while down -there will always be a bright page in the history of the Hampton Troop. - -Mention has already been made by Andy Bowles, the bugler of the troop, of -the trip to Mexico, with its attendant adventures; and also of the -foreign tour undertaken by several of the Eagles on the previous summer, -just when hostilities had broken out between the nations of Europe; and -Belgium, where they were compelled to visit, was torn from end to end -with the mad struggles of warring factions. - -Yes, surely the Eagles could rest upon their laurels from this time on, -and history would accord them the laurel wreath as the most enterprising -patrol known to the Boy Scouts of America. - -Still, what boy is ever satisfied with what has happened in the past? The -present and the near future is what engages his attention and excites his -interest. Even sensible Rob Blake secretly sighed when he contemplated -having to put in the whole summer around the home town while Tubby -Hopkins was having such a glorious time out there on the Coast; and his -other chum, Merritt Crawford, was up in Canada with his folks at a camp. - -It was a beautiful and warm day in the early summer. The sun shone from -an unclouded sky, but there was enough sea breeze to fan their heated -brows, and to make them think that there could be few things equal to -being in a speedy little motorboat, spinning over the surface of that -lovely land-locked bay, with the ocean booming on the outer edge of the -sandy strip to the south. - -They could have quite an extended view from far out in the bay, with the -houses scattered along the shore, and the white sails of pleasure craft -or fishing and clamming boats dotting the water far and near. - -Just ahead of them the old launch that had seen better days was churning -up the water with its noisy propeller, though not making remarkable -headway at that. As the two scouts gradually drew up on the _Sea Gull_, -they made out that besides the ancient skipper there was just one -passenger aboard. - -"Why," said Andy Bowles presently, as this person chanced to turn his -face toward them by accident, "that must be the old gent I saw drop off -the nine-thirty train from New York this morning when I was heading for -your house. Yes, and now I think of it, I heard him ask Dan Trotter at -the station where Judge Collins lived, and how he could get to his house -at the Point." - -"Some friend of the Judge, then," suggested Rob; "and I guess he has a -host of them here and abroad; for he's wealthy, and interested in all -sorts of scientific matters. They say that at his city house in the -winter he entertains, at times, all the big guns from the different -colleges of the world." - -"Which reminds me, Rob. There was an odd twang in this old fellow's -manner of speech that made me think of Sandy Ferguson, the Scotchman who -has the bagpipes, you remember, and always insists in marching in all the -parades in Hampton." - -"Then, perhaps, he's some famous Scotch professor," observed the skipper -of the _Tramp_, "who wants to see the judge so much that he's chased away -out here to his summer home on invitation." - -"He has a red face, wears big glasses, and is scrawny enough for a -Scotchman, anyway," chuckled Andy, "but do you know I always like to -listen to one of the Highland folks talk. It was the 'burr' in his speech -that made me stop and listen as far as I did. He's got it down pat, Rob." - -"Don't say anything more now, Andy; we're drawing up pretty close, and he -might not like it if he thought we were talking about him. That old motor -does make lots of noise, but sometimes it misses, and then there's a -lapse, you know." - -"But they're heading straight for the Point where the Collins Castle is -located, you notice, Rob, so I guess Cap. Jerry is ferrying him across. I -only hope the old tub doesn't take a notion to founder before it gets to -the dock a mile away from here." - -"Oh! it's stood lots of pounding, and only has to be bailed out -frequently on account of leaking like a sieve," Rob said in a low tone. -"Jerry has all that down to a fine point, and just once in so often he -gets busy and lowers the bilge water with the pump he keeps rigged -handy." - -"Excuse me from running around in such a trap," muttered Andy, who was -rather inclined to be "fussy" with regard to everything he handled, and -tried to have his possessions kept up to top-notch condition--what he -himself called "apple-pie shape." - -"The professor is like most Englishmen, for he loves his pipe," remarked -Rob, as he watched the passenger aboard the old launch filling his little -black pipe with tobacco taken from a rubber pouch. "I hope, when he -strikes that match, and then throws it away after lighting up, he knows -enough about motorboats to see that it goes overboard, and not into the -bottom of the craft. Sometimes a leak will spread a film of gasolene over -the bilge water, and there's always more or less danger of an explosion." - -"Yes," added Andy seriously, "there have been a number on the bay the -last three seasons, and two people that I can remember were so badly -burned that they died after being rescued." - -Both of the boys watched with more or less interest, and possibly with -suspended breath, while the red-faced passenger in Captain Jerry's old -launch puffed several times at his pipe, then tossed the match aside. - -"Oh! it didn't go overboard, for a fact, Rob!" gasped Andy; but there was -no time to say another word, for suddenly they saw a flash of flame -spring up aboard the old _Sea Gull_, and in an instant it seemed as -though the launch was aflame from stem to stern! - -Suddenly they saw a flash of flame spring up aboard the old _Sea Gull_. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - PROMPT WORK, AND A RESCUE. - - -Fortunately Rob Blake had wonderful presence of mind in a sudden -emergency. Some boys would have been so badly shocked by what was -happening near at hand, that for the time being, they must have been -unable to make any move toward rendering first aid to the afflicted. - -No sooner did the leader of the Eagle Patrol see that terrible outburst -of fire than he started his little motor on at full speed, heading -straight toward the imperiled launch. - -"Quick! get hold of that fire extinguisher we carry!" he called out to -his companion, who was staring, with open mouth and awe-filled eyes, at -the scene of commotion close by. - -"But, Rob, will the fluid put out a gasolene fire?" exclaimed Andy, -though at the same time hastening to throw back the lid of a locker and -snatch out the brass tube which had been lying there for just such a time -of sudden need. - -"Yes, that's one of its best uses," Rob told him hastily. "It seems to -form a coating over everything it touches that the fire can't break -through. It kills fire. That's where it gets its name. Be ready now to -make use of it when we come up as close as I dare go." - -"Both of the men are overboard, Rob!" announced Andy excitedly, "and -hanging on to the side of the boat. Wow! but isn't she blazing, though? I -can begin to feel the fierce heat even here!" - -"Ready to get busy now!" cried the skipper, as he manipulated his engine -in such a way as to reverse the propeller, and bring the _Tramp_ to a -stop close to the blazing launch. - -Andy was no coward, and could keep a pretty level head when it came down -to doing things; though often he had to be told what to attempt by -someone more masterful than himself. As soon as Rob shouted to him to -start operations, he worked the fire extinguisher with might and main, -and was considerably astonished to discover that just as Rob had said, -wherever the magical fluid struck, it seemed to dishearten the -conflagration, for the flames immediately died out. - -"Whoop! it's doing the whole business, that's right, Rob!" cried the -pleased amateur fire-fighter, as he continued to make judicious use of -his apparatus. "Why, I tell you nothing can hold out, Rob, against this -dandy contraption. Look at it do the work, will you? Oh! it's sure worth -its weight in gold when you need something to save your boat with." - -Indeed, to judge from the magical way in which the threatening fire was -extinguished aboard the old launch, Rob Blake had certainly made no -mistake when he purchased that little fire-fighting contrivance, even -though it did cost him close on ten dollars. - -Rob, seeing that all danger of the fire communicating to the _Tramp_ was -now past, slowly started toward the other boat. His intention was to -rescue the two elderly men who were in the water. To tell the truth, Rob -was very much afraid the passenger may have been seriously burned, and -that in his panic he might release his frenzied grip on the gunwale of -the boat. - -It turned out otherwise, however, for Scotch grit held good, and Rob soon -had the satisfaction of helping both men aboard the _Tramp_. - -They had received a number of burns, and presented rather a peculiar -appearance, since their eyebrows and beards had been badly singed. - -"Fire's all out, Rob!" announced Andy, at this juncture. - -"Then fix it so that we can tow the _Sea Gull_ behind us," the other told -him, "and we'll change our course for the Collins Point yonder." - -"It is verra kind of ye to go to all that trouble," remarked the elderly -man, looking the young skipper of the rescuing boat over from head to -toe, "and I wull not be the one to forget the favor, I assure you, my -fine laddie." - -"I hope you are not seriously burned, sir?" remarked Rob, who saw that -there were signs of the other's clothes having been afire before he -tumbled overboard, possibly urged to this last resort through the -energetic efforts of old Captain Jerry Martin. - -"I sincerely hope not myself," replied the other, as he felt of his body, -and then put up a hand to his blackened face. "I believe I've been well -singed, and that until I grow a new crop of eyebrows I will look like a -scorched rat; which is verra unfortunate, since I am on a most important -errand over in your country. But, indeed, I should be ashamed to -complain, for it might have been a deal worse." - -"And how about you, Captain Jerry?" asked Rob, turning to the subdued -looking old skipper of the disabled motorboat, who had once been an -oysterman, though of late years rheumatism had compelled him to seek -another less strenuous means for making a living on the famous bay. - -"Nawthin' to count much, Rob," grunted Captain Jerry, "but I'm afraid -I'll jest hev to git a new engine aboard the _Sea Gull_ arter this -accident. I knowed she leaked a mite in the connectin' feed pipe, but I -never thought anybody would throw a lighted match down _thar_! I'm glad -to be alive still; and I hopes as how the duckin' ain't agoin' to fotch -on my rheumatiz agin." - -"As I'm altogether to blame for the accident, Captain," said the -passenger, "I shall insist on doing my part toward helping you put in -that new motor. The chances are I will be marooned at my friend's place -now for weeks, until I'm presentable; though what's to be done about -getting that valuable shipment out to our exhibit I am unable to say. -Perhaps Judge Collins may be able to help me decide. It's a verra odd -time to introduce myself, laddies, but I want to know more of ye, and so -permit me to say I am Professor Andrew McEwen, from Edinburgh University, -Scotland." - -"My name is Robert Blake, and my father is connected with the bank at -Hampton. My chum here is of the same name as yourself, professor, Andrew; -but his last name is Bowles. I think his family came originally from -Scotland. We are Boy Scouts, and out for a little cruise just to pass the -time away." - -"Which was a lucky thing for myself, I am sure," remarked the elderly -gentleman, as he squeezed a hand of each of the young fellows. "And if -you will land me at Judge Collins' dock, you will increase the -obligations under which you have placed me." - -"We are heading straight that way, sir," Rob told him. - -Somehow he liked the stranger from the start. He had shrewd, gray eyes -that had been wont, no doubt, to twinkle under bushy eyebrows; but with -these now missing his thin face had an almost comical appearance. Still, -there was a kindly expression to be detected there, as well as the keen -look of a savant. And from the way in which Professor McEwen from time to -time watched Rob, it was evident that he had also conceived a great fancy -to the fine, manly looking boy who seemed to be able to master a crisis -so ably. - -Presently they drew in at the dock, where Judge Collins was awaiting -them. From the fact that the gentleman gripped a pair of marine glasses -in his hand, and had an anxious look on his face, Rob jumped to the -conclusion that he must have been on the lookout for the coming of the -celebrated scientist from abroad, and might have witnessed the details of -the accident and the rescue. - -"I dinna doobt but that ye will have some difficulty in recognizing me, -Judge Collins," called out the Professor, falling back more than ever -into his Scotch dialect in his mingled amusement and chagrin. "My ain -brother wouldna know me with this blackamoor face, _sans_ eyebrows, -_sans_ beard, and fortunate to have saved my eyesight. I am a fearsome -sicht, and feel unco'-unpleasant in the bargain. But thanks to these braw -laddies we were saved from a watery grave, for which baith feel -thankful." - -"You must come up to the house at once and wash up," said the judge -feelingly. "Then I shall ease any suffering with some magical pain -extractor that I chance to have and can recommend. No, please stay with -me a little while, boys, unless you are in a great hurry. I want to hear -your side of the story as well. And Captain Jerry, what can I do to make -you comfortable? An old sailing mate of yours is in the boathouse at -work, and if you will join him shortly I will send something comforting -out to you." - -Rob looked at Andy, who nodded his approval of this idea. Andy had never -before met with a chance to see the inside of the judge's house on the -Point, which, being built of stone, and boasting a few turrets, had come -to be called the "Castle" by most of the baymen. Such a golden -opportunity might not come along again; and, besides, they certainly were -in no hurry, so they could oblige the judge without putting themselves -out at all. - -Shortly afterward they found themselves in the library. Rob had been here -before and even spent some hours examining the myriads of curious things -among the collections which Judge Collins kept at his country house, -where he spent more than half the year entertaining visitors. - -Here the judge made an examination of the burns of the little Scotch -scientist. It was found that beyond a few painful red marks, and the loss -of the hair that had once been on his face, Professor McEwen was all -right. - -He seemed to take his mutilation greatly to heart. - -"It would ha'e been peetifu' eno' at any time to be transformed into such -a scarecrow as this; but think of me on the way out to join some of my -fellow workers in the avenues of science, and taking with me the balance -of our delayed valuable exhibit. Aweel, aweel, the best laid plans o' -mice an' men gang aft aglee. I shall ha'e to hide my diminished head -until Nature restores my looks. Ya maun rest assured I shall not let my -friends see me in this way; they wouldna doobt but that it was the -Missing Link come to light." - -"I shall be delighted," said the judge impulsively, "to have you stay -with me as long as you can spare the time, Professor. It will gladden my -heart more than I can tell you, for the profit is bound to be all on my -side." - -"But whatever am I to do aboot getting that exhibit out to our concession -at the Exposition, now that I shall be utterly unable to attend to it -myself? I wish I could solve that problem; my own discomfort I wouldna -consider so much. In fact, I have undertaken this trip under protest. I -care not a rap or a bawbee as to whether I see the Exhibition or not, if -only I could make positive that my errand had been successfully carried -out." - -"Surely you can send what you are taking there by express, and it will -arrive safely?" suggested the judge. - -"But I gave my solemn word," expostulated the Scotch professor, who -seemed to possess all of the stubborn qualities with which those of his -land are said to be afflicted, "not to let the valuable packet go out of -my possession for a minute, unless I gave it in charge of an equally -responsible messenger. Money would be no object, judge, I assure you, if -only you could find me a gude mon; nane ither would I trust." - -The judge seemed to be pondering. When Andy caught him looking in a -serious fashion in the direction of himself and comrade, somehow he felt -a queer thrill pass through his system, though he did not exactly know -why it should be so. - -Then he saw a smile begin to creep over the face of Judge Collins, as he -nodded his head slowly. Whatever had flashed into his mind, it seemed to -afford him considerable satisfaction. - -"Professor McEwen," he said slowly, but earnestly, "if you are looking -for some trustworthy persons to whom you can delegate your mission, and -do not mind what expense there may be attached to carrying it out, I -believe I can suggest a couple of dependable young chaps who might fill -the bill; they are the wide-awake Boy Scouts who were concerned in your -rescue this very morning. How would you like to talk over that business -with Rob Blake and Andy Bowles, here, Professor?" - - - - - CHAPTER III. - WHEN LUCK CAME THEIR WAY. - - -Andy fairly held his breath in suspense when Judge Collins made that -astonishing suggestion to the little Scotch professor. He had always -known that the judge was a firm believer in the uplift of the Boy Scout -movement, for he had never failed to assist the Hampton Troop by every -means possible. That he would go so far as to recommend two of the scouts -to his friend as responsible enough parties to be entrusted with such an -errand filled Andy with both amazement and delight. - -Professor McEwen's eyes twinkled as he surveyed first the boys and then -their earnest sponsor. - -"I ha'e no doobt but that they are responsible and trustworthy, just as -ye say, Judge Collins," he proceeded to remark presently, with lines of -perplexity visible across his forehead, "and if it were but an ordinary -errand I wouldna hesitate a single instant aboot entrusting it to them. -But I ha'e to consider well before makin' up me mind. The property -belangs to ithers than mesil', ye ken; and it is of a scientific value -beyond compare. In fact, it could not well be replaced if lost in -transit; money wouldna be any consideration in exchange, which is why I -wouldna wish to send it by express." - -"Be kind enough to listen while I relate a few facts concerning this same -Rob Blake, and a couple of his friends," said the judge, smiling, and -shaking his head at Rob when he thought the latter looked as though about -to protest. - -"I should be unco' pleased to hear all you can tell me," declared the -scientist, "for I must confess that from the verra beginning these braw -lads ha'e made a most favorable impression with me." - -And so Rob had to sit there, squirming rather uneasily, while the judge -told of the perilous trip he and several chums had made to the troubled -republic of Mexico, and how they had cleverly managed to accomplish the -delicate mission with which they had been entrusted by Tubby Hopkins' -uncle. - -Then he took up the subject of the tour abroad, where they had been for -days and weeks in the battle zone of the contending armies, managing with -consummate skill to avoid complications, and eventually succeeding in -attaining the object which had been the cause of their undertaking this -perilous mission. - -All this while the little Scotch professor sucked away at his pipe as -though he found great consolation in burning the weed that originally -came from Virginia in the time of Sir Walter Raleigh, and was therefore a -strictly American product. Now and then he would let his shrewd eyes roam -from the face of the enthusiastic judge to the burning one of Rob Blake, -and at such times Andy always noticed that he would nod slightly, as -though better pleased than ever. - -Andy, by the way, was enduring all manner of torture on account of the -suspense; he had had a glorious prospect opened up before him, if only -the curtain would not suddenly fall and shut it out. - -"That is not nearly all that these gallant boys have done," declared the -narrator, after a time. "I could sit here for an hour and tell you -innumerable instances where Rob, and some of his chums into the bargain, -did things that would be counted big under ordinary conditions. Why, it -has come to that pass in Hampton nowadays that when anything beyond the -ordinary is attempted they have to get the scouts interested in it first, -and then people begin to believe it must have some merit." - -"What you tell me is indeed wonderful," declared the professor. "After -that recommendation I am strongly disposed to offer them the carrying out -of my mission if they could see their way clear to accept the task." - -"It would give them a chance to spend some weeks at the Exposition -without incurring any expense, is that the idea, Professor McEwen?" asked -the judge, who looked as happy as though he had discovered some wonderful -bug which had been eagerly sought after for years and years by all -scientists and collectors. - -"Yes, a month, if they cared to stay that long," replied the other, who -seemed to have been fully convinced, and ready to throw the load of -responsibility from his own shoulders to those of Rob and his chum. "The -particulars can be gone over a little later, either to-night, if they -care to see me again, or to-morrow. There is no great need o' haste, -though what I am carrying out to California is being eagerly expected by -my colleagues there." - -"Let me congratulate you, boys, on your good fortune," said the kindly -judge, as though he wished to settle the matter in such a fashion that -there could be no drawing back on the part of the gentleman. He then -shook hands first with Rob and then with Andy Bowles. - -Rob was looking a little pale from excitement, but there was also a happy -glow in his eyes. As for Andy, he could not prevent a wide grin from -spreading over his features. His father owned a livery stable in Hampton, -but was not considered at all well-to-do, so that the boy had never been -able to do more than dream of taking expensive trips. That one down into -Mexico had come like a gleam of golden sunshine, for Tubby Hopkins' old -uncle had footed all the bills. - -"Do I understand you to make this proposition to us, Professor McEwen?" -Rob asked bluntly, not wishing to be laboring under any delusion. - -"Aweel, aweel, I dinna ken how I could do better; and I feel that I am -indebted to ye baith for my life. After hearing what bonny lads ye are, -from my friend Judge Collins here, whose opinion carries great weight wi' -me, I am mair than pleased to offer to stand all the cost of a trip to -California and back; as well as the expense which you will necessarily be -under while seeing the great Exposition in San Francisco. Do ye think ye -can ha'e the permission of the auld folks to take so lang a journey?" - -"There will be no trouble on that score, Professor," urged the judge. -"These lads have so amply demonstrated their sterling ability to look out -for themselves that I really believe Rob's parents would not object if he -wanted to go to hunt for the South Pole, or explore the unknown regions -of tropical Brazil. And so we shall call it settled, I presume, -Professor?" - -"I ha'e made the offer, and shall tak' it hard if they turn it down," -said the peculiar little man of science, whose name, Rob afterward -learned, was known throughout the whole length and breadth of the world -wherever men of intellect gathered to discuss their theories and -discoveries. - -"So far as we are concerned," said Rob, after receiving an entreating -look from the excited Andy, "we are disposed to accept right on the spot, -subject to the reservation that our parents may have the final deciding -of the matter. We will run over here by moonlight to-night, Professor, -and if everything is satisfactory, we will talk matters over with you, -and make all arrangements." - -"That suits me nicely, laddie," declared the visitor pleasantly; "and I -shall ha'e to think mysel' unco' lucky to have found competent and -trustworthy messengers so soon after the necessity arose. I shall look -for ye then this same evening; and I hope that there may be no barrier -thrown in the way of your acceptance of my offer. The mair I see of ye -the better satisfied I feel that I will ha'e no regrets after entrusting -my mission in your hands." - -Soon afterward the two scouts said good-by to the professor, and started -down to the dock. Even in his distress of body and mind, the thoughtful -scientist had not forgotten Captain Jerry; and the boys were entrusted -with a message to him to the effect that ten pounds awaited his -acceptance when he was ready to install that new three-horse-power engine -in his launch. - -The old bayman was glad of the chance to have his wrecked boat towed back -home; and when Rob delivered the message of the professor, the look of -concern on his weatherbeaten face vanished as the mist does with the -coming of the sun. - -All the way across the broad bay the two scouts were jabbering to each -other in connection with the astonishing streak of good fortune that had -just come their way. - -"Seems to me I must be dreaming!" Andy declared for the fourth time. -"Please give me a pinch, Rob, to let me make sure I'm awake." - -"Oh! you'll get used to it by degrees," the other told him, though he -felt somewhat uncertain himself at times, and had to convince himself -that it had all actually happened, and was not the result of a fevered -imagination. - -"Talk to me about luck," continued Andy rapturously, "there never could -happen again such a wonderful combination of things. First, that the -feed-pipe aboard the _Sea Gull_ should be leaking a trifle; second, that -Professor McEwen was aboard the same; then he tossed that lighted match -the wrong way, so instead of going overboard it fell down and slipped -between the bars of the wooden grating into the oil-covered bilge water, -and last of all that we chanced to be close by at the critical moment, -ready fixed with a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, and capable of -hauling the ship-wrecked mariners aboard." - -"Everything of that kind is always a combination of minor happenings that -seem to dovetail in with each other," Rob explained. "In this case it -worked perfectly. All other boats were so far away that there's no -telling what might not have happened." - -"We're getting close in now, and, Rob, there's somebody waving to us from -the dock. Why, it looks like our inventor chum and fellow scout, Hiram -Nelson, the queerest fellow in the Eagle Patrol. He must want us to stop -and take him out for a ride on the bay. You didn't promise him anything -like that, did you, Rob?" - -"Why, no, not that I remember," replied the other slowly; "but now that -you mention him acting as though he wanted to see us so badly, I remember -that Hiram has been talking to me several times lately about some -wonderful secret he was carrying around with him. He said he hoped to be -in a position soon to open up and take me into his confidence; and that -he might have a proposition to make that would give me a great, though a -pleasant shock." - -"You don't say?" chuckled the happy Andy. "Well, seems to me the shoe is -on the other foot just now, and that we've got something to tell Hiram -that will take his breath away for a minute. Look at him dancing around, -Rob! I suppose now he's gone and invented some sort of contraption that -never can be made to work, and he wants to tell you he's saved up enough -hard cash to get a patent on the same. But chances are it'll be money -wasted, because, so far as I know, nothing Hiram has done so far has -proved much of a success." - -"I'm a little afraid it's as you say," added Rob, in a low tone, for they -were now fast nearing the dock where the other boy waited for them, his -face wreathed in such broad smiles that they could easily see his news -was of a pleasant nature. "Three times Hiram has tried to go up in that -aeroplane of his and failed. I hope he's switched his genius off on some -safer track than this sky traveling. But we'll soon know, for here we are -at the dock." - -Andy stood by with the boathook to fend off, and old Captain Jerry got in -readiness to take charge of his launch and pole it along the border of -the bay to the mouth of the creek, up which he had his mooring place. - -When Rob had made the motorboat fast to a cleat on the dock, he joined -his chum, and the two of them advanced toward the spot where Hiram -awaited their coming, his face still betraying the great excitement under -which he seemed to be laboring. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A STUNNING SURPRISE. - - -"He certainly looks all worked up, doesn't he, Rob?" Andy remarked, as he -and his companion found themselves drawing closer to the other scout. - -"Hiram is a queer stick, you remember," the patrol leader told him, -speaking in a soft tone, as he did not wish the other to catch what he -said. "Everybody just knows that he's gone daffy over this craze to -invent something worth while. But unless I miss my guess we're going to -hear some news shortly." - -There was no chance to exchange further remarks, because they had reached -a point close to Hiram. The latter was a rangy sort of chap. He could -talk as well as the next one when he felt disposed that way, but it had -always been a sort of fad with Hiram Nelson to pretend that he was a -_real_ countryman, and many a time had he amused his chums with his broad -accent and his wondering stare, as of a "yahoo" seeing city sights for -the first time. - -Now, however, Hiram apparently was not bothering his head about having -any fun with his fellow scouts. There was an eager expression on his -face, as though he were bursting with the desire to communicate his great -secret to a chosen few of his chums, especially to the patrol leader, Rob -Blake. - -"Been alookin' for you all over town, Rob," he started in to say, as they -joined him. "Took me an awful long time to get track of where you'd gone. -Then just by accident I ran across Walter Lonsdale, who told me he -believed from what Sim Jeffords said, that Joe Digby had seen you and -Andy here hitting it up for the dock, and so he reckoned you must have -gone off on your little _Tramp_. And say, Walter was right that time, -wasn't he?" - -"He certainly was," replied Rob, while Andy Bowles chuckled at the -roundabout way the other admitted he had received his information. - -"Well, Rob," continued Hiram mysteriously, "'course you remember my -telling you that sooner or later I might have somethin' of _vast_ -importance to tell you, something that would give you one of the greatest -thrills ever?" - -"Sure, I remember that," asserted the other, "what about it, Hi?" - -The other leaned closer to the scout leader, and in a hoarse whisper -exclaimed: - -"The time has come now, Rob!" - -"Good enough," said Rob. "Fire away then, Hiram!" - -Hiram cast a rather dubious glance in the direction of Andy. - -"Oh, don't mind me one little bit, Hi!" sang out that worthy cheerfully. -"I'll promise to seal my lips if you give the word, and even being burned -at the stake couldn't force me to squeal a syllable. Say on, Hiram; -you've got Rob and me worked up to top-notch with curiosity, and I know -I'll burst pretty soon if you don't take pity on me." - -"Oh! well, I guess it's all right," the other observed slowly. -"Everybody'll be knowing it sooner or later. You just can't hide a light -under a bushel, anyhow. So I might as well take you at your word, Andy." - -"My word's as good as my bond, Hiram," said the bugler of the troop, with -some show of pride; whereat Hiram laughed softly, as though possibly he -had no reason to doubt that same fact, since Andy would find it difficult -work to get anybody to accept the latter. - -"Let's sit down here on this pile of lumber," Hiram went on to say, -"while I tell you what wonderful things happened. The greatest chance -I've ever struck so far, and you can understand that I'm nigh about -tickled to death over it." - -"Huh! bet you've gone and spent every red cent you could scrape up paying -a patent lawyer to put some wildcat scheme through; and that you've got -the papers in your pocket showing that you've parted from your hard -cash?" - -When Andy recklessly said this Hiram turned and looked reproachfully at -him, and then with his accustomed drawl remarked: - -"Everything we tackle in this world is a chance and a hazard, don't you -know, Andy Bowles? And if inventors, people who have the big brains, and -get up all the wonderful labor-saving devices you read about, didn't -choose to accept risks, why whatever would become of all you ordinary -folks, tell me?" - -Andy shook his head. - -"Give it up, Hiram," he said blankly. "But please go right along and tell -us what you've been and gone and done now. Never mind me. My bark is a -whole lot worse than my bite, anyhow." - -"That's so," Hiram assured him cheerfully. "Well, you guessed right in -one way, Andy, for I have secured the advance notice that a patent is -pending on a clever invention of mine, which is as good as saying it's -secured. But that's only the beginning, the foundation, or, as you might -say, the advance agent of prosperity. The best is yet to come." - -"You're exciting us a heap, Hiram, I admit," muttered Andy, "but I hope -it isn't all going to turn out a big smoke. There's some fire back of -this talk, isn't there?" - -"Wait!" the other told him grimly. "Get ready to soak in this -information, boys. The invention for which I have applied for patent -rights is, as p'raps you've already guessed, in connection with -airships!" - -He waited at that point, as if expecting some expression of surprise and -wonder; so not to disappoint him, and in hopes of hurrying matters along -a little faster, the accommodating Andy gave vent to the one expressive -word: - -"Gee!" - -"Yes, I've been tackling one of the hardest propositions we inventors -have ever run up against," continued Hiram pompously, "and to tell you -the truth it was only through a happy chance that in the end I stumbled -on the key that unlocked the secret. You may know that one of the -obstacles to making aeroplanes popular among the masses has been the -danger attending these air flights. Even the most experienced pilots are -subject to risks that they pretend to make light of. You understand all -that, Rob, of course?" - -"Yes, I know they are delicate affairs at best when used for sailing a -mile above the earth," admitted the patrol leader; "and that a sudden -gust of wind, if it takes the voyager unawares, is apt to bring about -disaster." - -"That's just it," said Hiram triumphantly. "Rob, I've discovered a way to -prevent all these accidents, and made an aeroplane as safe for a novice -to run as it would be for an experienced pilot with a license." - -"If you have done that, Hiram, you've got a feather in your cap!" Rob -told him. "Some of the biggest inventors have been lying awake nights -trying to fix things that way, so as to take away most of the terrible -risk of flying; but so far it doesn't seem they've met with much -success." - -"Wait till they hear from Hiram Nelson, that's all," declared the happy -scout, as he smote himself on the chest in rather a vainglorious fashion, -which, however, the other two boys hardly noticed, for they knew Hiram's -fondness of boasting, as he had always been afflicted in that way. - -"Tell us the rest, Hi," said Andy, just as if it bored him to hear so -much about the "preliminaries," when as the inventor proclaimed the best -was yet to come. - -"All right," said Hiram promptly. "Now you know what the scheme is I can -go on and get deeper into my yarn." - -"Wish you would," muttered Andy, pretending to stifle a yawn back of his -hand, but that was only done in order to hurry the long-winded talker. - -"I call my wonderful invention a stabilizer, because that's the use it's -really intended for," continued Hiram, as though wishing to fully impress -that fact upon their minds. "To tell the truth, I've had the legal -documents showing that a patent had been applied for, quite some time -now, though for reasons of my own I kept it all a dead secret from -everybody. Mebbe yeou fellers may have noticed that I've been looking -kinder mysterious the last month or two? Well, guess with such a -tre_men_jous secret on your mind either of you'd a been equally absent -minded. But that is past now, and I've accomplished my aim." - -"Good!" Andy burst out with. "Let go your bowstring then and shoot, for -goodness sake, Hiram." - -"Well, of course I had it all laid out," continued the other composedly, -as if it was beneath him to pay any attention to these pins that Andy was -sticking into him, "and my first thought was to get in communication with -some enterprising big corporation that manufactured aeroplanes for the -market. All inventors have to sell their first few patents, you know, -so's to get money enough to push other ideas; and if I could pick up a -few thousand that way, why I'd have to let my stabilizer go." - -"Then you've been corresponding with such a company, have you?" asked -Rob, knowing that he could tempt the other to hurry his story in this -way, just as a witness in court is drawn on by a clever lawyer's -questions. - -"Oh! several of them, in fact," admitted Hiram, as if that were only a -minor matter, after all, "but in the end I found that a certain concern -meant strictly business, and consequently I dropped all the rest." - -"Have they actually made you a definite offer for your valuable -invention?" asked Rob, taking considerable more interest in the matter, -now that Hiram's undoubted though erratic genius seemed to be steadying -down with some tangible results. - -"Pretty much that way, I should call it," remarked the inventor, trying -hard to appear natural, though trembling all over with excitement. "They -went so far as to enclose a check big enough to cover all expenses of -myself and a companion--for I was smart enough to say I'd insist on -having company for advice along with me--to run out to their main works, -and talk the matter over with a view to disposing of my patent rights to -the device." - -At that Andy's face lost the look of sneering incredulity that had been a -marked feature of his listening to all this talk. - -"Whew! is that a fact, Hiram?" he exclaimed. "Shake hands on it, will -you? Didn't we always say that some fine day you'd be famous, and make -the Eagles proud to reckon you as a member? A real check, and not on a -sand bank, you mean?" - -"Well, I went right away to Rob's father's bank and saw the president. He -said the check was O. K. and that I could get the hard cash any time I -wanted it. Why, he even called it a certified bank draft, which meant the -money had been set aside in the San Francisco bank for that purpose, -deducted from the account of the Golden Gate Aeroplane Manufacturing -Company." - -"What?" almost shrieked Andy Bowles, "say that again, will you, Hiram? -Must be my mind's so filled with that Golden Gate business I just -_thought_ I heard you mention something like that. Repeat it, please, -Hiram!" - -"Why, the check came from a San Francisco bank, because you see the -company is a substantial concern in California. They make some of the -most famous aeroplanes on the market. If they adopt my stabilizer it's -going to be heard of all over the world. And to think what a magnificent -chance we've got to run out there and take in the great Panama-Pacific -Exposition at the same time, Rob! It's enough to make you think you're -dreaming, eh?" - -"Why do you mention _me_ in the game, Hiram?" demanded the patrol leader, -with a smile on his face, and a knowing wink in the direction of Andy -Bowles. - -"Because, don't you see, Rob, I knew I didn't have a business head on me, -and might get cheated out of my boots if I ran up against a smart lot of -manufacturers; and so I was wise enough to insist that I be allowed to -fetch along a companion. They never put up a single kick against the -expense of the double bill, Rob; but the check covered railroad fare, -sleeper, meals, and hotel bills while there a week, as well as the return -trip to boot. That means they fancy my invention is going to be a big -thing for their house. And, Rob, don't you see, I had you in mind all the -while when I wrote about fetching a companion. I want you the worst kind -to accept my invitation and go to the Fair at my expense. Tell me you -will, Rob!" - - - - - CHAPTER V. - HEADED WEST. - - -When he made this alluring offer Hiram Nelson was astonished to see Rob -turn toward Andy, and that the pair of them actually laughed. Quite -indignant at such a showing of skepticism, Hiram hastened to say: - -"Don't believe a word of what I'm saying, p'raps now? Well, seeing that -your dad reckoned this little paper was worth every cent it called for, -suppose you take a squint at the same, Rob. You, too, Andy, and then -you'll laugh on the other side of your mouth, I shouldn't wonder." - -He flourished the bank draft in front of their eyes, so that both scouts -could see the amount it called for in cash, and that it bore all the -marks of being genuine. - -"Oh! neither of us is doubting anything you say, Hiram," explained Andy -effusively. "The only thing is that Rob here can't accept your generous -offer, that's all." - -"Can't accept?" gasped the other, looking terribly disappointed. "Why -not, I'd like to know; and me countin' on having him along to advise me, -and keep me from being caught napping, or robbed of my valuable papers on -the road." - -"I'll tell you why he isn't able to take the trip to California at your -expense, Hiram," said Andy solemnly. "It's because he's already pledged -himself to go with someone else. Fact is, Hiram, I'm the one who holds -Rob's word." - -"You--agoin' to California, Andy Bowles?" exclaimed the astonished Hiram; -and his incredulous manner told that he doubted the truth of the -assertion, for where could the son of the liveryman of Hampton get all -the money to cover the double expense of such a lengthy trip; certainly -not through any invention _his_ brain had ever conceived; and no boy -could ever hope to save enough out of his spending money for that. - -"Yes, we've just made all arrangements for a month at the Exposition," -said the Bowles boy; "that is, we have to run over to Judge Collins' -place again after supper to-night, and complete the details. We expect to -pull out day after to-morrow, and take a through limited train for New -Orleans first, then across the plains of Texas, and the deserts of New -Mexico and Arizona to Los Angeles." - -Hiram sat there as though changed into stone. He hardly knew whether Andy -was trying to hoodwink him or not; for the other had something of a -reputation as a joker. - -Rob took pity on the poor fellow. - -"It's just as Andy says, Hiram," he observed seriously. "We've had a -wonderful experience when out on the bay. A fire happened aboard old -Captain Jerry's _Sea Gull_ on account of a passenger dropping a lighted -match, so that it caused something of an explosion. The two men, somewhat -scorched, tumbled overboard. We were close at hand, and by using that -fire-extinguishing torch of mine managed to put out the flames before -they'd done much damage. We also hauled Captain Jerry and his passenger -aboard." - -"Well, of all things!" gasped Hiram. "If it don't take you to do wonders, -Rob Blake. Go on and tell me the rest, please. My yarn isn't in the same -class with yours, it strikes me." - -Rob quickly put him in possession of the facts that followed fast on the -heels of the rescue, and their reaching the Castle of Judge Collins. -Hiram continued to shake his head, and draw in long breaths as though -almost overcome with astonishment. - -"The Arabian Nights never was in it with the things that happen to you, -Rob," he exclaimed, when the story was complete. "And so both of you are -expecting to start overland to California right away? Well, I've got -plenty of money right here, and what's to hinder our making it a party of -three?" - -"That strikes me as a good thing, Hiram," said Rob. "We're all scouts and -comrades, after all; and you say you are afraid you'll need advice sooner -or later in dealing with the manufacturers. We'll stand by you, Hiram, -and there's my hand on it!" - -"Bully for you, Rob!" cried the delighted inventor, whose dejected -countenance immediately lighted up. "I was mighty afraid you meant to -leave me out of the excursion party. Stand by me, and I'll do everything -I can to help you. Three ought to be even better than just two, when it -comes to counting noses." - -"You made a remark just now that struck me as queer," said Rob. - -"Tell me what it was, then, and I'll try to explain," Hiram ventured. - -"Well, you spoke of wanting a companion along to keep you from being -caught napping, or robbed of valuable papers on the way; what did you -mean by the last part of that sentence? Have you any idea anyone covets -your papers, and might make an attempt to rob you when you were far away -from home?" - -"Rob, p'raps I'm silly to think that way, but I can't help it," Hiram -confessed. "You see, one of the companies I corresponded with was in New -York. They even sent an agent down here to interview me, and see what I -had got. I never liked that man the least bit. He struck me as a sneak, -and I made up my mind the company was what you might call a snide -one--wanting to steal ideas if they could. I declined to have any -dealings with them, and their agent went away as mad as a hornet, even -threatening that he'd get the better of me by hook or crook." - -"You don't say!" ejaculated Andy. "Then, you must have squeezed his toes, -Hiram; you made him squeal, and show his true colors. I give you credit -for that." - -"Have you heard anything from the company since?" asked Rob, hardly -knowing whether to treat the implied threat seriously, or only as the -ugly remark of a disappointed man who had found that Hiram was too smart -for him. - -"Why, every week I get a few lines from this Marsters, the man who came -to see me, asking if I'm ready to do business with him. There's no threat -in the letter, but there's always something to imply that he's keeping -track of what I'm doing, and expects sooner or later I'll be glad to turn -to him for a sale." - -"And you are afraid that he even knows of your dealings with this Golden -Gate Company out on the Coast, is that it, Hiram?" continued the scout -leader. - -"I don't know what to think," admitted Hiram. "One letter came that I -know had been tampered with. It may be he's got somebody in our -postoffice in his pay." - -"That would be a serious thing if true," Rob told him. - -"It's lucky they didn't keep out the letter that had the bank draft in -it," suggested Andy. - -"They might have done it," Hiram said, "only the company was smart enough -to register that, and it got to me safe and sound. But, Rob, after all -this might only be a big bluff Marsters is putting up. He may never -bother his head about me starting off on this trip, even if he hears -about it through any paid spy in Hampton. And if I've got two good chums -along with me, who's afraid?" - -"All the same," advised Rob, "you'd better keep this thing a dead secret. -We'll agree not to say a word about it to anyone. They can know how Andy -and myself have been lucky enough to get a chance to see the Exposition; -and let people figure you're in the deal, too. We'll do nothing to make -it seem contrary, remember that, Andy!" - -"I'm on, all right, Rob," the other hastened to assure him. - -"First of all," continued Rob, "be careful with that draft. If I were you -I'd hand it over to my father, and then when you want the money he'll -give it to you. Did you think to ask him not to mention it?" - -"Yes, and he said he wouldn't, after I'd shown him the letter. He shook -hands with me, Rob, and said he was as pleased as pie about it--leastways -not in just those words, you know, but it meant the same thing. I'll go -up right away and ask him to take charge of it for fear I may lose the -paper." - -After making arrangements to meet again in the afternoon so as to talk -matters over and lay their plans for starting, the boys went home for -lunch. All of them, of course, were fairly bubbling over with excitement; -and when the story was told of what had happened on the bay, as well as -the wonderful thing that came of the rescue, in at least two Hampton -homes there were proud parents. - -Of course, no one put the least objection in the way of Rob and Andy -taking that wonderful trip. They were thought to be the luckiest boys in -all Hampton; and when the news leaked out every fellow in town flocked -around to hear the particulars. - -That night after supper Rob and Andy rowed over to Judge Collins' and -spent a very pleasant evening with Judge Collins and his distinguished -guest. Professor McEwen went into matters with a thoroughness that spoke -well for his business ability, in spite of the fact of his being a -scientist. - -In the end it was all arranged. Rob and Andy understood just what they -were expected to do in order to carry out the instructions of the -Scottish professor. - -"Come over to-morrow afternoon, lads, and everything will be here ready -for you to take charge of," the satisfied gentleman told them as they -were saying good-night. "The Judge ha'e kindly promised to see to things, -sinc' I'm muckle sore, and hardly in condition to show myself in public. -What I am giving into your charge can be handily carried in your grip; -only I ken ye will want to be chained fast to the same all o' the time -fra start to feenish." - -Since there are so many things waiting to be told that befell the boys -later on, there is really little need of our lingering any longer at this -point than is absolutely necessary. - -On the following afternoon Rob and Andy paid their last visit to the -Point, and when they came away they carried a packet with them which they -seemed to guard most carefully. - -Besides this Rob had in his possession plenty of money to see them out to -the Coast, as well as a letter of credit on a San Francisco bank that -would insure a future supply. - -"And if you should need even more," Judge Collins told Rob in parting, -"wire to me of your necessities and it will be forthcoming, because we -are both determined that you brave lads shall have the time of your lives -while out there." - -The boys made all their arrangements, and when the second morning rolled -around there was quite a host at the station to see them take the morning -train to New York, where they expected to start upon the real journey. - -Sleeping-car berths had been secured in advance to New Orleans, and which -would in fact carry them all the way through, since it was not their -intention to stop over anywhere _en route_. - -Among the relatives and friends who had assembled to see the three scouts -leave for the far-distant Pacific Coast, were numerous members of the -Hampton Troop. Like Rob and Andy and Hiram, these boys wore their khaki -suits, and seemed proud of the badges and medals they had won the -permission to sport. - -Thanks to the caution suggested by Rob, no one appeared to know just how -Hiram came to be in the fortunate bunch. Some accounts coupled his name -with the rescue of the famous scientist who was visiting Judge Collins; -while others were just as firmly convinced that there were only two on -board the _Tramp_ at the time. - -In the end it was set down as something of a mystery which might not be -cleared up until the return of the travelers. They knew that Hiram was a -very secretive sort of fellow, and that even if he accomplished something -calculated to fetch him in money, he would not tell of it until he chose. - -The train drew in at the station, and the three scouts got aboard amidst -a perfect clamor of shouts, above which could be heard the well-known -scout salute. As the conductor gave the signal for them to pull out there -was a scene such as had seldom been witnessed at Hampton; which proved -just how much Rob Blake, the leader of the scouts, was appreciated in his -home town. - -Hardly had they left the outskirts of the town behind when Hiram, who was -sitting just behind Rob and Andy, leaned forward and said in a low tone: - -"I'm not dead sure about it, Rob, but there was a man got aboard this -train that looked a whole lot like that tricky agent I told you about, -Marsters!" - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - A FALSE ALARM. - - -"Andy, would you mind changing seats with Hiram?" asked Rob, upon hearing -what the boy behind him had just said. - -"Not at all; there's plenty of room still," replied the troop bugler, -quickly slipping out and allowing Hiram to take his place, while he -leaned forward over the back of the seat so he could join in the -conversation. - -"Are you sure it was this same man, Hiram?" asked Rob. - -"I only had a quick look at him, and his back was toward me," explained -the nervous inventor, "but I'm most certain it was that agent. He had a -rather odd little limp you see, and this feller did, too." - -Hiram had his hand laid upon his chest. Inside his coat he carried the -precious papers, and just then the boy seemed to be more concerned about -these than he was in connection with the pocketbook that reposed in a -back pocket of his trousers, or the tickets he had in another repository. - -"Well, keep close to both of us, that's all," said Rob. "Even if it is -Marsters, the chances are he's only trying in his mean way to give you a -bad feeling. I don't expect we'll be bothered with him after we get -fairly started on our trip." - -"But what if he tried to steal my papers from me?" said Hiram uneasily. - -"He'd have a hard time doing that, with one of us on either side," -affirmed Andy Bowles confidently. - -"And I wouldn't hesitate a second to hand him over to the police if he -tried any of his games on us," Rob added. - -"It may be he's hired some smart pickpocket to rub up against me when we -get in the jam at leaving the train," Hiram told them, showing that his -mind was active enough to grasp every sort of possibility, no matter how -vague. - -"We'll checkmate him on that easily enough," chuckled Rob. "In the first -place, we don't mean to allow ourselves to get caught in any jam. When we -draw into the station we'll sit tight until most of the passengers have -left. Then Andy here can go and get the particulars as to where our train -is standing that will take us South; for it's all one Pennsylvania -station, you know. And I'll stick close to you every minute of the time." - -"Yes," Andy went on to say, "you know we've got something in Rob's grip -that we have to 'guard with unceasing vigilance,' as Judge Collins said, -because it is of priceless value in the eyes of scientists; and its safe -delivery to the head of the exhibit at the Fair will mean we've earned -our trip." - -Later on, when they finally left the car, Andy hurried off to pick up the -needed information. They had a whole hour before the scheduled time of -starting came, so none of them were anxious with regard to being left. - -Hiram stood there with his bag between his feet, looking to the right and -to the left. He seemed to be in constant fear lest some astonishing -surprise might be sprung upon him. - -"There he is now, grinning at me like an ape, Rob!" he suddenly muttered, -and his voice was certainly anything but firm. - -"So, that is your Marsters, is it?" demanded the other, as he discovered -a slim man standing at some little distance from them, and with a -satirical smile on his dark face. - -"Yes, and don't you think he looks like he'd stop at nothing in order to -get to the end he had in view?" asked Hiram. - -"He looks like an impudent fellow to me," Rob advised, "and according to -my mind he's gone to all this bother just to feel that he's had his nasty -revenge on you for treating him so shabbily. To be beaten in a battle of -wits by a mere boy must have riled Mr. Marsters a whole lot. Depend on -it, he doesn't expect to go any further than this in the game. He's shot -his bolt." - -"What makes you think so, Rob?" - -"The very fact that he's taking all the pains to stand there and let you -see him grinning like an imp," replied the scout leader. "Now, if he -really meant to chase after you on the trip, don't you see he would be -doing everything he could to keep you from knowing he was around, and on -the watch?" - -Hiram, after he had been shown, began to see it that way, too. - -"Seems as though there might be a good lot of truth in that view, Rob," -he admitted. "So let him grin all he wants to. I'll laugh, too, if only -to show the feller that he hasn't made me squirm a whit." - -With that Hiram bent almost double, like a hinge, and seemed to be -tickled half to death over some imaginary joke. He also turned and looked -straight in the eyes of the man he had called Marsters, as if to let him -know he did not care a snap of his fingers about his continued leering. - -"You've settled his case, and cooked his goose for him," commented Rob, a -minute later. "See, there he goes over yonder, and I'll be a whole lot -surprised if we set eyes on Marsters again." - -"But, Rob, I'm determined to act as though I fully expected him to be -creeping around all the time. I'm playing up to the old saying that an -ounce of prevention is worth more'n a hull pound of cure." - -"It's a good idea," was all Rob told him, for just then he saw Andy -hurrying toward them, and from his manner guessed the other must have -obtained the needed information. - -Once they were settled in the sleeping-car, Hiram began to feel better, -though it might be noticed that he eyed every person who came aboard as -though he more than half suspected the revengeful Marsters, baffled in -securing the wonderful invention for his firm, might assume some -marvelous disguise in order to be near the traveling genius, so as to rob -him on the road. - -"We're off!" exclaimed Andy joyously, as the train started, drawn by an -electric motor, and heading through the tunnel that would take them under -the North River to Jersey, and thence across the Hackensack Meadows to -Newark and beyond. - -Everything looked bright and cheerful that morning when the three scouts -began their long journey calculated to land them eventually inside the -portals of the big Exposition on the Pacific Coast, and which was being -held to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal. - -Certainly never before had Boy Scouts been enabled to start forth upon a -trip of such magnitude, and under such happy auspices. With all their -expenses paid, and the grandest possible time looming up ahead of them, -it was not to be wondered at that Rob and his two chums counted -themselves the luckiest fellows on the face of the globe. - -All of them were fond of traveling, and that first day was a constant -picnic for the scouts. It happened that Rob and Andy had been over the -route before, since it was this way they had gone to Mexico when with -Merritt Crawford and Tubby Hopkins. On that occasion they had undertaken -the carrying out of that mission connected with the disposal of the -cattle on the ranch Dr. Mark Matthews, the globe-trotter and explorer, -owned across the Rio Grande, his old-time friend General Villa seeing -that he was properly paid with the funds held by the Revolutionary -party.[2] - -This being the case, they were able to direct the attention of Hiram to -many interesting objects on the way. Hiram had never been a hundred miles -outside of Hampton in all his life; and therefore he stared and commented -continually as the train rushed along through stretches of the country -around Washington and beyond as the day drew near its close. - -Remembering what Judge Collins, as well as the Scotch professor, had told -them in connection with the contents of Rob's grip, they kept it down at -their feet constantly; for they had the whole section, Andy having -promised to occupy the upper berth, as he knew Hiram would feel safer in -company with Rob below. - -"You haven't seen anything suspicious the whole day long, have you, -Hiram?" Rob asked him, as they prepared to go into the dining-car for -their supper, two at a time, and the third staying to look after things, -as well as keep his foot on the precious grip. - -"Well, not that you could really call _suspicious_" admitted the other, -"but seemed like several parties looked right hard at me as they passed -through agoin' to that meal car." - -"Oh, shucks!" said Andy, leaning across from his seat to speak in a low -tone, "that all comes from you being worked up the way you are. Chances -are they must a' seen the budding genius breaking out all over your face -in the shape of freckles, Hiram, and wondered who on earth you could be." - -"Well, I always figger that it's best to be on the safe side, no matter -if other people do make out to snicker at you, and call you timid. It's -poor policy to shut the door of the stable after the hoss is stolen, my -dad says; and your folks would agree with me there, Andy, seeing that -they have a heap to do with hosses. Do I go in with you to grub, Rob, or -wait here for my turn?" - -"I leave that with Andy," Rob remarked indifferently; "if he feels too -hungry to stay here for us to come back, let him take the first show. -Here comes the waiter to give the call." - -Andy immediately said that it pleased him to wait and take his time. - -"I like to be easy in my mind when I'm trying to get the worth of a big -dollar in dinner," he continued, "and if I keep on thinking of you -fellows counting the minutes while I'm gone, it hurries me too much; and -that's bad for your digestion, you know. So skip along, and I'll hug the -seat here till you get back. Make up your mind, Rob, everything will be -safe enough. I'm Johnny on the spot when it comes to standing guard." - -In this fashion all of them managed to get their supper. The night closed -in and the full moon lighted up the wonderful scenery of the valleys they -were speeding through, headed toward the southwest, and into the land of -sugarcane, oranges, cotton and rice. - -Hiram, when he could take his mind away from the fascinating prospect of -doing a lucrative business with the enterprising firm that had invited -him all the way out to the Coast, was full of questions regarding the -wonderful things he expected to see later on when they reached a section -of the country that was radically different from Long Island. - -He had always wanted to visit the South, and this culmination of his -hopes filled him with ecstasy. The presence of such a steady chum as Rob -Blake did much to add to Hiram's peace of mind, it can be readily -believed; for he felt sure that no matter what troubles might spring up -to confront him on the journey, the efficient scout leader would be equal -to any emergency. - -Hiram had the utmost confidence in Rob Blake. It was founded on what he -had seen the other accomplish; and, besides, the things he had heard -concerning that Mexican trip, as well as the journey across to the war -zone of Europe, had added to his respect. - -All that night they boomed steadily on. - -Rob slept with Hiram in the lower berth, and occupied the side nearer the -aisle, so as to ease the nervous chum's mind as much as possible. Like -most new and inexperienced travelers, Hiram hardly slept a wink that -first night; much of the time he had the window-shade drawn back, and lay -there staring at the ghostly objects that could be seen flitting past the -window--cabins, trees, settlements, barns, orchards, rivers and all -manner of things the ever speeding train was passing in its wake. - -When morning finally came they were so well along their way that the -country had taken on a new aspect, and Hiram's interest grew by leaps and -bounds. What was more, since he could still feel that precious packet -inside his coat, where he had at Rob's solicitation pinned it inside his -pocket, Hiram's confidence became much stronger, and the anxious look -began to leave his thin face. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - ACROSS THE CONTINENT. - - -"We ought to be in Los Angeles inside of five hours, boys." - -Hiram had kept his face glued against the window so much of the time -during the long journey, when it happened to be closed, that Andy told -him he was getting a distinct curve to his classic Roman nose. He turned -on hearing Rob make this assertion, after consulting the time-table. - -"Well, for one, I must say I won't be sorry," he admitted, with a sigh. - -"But see here, I thought you were having the time of your life with all -this traveling, and seeing so many wonderful sights?" expostulated Andy. - -"That's all right, I am," admitted Hiram. "Still, a feller can get too -much of a good thing, can't he? Haven't you stuffed yourself more'n once -because you liked the food first-class, and then wished afterward you had -gone slow? Fact is, I just can't sleep while we're ding-donging along -like hot cakes. I want to be on a steady footing for a while, and go to -bed like a civilized human being." - -"But it's been a great trip," said Andy. "Those Injuns at the stations in -Arizona were real true-blood Zunis, all right. I'm mighty glad, though, -we've made up our minds to go back by way of the Canadian Pacific road, -so as to see what the picturesque Selkirks look like." - -"Yes," added Rob, "I've read so much about the Rockies up in British -America I want to see them with my own eyes. The weather will be a whole -lot better than in the southern zone, where it's terrible in summer." - -"Oh! don't let's talk about coming back before we've even got there," -expostulated Hiram, looking unhappy. "I've got an awful lot to do before -I turn my face homeward. I hope it all comes out right, and that the -Golden Gate Company acts square with me." - -"If you get some money, Hiram, I suppose it's all laid out before now in -experiments that you've wanted to start and couldn't?" Andy hinted. - -"Well, what would you have me do with the stuff?" demanded the inventor -indignantly. "I expect to devote my hull life to science. Hoarding money -and discoveries in the realm of science don't go hand in hand. You'll -notice that all the big bugs of professors don't seem to care a lickin' -thing about the cash they gain. What they're after is fame and glory. -Some day--but never mind that now." - -"You were going to tell us we might live to see you famous, eh, Hiram?" -Andy chuckled. "Well, stranger things have happened. Men have become -president of these United States, and those who played with the same as -boys never dreamed such a thing would ever come about. There's always -room at the top." - -"Five hours will soon pass," Hiram went on to say, without paying any -attention to the little slur there seemed to be in this remark on the -part of the other. - -"There's one thing I want to speak to you about," said Rob, his face -assuming a look of gravity that impressed Hiram very much. - -"What, me, do you mean, Rob?" he asked hurriedly. - -"Yes," Rob told him. "Here's what it is. I've noticed that you keep on -putting up your hand every little while, and feeling to see that your -papers are safe inside your coat. It's become second nature with you, the -habit's grown so strong." - -"Well, you told me to keep my mind on that matter, and never to forget -it; and so every time it crops up I guess I feel to make doubly sure. -What is there wrong about that, Rob, tell me?" - -"Only this, Hiram; you're getting so careless that you do it openly, and -in such a way as to attract attention. If a person happened to see you do -it once and then later on saw the movement repeated, his curiosity might -be aroused, so that he would fall into the way of watching how often you -did it." - -"He might, that's so," muttered the disturbed Hiram uneasily. - -"And then the idea would become a conviction that you must be carrying -something very valuable in that inner pocket. You see, if the parties -chanced to be crooked, that would make them figure how they could get -hold of your property. So the very movement which you meant to be a -safeguard would prove your undoing." - -"Rob, I'll try and quit that, if you think it best," promised the other, -apparently more or less impressed with the logic the scout leader had -brought to bear on the subject. - -"That's all very well, Hiram, but I'm afraid your repentance comes too -late to do much good," Rob told him, at which the inventor gave a start, -and into his eyes there crept a look of concern. - -"Whatever can you mean by saying that, Rob?" he asked in a troubled -voice. - -"I'll tell you," said Rob. "I'm afraid that you've already attracted the -attention you wanted to avoid." - -"What! here on this train, in this sleeper?" whispered Hiram, appalled. - -"Don't look up now, when I mention the matter, because they might see -you, for I expect they're watching us. Both of you have undoubtedly -noticed two men who sit back of you, and at the end of the car, one of -them small and stout, the other tall and slim?" - -"Yes," Andy admitted, "the tall one nodded when he passed, and acted like -he wanted to open up a talk with me, but I turned to the window again as -if I was too much taken up with the scenery here to bother." - -"And the stout one nodded to me when he caught my eye," said Hiram. -"'Course I nodded back, but made out not to look that way again." - -"Well, they've been holding considerable conversation in low tones," -explained Rob. "I could manage to glimpse them in the glass at our end of -the car, though they didn't suspect me of spying. Every time either of -you thought to get up, or even turn your heads they made out to be half -asleep, with their eyes shut; but I could see they were talking about -you." - -"Then mebbe that Marsters did send emissaries along with me to try and -steal the product of my brains!" complained Hiram, with compressed lips -and stern demeanor. - -"Oh! that doesn't follow at all," Rob assured him. "These fellows may -just happen to be a pair of hard cases always on the lookout for signs of -a paying haul. When they noticed how you kept feeling of your inside -pocket they guessed from the signs you must have something worth while -hidden away there. Men who make their living from the world by sharp -tricks get to read character wonderfully well." - -"Yes," Andy put in just then, "they say that old and experienced customs -inspectors can tell from a person's looks in nine cases out of ten -whether he or she is trying to smuggle things into the country without -declaring them." - -"What can I do about it then, Rob?" asked Hiram. - -"I've got a plan that would fill the bill," he was told. - -"Yes, go on and tell me, Rob." - -"You come with me into the car ahead. We'll sit in the smoking -compartment for a few minutes if it happens to be empty. There you can -give me your packet, and I'll fasten it inside my coat, handing over some -worthless papers for you to do up as if they were priceless in value, to -pin in your pocket instead. Do you get what I'm telling you, Hiram?" - -"Rob, count me in," the other replied hastily. "It's a good thing, for -even if they did happen to rob me they'd be having their pains for -nothing. When you're ready, give me the tip and I'll follow after you." - -"Andy," Rob continued impressively, "as we pass out you change your seat -so that you're facing the two men. In that way you can seem to be -watching, and they're not so apt to follow after us." - -"All right," muttered Andy; "any time you see fit I'm ready." - -Rob first of all made a little packet with some old letters taken from -his pocket, and which he had been thinking of discarding for some time. -This he could do without exposing his hands above the shelter afforded by -the back of the seat. - -"All ready, Hiram; get up, and seem to be coaxing me to go with you. -Finally, lay hold of my sleeve and pull me. I'll act as if I didn't much -care to accompany you. That will serve to divert attention; and as you -pass the men turn your eyes the other way. If you can be saying something -about some one being glad to see me, it would make them believe we knew a -passenger in one of the forward cars." - -How Rob did look to the small details of everything he undertook! He knew -from past experiences that after all these are what bring success in the -long run. - -Although Rob had told Hiram to turn his head the other way while nearing -the two suspicious men, he himself gave them a nod in passing, just the -salutation one traveler is apt to bestow upon another when they have been -fellow passengers in the same car for hours, perhaps days. - -Rob did that purposely; he knew it would serve to allay any suspicion -that may have been bred in the minds of the men to the effect that their -actions had been observed. - -Once in the car ahead, they found that for a wonder the smoking -compartment happened to be empty. Taking advantage of this chance, Hiram -hurriedly unpinned the packet he had guarded so closely, and gave it into -the possession of his chum. In its stead he secured the dummy in his -pocket. - -All this had consumed hardly two minutes of time. Rob was careful to -notice that not a single soul had passed the door of the compartment; and -as soon as the exchange had been effected he stepped out in order to take -a survey of the car, to find that neither of the two suspicious men had -actually followed them from the other sleeper. - -"That job's finished, and I feel a whole lot easier in my mind," admitted -Hiram. - -"No matter whether I was right or not, there's no harm been done," Rob -told him; "and now, Hiram, see that every five minutes or so you keep on -feeling your coat as you were doing it before. I'm more than curious to -know whether they'll try it or not." - -"Well," chuckled the other, as if amused, "if they don't it isn't goin' -to be for want of chances, I tell you that, Rob." - -"Let's get back to our places," the scout leader added, "because I don't -feel altogether safe away from my suitcase, with all that wonderful stuff -in it the professor said represented so much research and effort that -made it priceless." - -The two men were there as they had left them. Rob again nodded carelessly -when he found that the short man was eagerly watching to catch his eyes; -but he did not stop to enter into any conversation when the other made -some casual remark, only replying over his shoulder as he passed on. - -"They kept talking like a blue streak while you were gone," said Andy, -after the other two had seated themselves. "Twice the tall man stepped -off as if he meant to follow you, but he must have thought better of it, -for he turned back before getting out of the car, and shook his head at -the other one. They are up to something evil, Rob, take my word for it." - -"We only have one more meal aboard the train, and then comes the hotel at -Los Angeles," said Hiram. "I guess we can hold 'em off that much longer." - -"You see how you can overdo things by being too much on your guard, -Hiram," Rob explained. "Only for the way you kept on feeling your pocket -they would never have suspected that Boy Scouts traveling alone could own -anything worth stealing. The best way to do is to make things secure, and -then appear to forget all about them." - -"I will at another time, Rob; but between the way that Marsters acted, -and the caution these people on the Coast impressed on me, it all got on -my nerves. You see, I thought it was only business to tell the Golden -Gate people how Eastern concerns had men buzzing me continually to sell -to them. That made them warn me not to take anyone into my confidence -while traveling. They know some unscrupulous firms would steal an idea as -big as my invention, if they could get away with it. But it's all right -now, and they can whistle for their prize for all I care." - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - A SHOCK AT LOS ANGELES. - - -The time passed, and when one of the waiters passed through to announce -supper, the boys had laid out their program. As before, Rob and Hiram -were to go first, while Andy held the fort for them. - -"Remember and don't leave the seat under any condition while we're gone," -was what the scout leader told Andy. - -"Do you suspect that they might even try to get away with our hand -baggage?" asked the other. "I thought it was only Hiram's pockets they -wanted to explore." - -"If they are thieves nothing is safe from them," explained Rob. "'An -ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.' Keep your foot on my -bag as you sit here. If anybody tries to tempt you to change seats just -say you've got a bone in your leg, and don't care to move around more -than you can help." - -"Sure thing!" chuckled Andy; "it hurts terribly, too; and the only thing -that is able to make me use it is the walk to the dinner--the cake-walk I -call it. Leave it all to me, Rob; I'm frozen to this seat." - -Accordingly, the pair passed along the aisle and headed for the -dining-car. Again the two men did their best to be civil, even nodding -and smiling genially as the two boys passed them. - -"Rob, they're chasing after us!" muttered Hiram, in some little anxiety, -just as he and his chum had entered the next car and were passing along -the narrow corridor. - -"All right, there's no law to prevent them from getting hungry at the -same time we do," replied Rob over his shoulder. - -"But they may choose to sit down with us at the same table, and make -themselves chummy," objected the other. - -"I guess not if we know it," Rob told him. - -"How can we help it without making some sort of scene?" asked Hiram. - -"That's easy enough, if we can pick a table that only accommodates two," -explained the scout leader, "and as we're in the advance, we have our -choice." - -"Oh!" - -Evidently, Hiram was considerably relieved by what his comrade had said. -He once more realized that Rob promised to be equal to the occasion. -Indeed, the record of past achievements should have told Hiram this long -ago; but in the presence of new dangers he was apt to forget what -splendid things Rob had accomplished on other occasions when the tide -seemed adverse. - -Upon entering the dining-car Rob smiled to see that there was just one -table seating two that did not have some one at it. - -"There's our chance, Rob, down at the further end of the car!" said Hiram -hastily, as though he feared the other might not see the table. - -Rob took the chair that placed his back against the partition. This -allowed him to survey the rest of the car. Nothing could have suited his -plans better, for there was a small mirror that he could use to spy upon -the two men who were now sitting facing him, halfway up the car. - -As the meal progressed and evening drew on, the electric lights in the -diner were turned on. Hiram somehow seemed to lack his voracious -appetite. - -"Don't just know what's the cause, Rob," he remarked, when the other -accused him of not disposing of much of the food he had ordered, "it may -be the rocking of the car, which is fierce just now; or else it comes of -my riding backward. I've been told that some people never can stand for -that. But I guess I won't starve to death between now and morning." - -The two men talked a good deal, but then there was nothing suspicious in -that. Rob also noticed that they watched him and companion from time to -time, as if their interest kept on growing. - -When Hiram happened to think of his instructions, and occasionally raised -a hand to feel for his coat in the region of that inner pocket, Rob kept -a close watch on the men. He could plainly see the shorter one nudge his -companion in the side, and say something, for his lips moved. Undoubtedly -he was calling the other's attention to Hiram's suggestive movement, and -while not a lip-reader, Rob could easily imagine him saying half under -his breath: - -"See, there he goes at it again! Just as we decided, he must have -something rich hidden away there. And we're fools if we don't make a big -bid for it!" - -Rob was by this time fully satisfied that the men had evil designs on his -comrade's inside pocket. He was determined to be unusually careful about -riding in a public conveyance while in Los Angeles, since that would give -the rascals a chance to accomplish their purpose. - -"If you're satisfied, Hiram, let's be getting out of here," said Rob, who -had seen the two men getting an extra portion of food, believing that -this might be a good chance to leave them in the lurch, since they would -hardly jump up and accompany the boys, for fear of attracting attention. - -The two scouts quickly arose, seized their hats, and passed along between -the tables, which were pretty generally occupied by that time. Rob took -occasion to keep his eyes on the two men, for several reasons. He even -returned their nods as though no such thing as a suspicion regarding -their honesty had come into his head. - -"They missed that chance, anyhow!" Hiram remarked, as with some -difficulty they threaded their way through the next car, for the train -was making fast time, and things rolled more or less. - -"We've got to keep on the alert all the time if we expect to leave those -smart chaps in the lurch," Rob told him. "You know the old saying, -'eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,' and it applies to us right -now." - -"Then you don't think they've given up all hope yet, Rob?" - -"That kind of men never do until they've exhausted every plan," the scout -leader replied. "I expect that right now they've got some scheme in mind -they mean to spring on us if they get but half a chance." - -Reaching their section in the sleeper, they sent Andy ahead to get his -supper. He told them he was as hungry as a wolf, and would make up for -what Hiram failed to dispose of, so that the company should not get too -rich off what they paid into its coffers. - -After a while the men came in and took their seats. Rob was a little -afraid one of them might be bold enough to push himself upon them. He had -prepared for this during their absence by having Hiram sit alongside of -him next the window, while the other seat was piled high with some of -their luggage, thus offering no chance for a third party to find room. - -But it proved a false alarm. Neither of the men made any advance -whatever, and Rob believed they had figured that action on their part -while on the train might get them into trouble. - -"The time will come when we are in the station at Los Angeles," he told -Hiram. - -"Do you really think so?" asked the other curiously; and it might be -noticed that he did not seem to be trembling any longer; for since his -packet was safe in the possession of Rob Blake, Hiram did not see any -necessity for further worrying over the matter. - -"We must be careful every minute of the time until we reach the hotel," -the scout leader explained. - -"Huh! do you know, Rob, what I've got a good notion to do?" - -"Be reckless, perhaps," chuckled the other, guessing this, perhaps, from -the little boastful strain he detected in the language Hiram used. - -"Why, to be frank with you, Rob, I really feel sorry for those chumps. -They've taken a whole lot of interest in a poor country chap like me, and -it seems a shame they should be bitterly disappointed." - -"Oh! that's the way things set, do they?" continued Rob. "You feel so bad -on their account that you're tempted to give them a chance to steal that -dummy packet you have fastened inside your pocket?" - -"I've gone so far as to take the pin out, you see," chuckled Hiram. "If -they do get busy they needn't have the worry of that to keep them back. -And when you look at it in the right light, Rob, wouldn't that be just -the quickest way to get rid of the slick rascals?" - -"Well, the chances are that if they did manage to lay hands on your -packet, they'd disappear in a big hurry, Hiram." - -"All right, then. Let them make the opportunity, and I'll try to be as -accommodating as possible. You know, Rob, that I'm said to be an easy -mark among the boys of Hampton. I hate to disappoint anybody in the worst -way." - -"Here comes Andy, and he looks as if he has enjoyed his supper -first-rate, too," Rob remarked. "I hope he doesn't let them get him into -conversation for an entering wedge. I forgot to warn him about that." - -Apparently Andy was wise enough on his own account to know the folly of -such a move, as he pushed past the two men, paying no attention even when -one of them plucked at his sleeve. - -"One more hour and we'll be there, the conductor told me," he announced. - -"Then we must be about on time, according to the schedule," said Hiram, -who had worn his time-table almost to shreds by consulting it so often on -the long journey from New York City. - -They proceeded to get all their belongings in shape, so there would be -nothing to delay them, once the station was reached. Rob had decided to -take a carriage to the Hotel Alexandria, and thus avoid all possible -contact with strangers. - -When the porter announced that they were entering Los Angeles there was -considerable confusion, as passengers caught up such of their hand -luggage as had not been already piled near the door by the porter. - -Rob had resolutely declined to let the negro touch his suitcase, though -his liberal tip to the man made him eager to be of some assistance. The -boy knew that at this point there was apt to crop up a crisis; and also -that the good record held up to that time might be shattered through any -carelessness on his part. - -Consequently, he held fast to his grip as he followed Hiram out of the -car, this mode of procedure having all been settled upon beforehand. It -gave Rob a chance to keep his eagle eye on the figure of Hiram; and so -long as he was able to do that he did not believe the other could be -spirited away, or his pocket picked. - -"Look out for getting in a crush, Hiram," Rob whispered in the other's -ear as they passed along the narrow corridor. - -"They went out ahead of us, Rob," Hiram informed him, as he turned his -head. - -"Yes, I know that, but we're going to run up against those men again -before we are out of this scrape," the scout leader prophesied. - -"Well, I'm awful glad we're in at last. That was a long trip, and I'm -tired of the old car," said the one in the lead. "Thank goodness we'll -soon be landed in San Francisco, where my business can be settled, one -way or the other." - -"I see them, Rob!" announced Andy, just then. - -"Yes, and they're waiting for us, just as I thought," ventured Rob. -"We'll push straight on to where we can get a carriage, and then leave -them in the lurch. Above all, nobody must stop to talk; keep walking, and -stick together!" - -"That's understood, Rob!" came from Hiram; while Andy in the rear gave a -grunt as if to signify that he had it all fixed in his mind. - -There was a lively scene as friends rushed this way and that to find -those for whom they were waiting; and as the three scouts walked steadily -along in line, headed for the exit where the carriages were to be found, -the two men suddenly appeared alongside them. - -"Sorry to bother you young fellows," said the tall man, in a low but -commanding voice, "but we are United States marshals, and you must -consider yourselves bound to come with us, for you are under arrest!" - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - TURNING THE TABLES ON TWO ROGUES. - - -"Arrested! Oh! my stars!" ejaculated Hiram, falling to trembling when he -felt the hand of the tall stranger drop heavily upon his shoulder. - -"Whew! this is a warm reception to California for a fact!" burst out -Andy, in considerable consternation, as he dropped his bundles, and stood -there staring at the two mysterious men. - -Rob, too, was somewhat staggered at the abrupt accusation, though he -quickly rallied his senses, and found his tongue. - -"Where's your warrant for doing this?" he demanded of the shorter man, -who immediately flipped back his coat to disclose some sort of nickel -badge pinned to his vest, not giving Rob enough time to make it out. - -"We don't need any warrant, being in the service of the Government," this -worthy assured him in as gruff a tone as possible. - -"But who do you take us for, and what are we accused of doing?" asked -Rob, continuing to keep a firm grip on his suitcase through it all, -though he allowed his eyes to rove around in search of a policeman. - -"Never mind about that, my boy; you will find it all out after we have -arraigned you before the United States Commissioner. We've been watching -your party for some time, and believe we've bagged the right birds. Now, -for your sake, we don't want to make a scene, so we'll just lock arms -with you, and pass out of the station that way to take a vehicle. If you -know what's good for you, pay no attention to any one; and if you attempt -to escape, remember, we're prepared to shoot." - -The tall man at that eagerly thrust a hand through the left arm of Hiram, -who made no resistance. Rob, even in that exciting moment, noticed that -he had managed to get on the side nearest the pocket where the inventor -had placed his valuable papers, now snugly reposing on Rob's person. It -was very significant, to say the least; and Rob began immediately to -discover what Hiram would have called "the nigger in the woodpile." - -"Come on, then, boys," said Rob, "we're in for it, and there's no need of -kicking up any disturbance. We'll go before the Commissioner and prove -our innocence." - -"That's right sensible of you, young fellow!" declared the shorter man, -as he took hold of Rob's arm and escorted him along. - -Other people were pushing past, but were so busy with their own affairs -that they did not seem to pay any attention to the little drama being -enacted on the station platform. - -A minute later and Rob believed the time had come to act. - -"Not that way, son; we're meaning to take a carriage over here," said the -tall man, designating the opposite direction to that in which Rob had -turned. - -"Please yourselves, gentlemen," said Rob, suddenly displaying quite a -different manner. "We've decided that _we_ want to go out this way; and -that policeman standing there has his eye on us this very minute. I think -I had better call him over and ask him to get you to show your colors." - -"That's the stuff!" said Andy, recklessly, all the pent-up indignation -that had been boiling within him breaking loose. - -Had a bomb fallen near them, the two men could not have shown more -concern. They must have realized that their shrewd little game had been -called. - -"Guess we've made a mistake about this business, McGuire!" said the short -man, hastily looking around him as though desirous of discovering a good -opening for flight. - -"Seems that way to me, Colonel; and we'll say good-by to you, boys!" - -"Why, they've gone!" cried Andy, as though he could hardly believe his -eyes. - -Rob had really been on the point of summoning the officer standing there; -but since the rascals had chosen to run and mingle with the out-pouring -crowd, and Rob did not wish to have attention called to himself and -chums, he wisely held his tongue. - -Hiram was laughing to himself as though it struck him in the light of a -good joke. - -"What ails you, Hiram?" asked Andy, not yet able to grasp the situation -sufficiently to see the humorous side of it. - -"I'm only wondering what they'll say when they come to find out how -they've been so badly sold, that's all," replied the inventor, again -indulging in one of his laughing fits. - -"Did they get it?" demanded Rob, instantly, guessing that there was a -reason for all this hilarity on the part of the other chum. - -"Oh! he slicked it out of my pocket the cutest way you ever saw," replied -Hiram. "I felt his hand going in, so I held my breath to give him all the -chance I could; and he did it, too, sure he did!" - -"Got the papers, you mean, don't you, Hiram?" asked Rob. - -"The dummy you made up for me, Rob." - -Then both the others had occasion to smile broadly. - -"Hope they'll enjoy reading those letters the boys wrote me while we were -over in Europe last fall," Rob remarked. - -"I'd give a heap to see them when they find what a wonderful windfall -they've struck to pay them for all their trouble," said Andy. - -"Well, let's get a conveyance and start for the Alexandria without any -more delay," advised the scout leader. - -"Me for a comfy bed to-night," Hiram laughed; "better get a room with -plenty of space for all of us, Rob. After this excitement to greet us on -reaching California, I think it would be as well to stick together till -we've unloaded our cargo, and have our time to ourselves." - -They were soon at the hotel. They were taken up to the fifth floor, on -which were three connecting rooms. - -"High enough up so we needn't be afraid of any one climbing in at the -window," Hiram remarked, after he had first of all taken in the view, -with the late moon just peeping above the mountains in the east. - -"Oh! no danger of those two fellows chasing after us any longer," laughed -Andy. "They got their fill of it, and will pick out somebody besides -scouts for their next victims. Who got bit, I want to know?" - -As everybody laughed and seemed satisfied, it could be set down as -positive that the three scouts were not feeling badly over the adventure -that had marked their introduction to the Coast. - -The night passed without any incident worthy of recording. Hiram declared -that he never knew a single thing after his head touched the pillow; he -was so much in need of a good night's sleep that he must have dropped off -instantly, to be finally aroused by hearing Rob announce it was time for -breakfast. - -They determined to put their valuables in the hotel safe, and spend -several days in and around Los Angeles, though they would not have time -to run down to San Diego and visit the other big exposition which was in -full blast there. - -This they did, and enjoyed every minute of the time, though they were -never long in one place, so many things did they have to see. - -It being Hiram's first chance to look upon tropical vegetation, he was -highly delighted with what he saw in the streets and public gardens of -the bustling city. - -Then they went out to visit an orange grove, and besides that, inspected -numerous enterprises connected with the great fruit-growing belt around -Riverside. This place the boys were ready to declare--with its groves -covering the broad valley, and with the mountains, their tops -snow-covered, looming up beyond--to be the most delightful town on the -face of the earth. - -But the boys came to the conclusion that while all these things were -truly wonderful and especially delightful, they had not come out to the -coast on a pleasure jaunt; and hence no further time should be spent in -this way until they had accomplished the several duties that awaited -their attention. - -"I've made arrangements for seats in the parlor-car with the train -leaving to-morrow morning," Rob announced on the second evening, as they -discussed supper and the many things they had seen since early morning. - -"When will we get to San Francisco then?" asked Hiram. - -"After dark," Rob informed him. "It's more than three hundred miles away, -you know, for California is a big State, especially from north to south." - -"According to that, then, Rob," continued the other, "on the day after -to-morrow we ought to be taking in some of the sights of the World's -Fair." - -"That's our programme," admitted the leader and guide of the expedition, -as he threw down his napkin, and pushed his chair away, in which he was -copied a little reluctantly, perhaps, by both his companions. - -"Excuse me for not asking if you were through, Hiram," said Rob in an -aside, "but honestly I was afraid Andy would founder if he ate any more. -He's developed such an enormous appetite since landing here, there's -liable to be an explosion unless we watch him pretty close." - -"He'll eat up all your spare cash, that's the worst of it," complained -Hiram, who was a little inclined to be close with his money as a rule; -possibly because he had found a pressing need for every dollar in -conducting his numerous experiments, for it costs more or less to -"potter" with schemes along the line of invention. - -Rob only laughed, and it was very evident that this contingency did not -worry him to any great extent. He knew there were ample funds at hand for -all ordinary expenses, with more coming if needed. - -They were off on the morning train, and all through that day enjoyed the -scenery that was spread out before them--through Santa Barbara and on up -until it reached San Francisco. - -That day's journey would never be forgotten by any of the three scouts. -They stored a thousand incidents away in their memories for future -enjoyment. - -As evening came on they knew they must be getting in the vicinity of the -great city that had recovered from the horrors of the earthquake and -destruction by fire with such marvelous speed as to awaken the admiration -of the whole world. - -"You can see the light in the sky whenever the train makes a turn," -remarked Andy to Hiram who, as usual, had his nose glued against the -glass. - -Taking a carriage after they had left the train they soon found -themselves installed at the Fairmont Hotel, which Rob had been told to -patronize by Judge Collins, because of its fine view of San Francisco -Bay, and the Golden Gate, as well as possibly the glimpses to be obtained -of the illuminated towers in the Exposition grounds along the shore. - -It was after nine when they arrived, and of course the boys were not -foolish enough to think of attempting anything until they had slept, and -felt reinvigorated. - -Looking from the windows of the large room they had taken, with two -double beds in it, they went into raptures over the scene. The moon, -though due before long, had not yet risen, and it seemed as though a -million lights dazzled their eyes in every direction, and made it look -like a scene from fairyland. - -And so, in due time, they sought their beds, and slept so close to the -Great Exposition that it would seem as though the whirr of innumerable -wheels in Machinery Hall, or the murmur of the multitude of visitors -roaming about the extensive grounds, must of necessity be borne aloft to -the ears of the three eager lads who had come thousands of miles to view -the wonders of the display. - -But, at any rate, they managed to put in a restful night, and when -morning routed them from their beds, they were in fine fettle to begin -the first day's sight-seeing. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - WITHIN THE GATES OF THE FAIR. - - -"What about those papers of mine, Rob? Had I better take charge of the -same now, or let you continue to keep them?" - -Hiram asked this question as they arose after finishing their breakfast, -and found themselves facing the business of the first day at the -Exposition. The whole city, as far as they could see, was in gala attire. -Bunting and flags were everywhere visible; and it was evident that the -good people of San Francisco, in spite of many great discouragements, -such as the breaking out of the World War abroad, and the failure of the -canal to stay dug on account of the slides, were doing all in their power -to make the fair a huge success. - -"If you leave it with me to decide, Hiram," the scout leader remarked, -"I'd say no to both your propositions." - -"But what's to be done with them, then?" cried Hiram, as though puzzled -by what the other had just said. - -"He means to duplicate our plan down at Los Angeles," spoke up wideawake -Andy. - -"Oh! put them in the hotel safe till they're wanted, is that the idea, -Rob?" demanded the owner of the said packet that had been giving them all -manner of trouble since the time they left San Antonio in Texas. - -"That seems the best scheme, according to my mind," Hiram was told by the -one in whom he felt such abiding faith. "Then, no matter what you find -out about those people you've come to see, the papers needn't worry you." - -"Guess you're right about that, Rob, and it's a go. Just as like as not I -would be doing some fool play, and mebbe losing the precious documents -that are to prove my case with the Golden Gate folks. I'll go to the desk -with you any time you're ready, and see that the clerk gets my property -snugged away in his safe." - -When this had been done they set out. Rob, of course, had his suitcase -along with him. He had taken out what few things of his own it contained, -and now it held only the precious documents and other small exhibits that -Professor McEwen had been carrying in person to his scientific colleagues -at the Exposition, where they were to be placed with other articles. - -What those numerous small rolls and packages contained none of the scouts -really knew. From some remarks, let fall by Judge Collins, Rob had an -idea they might be papyrus records found in some old ancient tomb or -pyramid, and said to have come down from thousands of years back. To the -boys these would not have been worth their bulk in sandwiches, possibly, -because they could not appreciate their intrinsic value; but in the eyes -of such men as the Scotch professor they represented treasures beyond any -computation, far too valuable to be intrusted to a common express company -that might lose them, or deliver them in a crushed condition. - -"There's a tower I can see; it must be the one that from our window last -night seemed as if a million fireflies had lighted on it," announced -Andy, with more or less excitement as they found themselves close to one -of the gates where entrance to the Exposition grounds could be had. - -"Yes, that must be the Tower of Jewels," said Rob, "and I should call it -pretty well named in the bargain. They've certainly chosen a splendid -spot for the Fair, fronting, as it does, on the bay, with its wide sweep -of water, and with the city rising up on tiers of terraces back of it." - -"That must be the Zone over there," Andy continued, eagerly; "because you -can see a monster seesaw, with one arm away up hundreds of feet in the -air, and what looks like a car on it full of folks. Yes, I remember it -now; it is called the Aeroscope." - -"Just what it is, Andy," said Rob, "and when we get up there for a look -over the harbor, the Exposition grounds and the city, we'll find -ourselves just three hundred and twenty-five feet off the earth--high -enough to make you dizzy." - -"Huh! seems like they do things on a big scale out this way," grunted -Hiram. - -"I reckon our Coney Island would hardly be in the swim with this show," -Andy declared, as they paid their way at the gate and entered the -grounds. - -Colossal buildings could be seen on all sides, most of them dazzling in -the sunlight. Rob had studied the arrangement of these buildings so well -that he appeared to recognize them now as though entirely familiar with -his surroundings. It was evident that the little party would not have -much use for a guide as long as Rob was along to serve them in that -capacity. - -"I calculate that this is the Panama-Pacific Court of the Universe," he -told his chums, "and that building over there is the Palace of -Agriculture, while this other must be the Palace of Transportation; then -there's the Palace of Horticulture where you can see that huge glass -dome. Over there is the Column of Progress, more than a hundred and fifty -feet high, and overlooking the Marino." - -The boys surveyed these sights with more or less awe. - -"I suppose," ventured Hiram, "after we've nosed around here for a week or -two we'll feel as much to hum with these big buildings as if we were in -Hampton, and lookin' at our Odd Fellows' Temple. But what a heap of -things they must all of 'em hold. It'll keep us hustlin' to see the hull -lot, workin' ten hours a day for weeks." - -"Oh! well, none of us expect to see everything that's on exhibit here," -said Rob. "Our tastes are not wholly alike, either. I may want to spend -most of my time in a certain quarter that wouldn't interest you other -fellows to any great extent; and on your part I've no doubt there are -certain things that will hold you spellbound, yet which we may only care -to take one good look at." - -At that Andy started to chuckle. - -"I warrant you I can guess where Hiram will be found pretty much all his -time at the show," he remarked, pointedly; and of course the other scout -felt impelled to take him up on that positive assertion. - -"Say where, then, if you know so much, Mr. Smarty," he asked Andy. - -"Just as soon as he gets the locations down pat," began the other, -"you'll never see him a great way off from the quarter where the -inventions are being exhibited. He's daffy on mechanics and such things; -and he'll be worse than any sticking plaster you ever saw, once he gets -planted in front of the booths, or finds out where the aeroplanes are -going up every little while." - -"Oh! well, I own up that's mostly what I wanted to come all the way out -here for," said Hiram, frankly. "But it's a toss-up, Andy, that once you -get in that amusement park they call the Zone, a place of more'n sixty -acres, I read, you'll spend most of your time watching the Fiji Islanders -dance, or riding around on that observation car to view the wonders of -Yellowstone Park, or mebbe the Great Colorado Canyon." - -"I can't get there any too soon, I'm telling you, boys," Andy confessed. -"Both of you have come out here on business as well as sight-seeing; but -it's different in my case. I'm carefree, and bound to enjoy myself to the -limit. In good time I'll wander all over every building in the grounds; -but first I want to be amused so as to forget the troubles of our long -trip here." - -"It's very evident," began Rob, "that we'll have to settle on some -particular place as a sort of general round-up. If each one is going to -start off on his own hook, now and then, unless we fix it that way, we -might wander all day long through the enormous buildings, and the grounds -covered by this Fair, and never meet." - -"Well thought of, Rob!" cried Andy. "Let me suggest that we take this -queer-looking tobacconist shop as our rendezvous. We can make an -arrangement with the owner for a couple of dollars or so, to take -messages, and hold the same for the rest of the bunch." - -"The sooner that's arranged the better it'll suit me, I guess," said -Hiram, who was plainly on needles and pins while being kept from hunting -up the building in which he would find myriads of remarkable devices -illustrating the inventive genius of the world, and particularly of those -from the American nation. - -"Of course I'm going at once to the exhibit in which Professor McEwen is -interested," said Rob, after they had arranged with the proprietor of the -Oriental tobacco booth, "because I'll not feel easy until I've done my -part of the contract, and delivered the stuff he intrusted to our -charge." - -"H'm, that means me too, I suppose, Rob," observed Andy, sighing. - -"Oh! I could do it alone," Rob started to say, when Andy braced up, bit -his lip, and continued: - -"That was the old selfish streak in me speaking then, Rob. You'll have to -overlook it once more. Of course, I'll not let you finish this business -by yourself. It would be a fine way of acting on my part, now, wouldn't -it--taking the goods and then refusing to pay for the same? Here, let me -carry the bag a while. I'm going to be your shadow for this one day -anyhow; though p'raps, after all, we can manage to drop in at the Zone, -and see what's what in that interesting district." - -Rob laughed. - -"I'll make a special point of it to oblige you, Andy," he said, clapping -the other on the shoulder. "As for Hiram, I can understand why he's so -anxious to find out where the aviation field lies. We've got to remember -that his business is with parties who are altogether interested in -airships and flying." - -"Thanks, Rob," said Hiram, nodding his head in that quick jerky way he -had. "It stands to reason that I want to pick up a few pointers on the -sly before I show myself to the Golden Gate people. By hanging around I'm -apt to hear some talk, and learn a few facts that may stand me in good -later on." - -"You'd better go some slow, Hiram," cautioned Andy. "Remember that we had -it arranged to back you up when the time came to interview your people. -So don't spoil all our plans by being too precipitate." - -"Meaning, I figure," Hiram answered, wincing under that last word, "that -I mustn't be rash, and put my foot in it. I promise you I'll fight shy -there, Rob; and when we meet here to get a bite of lunch together, p'raps -I'll have some news for you." - -"I hope it will be the right kind of news, then, Hiram," Rob told him, -seriously; "though for that matter it seems to me this company has -treated you splendidly already, and that they must be on the square." - -"And after that affair is all settled up," continued the other, drawing a -long breath of anticipation, "think of the great times I'm going to have -mousing around the building that houses the inventions. I tell you I'm -the luckiest dog that ever lived to get this big chance thrown right at -me." - -So Hiram hurried away, having already marked out his course from long -study of the little chart each one of the scouts possessed, and which -gave what might be called a "bird's-eye view" of the extensive Exposition -grounds, where the most prominent buildings were located, and the -shortest way to get from one point to another. - -Rob looked after him with a smile on his face. He turned to Andy and -laughed. - -"Isn't he the greatest crank in his line you ever saw?" asked Andy. - -"Oh! it's hardly fair to call Hiram that," expostulated the scout leader; -"he's enthusiastic over inventions, but what of that? Every fellow who's -dead in earnest could be spoken of as a crank. And it's the cranks, as -you call them, who make the wheels of progress go around." - -"Yes," added Andy dryly, "I've noticed that some of them even seem to -have wheels in their heads, though they get hopping mad if you mention -it, or turn your hand this way," and he indicated a revolving motion with -his finger that could hardly be mistaken by a sensitive person. - -"All I know is that Hiram is due to enjoy the greatest feast his soul -ever could imagine. But don't let us waste any more time here, Andy; I've -got my bearings by now, and can take you straight to the building where -the scientists love to gather and gloat over the queer things that are so -wonderful to them. Come along!" - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - ROB DELIVERS THE GOODS. - - -"What's that splendid looking arch over there meant to represent, Rob?" -asked Andy, as he pointed to the right. - -"They call it the Arch of the Setting Sun," replied the scout leader. - -"A mighty good name, considering how we're at the jumping-off place of -the United States. Seems to me, Rob, that the Far West has always gone by -the name of the Land of the Setting Sun." - -"That's why the arch has been built," Rob told him. "You see, in pioneer -days the constant drift was always this way. Men who founded homes in -what was then the wilderness along the Ohio kept hearing wonderful -stories about the richness of the soil farther west, and what unlimited -fur-bearing animals were to be captured by those daring enough to take -the risk." - -"And so they kept pushing farther and farther, year in and year out. In -this way settlers finally overran the prairies, and crossed the Rockies?" -asked Andy, as he surveyed the beautiful arch that had been raised to -commemorate the dreams of the men who blazed the way of civilization -through the wilderness. - -"Yes, and here along the shore of the Pacific lay the end of the dream," -explained the scout leader. "California represented the foot of the -rainbow of promise those hardy men had seen painted in the sky. The -western sun meant a whole lot in those days; it shone over the Land of -Promise; it was the hope and ambition of almost every settler. No one -drifted East; it was always into the mysterious and beckoning West that -families emigrated." - -Around them were crowds of eager sight-seers. At times they jostled -elbows with representatives of numerous foreign nations. - -"But there are not near so many foreigners visiting the Panama-Pacific -Exposition as there would have been only for the terrible European war -that's raging across the ocean," Rob happened to remark a little later -when the other scout called his attention to a group of dark-featured men -wearing the red fezzes of Orientals, and passing along as though viewing -the wonders of the exhibition with a lively interest. - -"I suppose the building erected by California is reckoned the largest one -of all on the grounds, isn't it, Rob? How much space does it cover, do -you know?" - -"They say five acres, Andy, which you must own is a shack of some size." - -"We haven't been in it yet," said Andy, "but I should imagine it must -hold about everything connected with the life of the big State. Why, it -would take a whole day to get around there, and see half of the things on -exhibition." - -"Plenty of time for all that when we settle down to the business of -sight-seeing," Rob told him. "First of all I want to get this load off my -hands," and he moved the suitcase as he spoke; "not that it's very heavy, -you understand, only it weighs on my mind; but what it holds means -sleepless nights for our good friend, Professor McEwen, until he gets my -wire that it has been safely delivered." - -"I declare if those two girls over there don't make me think of Lucy -Mainwaring and Sue Clifford away back in Hampton!" exclaimed Andy -suddenly. "Oh! excuse me, Rob, I didn't mean to give you a start by -mentioning Lucy's name. Of course it's only a chance resemblance, for -neither of the girls we've left behind us could be here at the -Exposition. But I'm a great fellow, you remember, to imagine people look -like some I've known." - -"Yes, and lots of times that failing has gotten you into a peck of -trouble, too, Andy," Rob remarked, laughingly; "there was that boy in -scout uniform this very morning that you rushed up to with outstretched -hand, and calling him Sim Jeffords. I nearly took a fit to see the blank -look on your face when he drew himself up and gave you the cold stare." - -"Yes, that's a fact, Rob, he did freeze me. Chances are to this minute -that boy thinks I was a fraud, perhaps some new sort of confidence -operator. I saw him grab at his watch-chain in a hurry. He backed away, -too, and never gave me half a chance to explain." - -"I'm expecting right along," Rob told him, "to have you discover some of -our old enemies hovering around, and waiting for a chance to give us a -jolt on account of the grudge they bear us. There's Jared Applegate, for -instance, the last we ever saw of him was at the time he was down in -Mexico, having been compelled to run away from home after getting himself -into a scrape by using some money that didn't belong to him." - -Andy, instead of appearing dejected while Rob was "rubbing it into him" -after this fashion, really seemed to enter into the joke himself. - -"Well," he went on to say with a snicker, "honest to goodness a little -while ago I did see two fellows walking along who made me think of Max -Ramsay and his pal, Hodge Berry, the two meanest boys of our home town. -Gave me something of a thrill, too, and I even had a sneaking notion to -run over and shake hands with them; though back home I would cross the -street rather than meet them face to face." - -"Yes," said Rob, "that's always the case with people who're away from -home. They get so tired of seeing strange faces that the sight of one -they know makes them friendly. But I suppose you've noticed that the -scouts seem to have quite a share in the running of things at this Big -Show?" - -"For a fact I've seen quite a number of them about, and it strikes me -they are a busy lot in the bargain," Andy admitted. - -"I understand they have a permanent camp on the grounds," Rob explained, -"which later on we must visit, and make acquaintances. They seem to be a -hustling lot, and a credit to the khaki they wear." - -"But what d'ye suppose they're doing here?" asked the other. - -"Oh! there are dozens of things Boy Scouts can find to do at a monster -Fair like this," said the patrol leader. "I think some of them are acting -as guides to parties of women and children. Others run messages for the -department heads, because there must be a tremendous lot of that sort of -thing that has to be done here. I saw one batch of scouts carrying a man -on a litter, and from that I concluded they must have a scout emergency -hospital somewhere on the grounds, where those who have been taken -suddenly sick or become exhausted from the heat in the machinery -buildings could receive first aid to the injured." - -Andy's face took on a look of pride. He even tenderly stroked the sleeve -of his khaki coat and touched the badge on his lapel as though he -considered it a great honor to be wearing that insignia of his rank in -the troop to which he belonged. - -That is one of the finest things about scout membership; it stimulates -boys to aspire to emulate those who are striving to help others, or -alleviate suffering in some way. - -"We ought to be nearing that building you spoke about, Rob," Andy -remarked, after more time had elapsed. "Seems to me we've covered miles -since we saw Hiram streaking off for the aviation field and the Hall of -Inventions." - -"I think that is it on our left; but to make sure I'll ask this scout -hurrying along as though the whole show would have to close its doors -unless he managed to do the important errand he's sent on." - -"I'll hang back while you do," suggested Andy jokingly. "Seems like they -think I'm a sort of suspicious looking person, though nobody ever told me -so in Hampton." - -The messenger condescended to slacken his speed sufficiently to catch the -question which Rob asked. After saluting, as became a fellow scout, he -nodded his head in the affirmative, being apparently too winded to say -even a single word. - -Accordingly the two boys entered the building and threading their way -among a multitude of exhibits, with a sprinkling of people examining the -same, most of them rather sober-looking in appearance, they managed to -find where the offices of the director were located. - -"We wish to see Professor Marsh, who is in charge of this building," was -what Rob said to an active little man wearing large glasses, and with all -the earmarks of a scientist. - -"That happens to be my name, son; what can I do for you?" replied the -other, as he bent a pair of exceedingly penetrating eyes upon the scouts. - -"We have come to you," Rob explained, "from Professor Andrew McEwen, of -Edinburgh University, who met with an accident while visiting an old -friend near our home, on Long Island, New York State, and while not -seriously injured could not finish his journey across the continent." - -The little man immediately showed signs of tremendous excitement. He -glued his eyes on the suitcase Rob was carrying. - -"Yes, yes, glad to hear that he is not seriously injured. Professor -McEwen is one of the most famous of his class, and the world could ill -afford to lose him at this interesting stage of events. But he was to -bring with him a collection too precious to trust to ordinary channels. I -sincerely trust that it was not harmed when he met with his accident?" - -"Oh! no, sir," exclaimed Rob, hastily, "not in the least, since he did -not have it with him at the time. But he grieved to think it might be -delayed in reaching you, and so he intrusted it to the keeping of myself -and my comrade here, as we happened to be of some assistance to him at -the time." - -The scientist seemed to be actually dumfounded. He stared from Rob to -Andy, and then looked hard at the suitcase. - -"Can it be possible that Professor McEwen intrusted those priceless -papyrus relics to the care of two mere boys? I am astounded, and likewise -worried. Oh! I hope you have taken great care with them. Give me the bag, -and let me see for myself. It would be a shock indeed if anything had -happened to destroy the labor of years, and caused such a dreadful loss -to science." - -He almost snatched the suitcase from Rob's hand and vanished like a -streak through a door that led to another room, leaving the two boys -exchanging amused glances. - -"Whew! I'm sorry for you if anything _has_ gone wrong with those rolls, -Rob," said Andy, making a wry face. "We're apt to go out of this building -faster than we came in, I'm afraid." - -"No danger," Rob told him; "they were prepared to resist ordinary shocks -in transit, and we've handled them as carefully as Professor McEwen -himself could have done. But he did look actually frightened, for a -fact." - -"Isn't it queer what a pile these learned scientists think of things that -other people wouldn't give five cents for?" remarked Andy. - -"Oh! well," said Rob, "that's because we're in the dark concerning their -real value. Look in through the half-open door and you can see several -men like Professor Marsh undoing those same rolls with trembling hands." - -"Yes, and notice the awed look on their faces, will you, Rob? The -director is shaking hands all around now, and beaming on his colleagues, -so I guess he's found things O. K. and hunky dory. Here he comes out to -tell us so." - -The look of deep anxiety on Professor Marsh's face had vanished, and -there was a trace of a pleased smile there when he again confronted the -two scouts. - -"The letter inclosed from Professor McEwen speaks in the highest terms of -you young gentlemen," he said, effusively, as he stretched out both -hands. "He writes that you were instruments in the hands of Providence of -saving his life; and for that let me remark that you deserve the -heartfelt thanks of all who are interested in the work that distinguished -gentleman is doing for science. I am proud to shake you by the hand. To -think that you have come three thousand miles bearing those priceless -rolls, and delivered them to us here without the slightest damage. And -this very night I shall write to Professor McEwen to that effect." - -"We are instructed to wire him in your name with your permission, -professor, that you have received them intact," ventured Rob. - -"I will sign any message you choose to send him, son," declared the happy -director of the building devoted to the interests of science. - -"And now, sir," said Rob, "would you mind returning my suitcase?" - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE PEOPLE OF THE "ZONE." - - -When Rob and his chum left the building they carried the empty suitcase; -and besides, Professor Marsh had written and signed a long and effusive -message to his learned colleague in care of Judge Collins, at Hampton, -Long Island, which Rob was empowered to send, at his own expense, by wire -as a night letter. - -"That job is done," said Rob, with the air of one who has gotten rid of a -load that had been on his mind. - -"And just to think how we can enjoy ourselves for weeks if we feel like -staying that long," pursued the happy Andy, fairly bubbling over with -enthusiasm and joy. - -"Even when we decide to start back home," laughed Rob, "the fun isn't -over by a huge sight." - -"You mean, Rob, we'll have the time of our lives traveling across the -Canadian Rockies, taking in wonderful scenery that is better, lots of -people say, than anything across in Switzerland?" - -"Yes," said the scout leader, "and if we choose to stop over for a day or -two to try the trout fishing at a lake we were told about, haven't we got -our rods and other material along in our trunk?" - -"It takes a wideawake fellow like you to think of every little detail, -for a fact!" declared Andy, with genuine admiration. - -"Oh! I'm far from perfect, I want you to know," the other told him. "I -can remember plenty of times when I've found that, after all, the very -thing of most importance was forgotten or neglected. But it pays to try -and cover the ground. It saves lots of trouble and disappointment in the -long run." - -"I believe you, Rob; with me it seems as though I fall into the way of -letting some other fellow do my thinking for me. I know it's wrong, but -anyhow it's satisfying to have that confidence in your chum." - -"You didn't think of letting some other scout do your work for you at the -time you were learning the various bugle calls, I noticed, Andy." - -"Shucks! that's different," returned the other, hastily. "Now that you -mention it, I can't remember ever asking a substitute to do my _eating_ -for me when meal time rolled around. Guess you must be right, though, -Rob; some of these days I intend to wake up and even think for myself." - -"Believe me you can't make that day any too soon, Andy. If you happened -to find yourself cast adrift on a big desert you would be sorry you -delayed so long, though, if you pulled through alive, it might be the -making of you." - -"Oh! I'll buckle down to the job without being forced that way," Andy -hurriedly assured the scout leader. "What's the next thing on the -program?" - -"I know you're just dying to get into the amusement section of the -Exposition called the Zone, and which is a good deal like the Streets of -Cairo and the Midway of the Chicago Fair. I'll make a bargain with you, -Andy." - -"All right; let's hear the particulars," exclaimed the other eagerly. - -"First of all," began Rob, "I want to get rid of this suitcase, and we'll -make for that tobacconist's odd booth, to leave it with him until we're -going back to the hotel." - -"That's over this way, past the big California building, with the Oregon -one that has a colonnade of logs alongside. Well, after we've shunted the -bag on the man who runs the tobacco shop, what next?" - -"We'll put in the rest of the morning," Rob explained, "in rummaging -through some of these places clustering around the Tower of Jewels. I've -got a string of things I'm wild to see, and that's as good a place to -make a start as anywhere." - -"That brings us to noon, when we agreed to meet Hiram, you remember, for -lunch?" Andy reminded his chum. - -"Yes, and I understand there are dozens and dozens of eating places to be -found in the Zone. If you want you can have an Arab dinner, a Chinese -chop suey, a French meal _a la carte_, a German one, or anything your -taste calls for. So we might as well head that way for our lunch, and -pick out a place that seems to promise good things for hungry fellows." - -"Huh! after I once get inside the Zone, Rob, nothing can drag me out -again for the whole afternoon. So, I hope you've concluded to make a -sacrifice, and devote the rest of the day to keeping me company in -roaming around among all the queer sights they tell me you can run up -against there." - -Rob nodded his head and smiled. - -"I promise you that, Andy, because I know you too well to believe there -could be any peace until you have had your way. Yes, and I admit that I -can get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing all those foreign things, as -well as the more important exhibits in Machinery Hall and such places." - -"Sure thing," said Andy, with an assumption of great sagacity. "In one -case we are shown wonderful development in the world's progress along the -lines of science and commerce; while in the Zone you can see man himself -as he appears all over this ball, how he lives, what his forefathers have -done for ages and ages in the past, and in fact study human nature. To me -that is better than gaping at some machine I never could understand in a -lifetime." - -By this time they had reached the shop where arrangements had been made -with the obliging proprietor to act as a medium of exchange between the -three scouts during their stay. The empty suitcase was disposed of and -once more the boys started out to gaze upon some of the myriad strange -sights that were to be met with on every hand. - -Doubtless Rob took a considerably greater amount of interest in what they -viewed during those several hours than did his companion, though now and -then Andy managed to display more or less enthusiasm. - -It would be utterly impossible to mention the things they saw as they -wandered hither and thither about that section of the grounds. Even a -guide-book of the Exposition would have to skim over the details, such -were the numberless attractions on every hand. - -"Getting on toward noon, Rob!" suggested Andy, finally, as he laid a hand -on his stomach, as if to call attention to the fact that it was unusually -flat. - -"And there's Hiram coming this way, too, as if he was beginning to -remember his promise to meet us for lunch. I wonder if we can keep him -with us the rest of the day?" - -"Not unless you get a rope and tie him," chuckled Andy, "for he's clean -gone daffy over the line of exhibits he fancies most, and will haunt that -part of the Exposition nearly all the time we're here." - -Hiram caught sight of them about that moment, and hurried over. - -"Just on the way to the meeting-place," he announced. "Knew it was near -grub time and wanted to get it over with. Say, they've got the greatest -lot of things worth while on exhibition over there in the building -devoted to inventions you ever saw. And the aviation field is a peach. My -stars! but they're a busy bunch of willing, hustling workers there." - -Rob had been studying the other's face, and it told him something. - -"You found your firm represented there, of course, Hiram?" he remarked. - -"'Course they are, and cutting some high jinks, too," came the reply. -"They've got some of their finished products working in the field, with -air pilots of national renown in charge of the flights. You must get over -that way some time and see." - -"We will, perhaps before the day is done," Rob assured him; "but I -suppose now, Hiram, you didn't introduce yourself to the Golden Gate -people?" - -"Naw. I just took it all in, and browsed around everywhere, laughing to -myself to think how surprised they were going to be when they found out -that the Hiram Nelson, inventor of the wonderful stabilizer for -aeroplanes, was only a Boy Scout. But what are we going into the Zone -for, tell me?" - -"Why, to get something to eat, to be sure," remarked Andy. - -"But I'm no cannibal," expostulated Hiram, holding back in pretended -alarm; "even if they do have that stripe of people here on exhibition. I -don't hanker after trying a roast Fiji Islander, or a fricasseed Igorrote -from the Philippine Islands--I'm not _that_ hungry." - -"Oh!" Andy told him, tugging at his sleeve, "we'll find a thousand places -here where they cook meals after the fashion of every nation under the -sun. I hope we pick out one that is close to that giant seesaw; because -I'm wild to go up in it so as to get a magnificent view of the harbor, -the Exposition grounds and the City of San Francisco." - -It was found to be an easy matter to accomplish this, and they were soon -being served at a table that stood out-of-doors, so that as they enjoyed -their lunch they could watch the endless procession of people passing and -repassing. - -As so many attractions in the amusement concession were connected with -foreign countries, it was really almost as good as being abroad to see -the various representative types that sauntered or hurried by. - -"I wonder how many of those Arabs, Turks, Algerians, Persians, Hindoos, -Hottentots and others are the real thing, and how many rank fakes," -suggested Hiram. - -"That's more than anybody can tell," laughed Rob. "It's the easiest thing -to put stain on the skin of an Irishman, dress him in the Oriental style, -clap a red fez on his head, and then call him a Turk. Only he has to keep -his tongue tight-locked; because his brogue would give him away. If you -listen to them chattering in their own tongue you can tell which are the -real thing." - -"As for me," spoke up Andy, frankly, "I just don't question any of them, -but take it for granted they're what they make out to be. And I want to -say, fellows, it's the biggest treat to me to be here, watching the -congress of all the nations and people on the globe." - -Hiram's lip curled and he snickered, but Andy pretended not to hear. To -Hiram's mind any one who could confess to caring for such frivolous -things when there was a building not far away just jammed with the most -marvelous inventions known to modern science and ingenuity--well, it -bordered on silliness. But then "many men, many minds," and perhaps it is -just as well that people do not all think alike. There is a deal of truth -in that old proverb to the effect that what is "one man's food may be -another's poison." - -So they sat there for a long time while the procession of Head Hunters -from Borneo, natives of the island of Ceylon, South American _vaqueros_ -in their picturesque attire, pigmies from the heart of Africa, Mexican -bull-fighters, Moros from our island possessions in the Orient, Chinese, -Japanese, Servians, Tyrolese mountain climbers and yodlers, and a -multitude of others continued to pass, many of them coming from the -villages and side shows of the great amusement park. - -From time to time the amazing arm of the giant Aeroscope would project up -against the heavens, the car filled with those visitors who wished to -obtain a view of their surroundings. - -Every time it arose, slowly but majestically, Andy would stop talking to -gape and watch, as though just then the one longing in his heart was to -take that skyward trip. - -Rob knew it would be the very first thing Andy would want to do after -they left the table; and indeed, he was not feeling at all averse to -complying with such a request, for it seemed as if the extensive view to -be obtained must be well worth the price charged for the trip aloft. - -"Three hundred and sixty-five feet they say in the guide book," Andy -gushed; "and all for a small sum in the bargain. I wouldn't miss that -sight for ten times fifty cents. Why, only for the Rockies being in the -way, with a _real good_ glass you might get even a peep in at Hampton -town, unless one of those nasty sea fogs blocked you off," and then, of -course, he had to laugh himself at the idea of any glass being able to -cover a distance of something like three thousand miles. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - A STRANGE MEETING IN THE AIR. - - -"Hiram, it's only fair that you stay with us for a while this afternoon," -Rob mentioned as they were leaving the table. - -"Oh! I expected to put in say an hour or so with you, Rob; and then later -on I hope you'll make your way over to the aviation field, where you'll -just as like as not find me hanging around, still picking up points." - -"That's a bargain, then, is it?" demanded Rob. - -"Just as you say," Hiram declared. "I guess now I c'n hit on the fust -thing our chum Andy here'll be wantin' to do. I've been watchin' him -stare at that old arm every time she rose up with the car; and I see -we're headin' that way right fast now." - -"Yes, it's a good idea to take that trip the first thing," said Rob, -"because you get a comprehensive idea of the lay of the land that serves -you better than any map you can buy. They don't stay up very long, -though, because there are more dollars waiting to be picked up from the -crowd that's always in line to occupy the car." - -"Three hundred and sixty-five feet up is going some," muttered Hiram. "I -hope now they don't have any accident to the machinery while we're taking -our look. I must see how they work this trick; it ought to be -interesting." - -He would have started to carry out this intention then and there only -that Andy held on to his coat and would not let go. - -"The machinery part can keep, Hiram," the impatient one declared. "Some -time when you're alone poke around all you like; but my tastes run in -another channel. You're like the geologists, with your nose pointed -toward the ground all the while; I'm built more after the style of the -astronomers who keep looking up and see the glories of the firmament that -beat the fossils all hollow." - -"H'm! you don't say!" was all the remark Hiram made, but it contained -considerable skepticism concerning Andy's sweeping assertion. - -They fell in line, and were fortunate enough to be able to get aboard -without having to wait, as they might have done later in the afternoon. - -"This thing must have cost a raft of money to build; it beats the old -Ferris Wheel to pieces, I should think; and that was a wonder in its -day." - -"Yes," said Andy, "but think of the money they must take in, running it -all the time from February up to December. Why, I should think they'd -have millions of passengers in that time, and at so much a head it would -be like a regular gold mine." - -About that time the car was closed and locked, so that by no mischance -could any reckless passenger be tempted to jump when it was high in the -air, so as to accomplish a spectacular suicide. - -"And they've got the windows screened in, too," remarked Andy. - -"They knew you were coming, I kinder guess, and wanted to make sure you -wouldn't lose your head up there so as to fall overboard," Hiram told -him. - -The car was crowded, so that they could not see who all of their fellow -passengers were. There was also considerable shouting going on, some of -those aboard bidding farewell to friends who had been unable to make that -trip, as though they fully expected to keep right on going up, once they -got started toward the blue heavens overhead, until they landed in Glory. - -"Here she goes!" announced Andy, eagerly, as the car was felt to vibrate. - -With that they left the ground and commenced to ascend. The motion was -fairly steady, as the weights on the other end of the great seesaw had -been adjusted to correspond to the number of those in the car, so that -after all the engine did not have a great deal of hard work to do in -lifting that load. - -"Whee! I only hope none of the balancing weight slips off!" said Hiram, -who appeared to be rather nervous. - -"I'm surprised at you, Hiram," remarked Rob; "it seems queer for a fellow -who aspires to be a bold air pilot some of these fine days, and who has -even been up several times as high as three thousand feet, to be -shivering with fear now, when at the most we're only going to get three -hundred odd feet from the ground." - -"Oh, well, that's a horse of a different color," Hiram explained; "when -you're up in an aeroplane it depends on your own self whether you come -down safe, or have an accident. In this case you haven't got a single -thing to do with it, but just trust to a mechanic, who may be as reliable -as they make 'em, but could make a mistake just once. That's what gets my -goat; my efficiency don't count for a cent in this game." - -"Well, there is something in that," Rob admitted; "but let's try to find -a place and look out as we keep on rising. Already the view seems to be -getting pretty fine." - -There was more or less talking and laughing and all that in the car, for -when there happens to be a spice of danger connected with any of these -amusements many people become half hysterical. - -The view was, indeed, becoming grand, as Rob had said, and both boys were -soon copying Andy, who was staring first one way and then another, as sea -and shore began to be spread out before him like a Mercator's chart. - -Although the huge arm of the giant Aeroscope had by no means reached the -upper limit of its sweep, the great buildings lying below had the -appearance of squatty "ant-heaps," as Andy termed them; and the crowds -that swarmed many of the walks of the Exposition looked so minute that it -was hard to believe they were human beings. - -All at once, the working arm of the big seesaw stopped with a rude jerk -that caused a number of girls aboard to give vent to cries of alarm. Even -strong men had a nervous look on their faces, Rob immediately noticed. - -"What's this mean?" demanded Hiram, laying a hand on Rob's arm. - -"We haven't reached the highest sweep yet, I'm dead sure," complained -Andy, in a petulant tone, just as though he believed the management meant -to cheat those aboard out of the full benefit of their money. "We want a -better view than this. All the others went to the top, and I don't see -why we shouldn't, too." - -"Rob, this stop wasn't meant, was it?" demanded Hiram, insistent as -usual. - -"Don't talk so loud, Hiram," he was advised. "You'll only frighten those -girls all the more if they happen to hear you. No, I don't believe it was -intended that we stop this far up, and with such a bump, too." - -"But is there any real danger of an accident? I wouldn't care so much if -I had my new-fangled parachute with me, and could only get outside; for -even if the old car did drop, I'd be able to sail down like a feather." - -"Danger--of course not a bit," Rob told him sternly. "You don't suppose -the managers of this big Exposition would allow a mechanical affair like -this Aeroscope to be run day after day unless the owners had made it -absolutely accident proof. Just hold your horses and we'll soon be moving -again." - -"Yes, and Hiram," said Andy just then, "don't put yourself on a par with -those silly screeching girls over there, who are hugging each other so. -Poor things, they don't know any better! But you're a scout, Hiram, and -have been taught never to show the white feather. Brace up! You're -wearing khaki right now, and for the sake of the cloth show yourself a -man!" - -That brought Hiram to a realization of the fact that he was indeed hardly -proving himself a worthy scout. He pretended to be indifferent. - -"Shucks! who cares?" he exclaimed. "I do wish them girls'd let up on -their racket; it gets on a feller's nerves to hear 'em shriek that way." - -"Well, I know what ails the old thing!" suddenly announced Andy, with a -grin on his face that told how his love for joking exceeded any faint -feeling of alarm that may have seized upon him. - -"Let's hear it, then!" demanded Rob. - -"Oh, if you had only guessed it before we started it would have saved -lots of bother!" called out Hiram. - -"They miscalculated the weight, you see!" continued Andy. "Some fellows -are so deceptive in their looks. Now right across from us there's a fat -boy with his back turned this way, and staring hard out of the window. I -bet you they figured wrong on him, and that's why we've got stuck up here -four-fifths of the way to the top." - -The other two now looked, and owing to some of the passengers in the car -crowding together an opening was made like a little lane. At the end of -this they discovered, just as Andy had said, an exceedingly fat boy -occupying more than his share of space, with his chubby legs braced under -him, and his face pressed against the heavy wire netting that covered the -open windows. - -Rob stared, and looked more closely. He half opened his mouth to make -some sort of remark, and then as though seized with a second thought, -refrained. - -"Do you really think so, Andy?" asked Hiram, in a half-awed way, as -though he actually took some stock in the ridiculous assertion made by -the other. - -"Well, tell me a better explanation if you know one!" demanded Andy, -which was a queer way of clinching an argument. - -"Then the quickest way to mend matters would be for you to go over there -and toss the heavy-weight overboard, don't you think, Andy?" asked Rob, -entering into the spirit of the joke, especially since he really believed -he held the whip-hand over the fun-loving Andy. - -"Huh! think so, do you, Rob?" said Andy, making out as though he felt in -a fighting humor. "Well, now, perhaps that would be the easiest way to -fix things. I've got a good mind to try it. Watch my smoke, Hiram!" - -With that he actually squared himself, rolled up the sleeves of his coat, -and even started across the car. Hiram turned pale. He seemed to forget -that there was no possible way in which any one inside the car could -manage to effect their escape so long as the great arm of the giant -seesaw was elevated in the air. - -"Rob, are you going to stand for that?" he burst out. - -"No use trying to stop him now, Hiram," he was told. - -"But look at him squaring off, Rob, like he really means it!" cried -Hiram. "It would be just like Andy, he's so rash, you know, to get us all -arrested. What if he did knock that fat boy off the car! Why, Rob, don't -you see the sudden jolt when the weight was changed might make us fly up, -and bring about a catastrophe?" - -"That's so, it might, Hiram," said Rob, trying hard to keep a straight -face. - -"Oh! it's too late to stop him, Rob!" - -"Yes, I see it is," replied the scout leader, and somehow there was not -much of excitement about either his voice or his manner, only an apparent -inane desire to grin, Hiram thought as he looked at his chum. - -"There, he's actually grabbed hold of the fat boy, and is trying to lift -him up so as to get him out of the window." - -"You're a little off there, Hiram. Seems to me I would say Andy was -trying to hug the poor fat boy, because he's certainly thrown his arms -around him, and acts as if he might be glad to meet him!" - -"Why, Rob, whatever can that mean! He is acting just as you say, and it -seems to me Andy isn't doing all the hugging, either." - -At that Rob broke into a hearty laugh. - -"You know what it stands for, and you won't tell me a thing, which I -think is a mean job," complained Hiram. - -"Look again," Rob told him. "Now the fat boy happens to have his face -turned this way. Don't you think you've seen that same moon phiz before, -Hiram? Doesn't it somehow take you back to dear old Hampton, and the many -jolly times we've had on our camping trips? Say, you ought to know that -boy, Hiram." - -As soon as he could catch his breath, Hiram gave a shout. - -"Why, consarn my picture if it isn't our chum, Tubby Hopkins!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - FOUR SCOUTS IN THE WHIRL. - - -"Come on, let's join them," suggested Rob, as he led the way over to -where Andy Bowles and the stout youth had started to shaking hands as -though they never meant to stop, chattering away like a pair of magpies, -and utterly unmindful of the fact that others aboard the car were -shrieking aloud with growing fear. - -But as it happened just then, whatever may have been the cause for the -sudden stoppage of the car suspended in midair, the trouble seemed to -have been rectified; for even as Rob led Hiram over to the other pair of -Hampton boys, the upward passage was resumed as smoothly as though -nothing had occurred. - -"Well, well! if this isn't the biggest surprise ever!" Tubby exclaimed as -he seized upon a hand of each of the two newcomers, and then looked -around just as if he had begun to believe the whole of Hampton Troop of -Boy Scouts must have come on to take in the sights of the big show. - -"Only three of us, Tubby," Rob told him. "We consider ourselves the -luckiest scouts in the whole U. S. A. to get a chance to make this side -of the slope. Of course we knew you were out here somewhere, but you -might as well hunt for a needle in a haystack as to think to find anyone -in this mob." - -"But tell me, won't you, please, how did you make it?" asked Tubby, whose -round, rosy face seemed redder than ever under all this excitement. - -"Wait till we get down out of this high box," said Hiram. "We came up -here on purpose to get the grand view, you know. Besides, there are too -many ears around for _my_ private business to be talked over." - -"Whew!" said Tubby, surveying the speaker with more respect than he had -ever before felt toward Hiram, whose many attempts to invent wonderful -things had never been taken seriously by his companions. - -"But Hiram is right," said Rob. "We'll only be up here a short while, so -let's use our eyes the best we can. It's well worth coming a long way -just to get such a panoramic view of the City, Bay and Fair." - -"Panoramic--whew!" whistled Andy; "but I guess that covers the ground as -well as any word you could scare up, Rob; for it is a panorama a whole -lot better'n any I ever saw painted on canvas, like the Battle of -Gettysburg and such." - -They remained at their several posts drinking in the wonderful features -of the magnificent view until finally the machinery was set in motion -again, and they found themselves being gradually lowered toward the -ground. The buildings lost their squatty appearance, the moving throngs -of human beings ceased resembling crawling flies, and finally the four -boys issued from the cage satisfied that they had experienced a sensation -worth while. - -"Now, let's sit down here in the shade for a little while, where we can -talk," suggested Tubby Hopkins, who had been one of the scouts with Rob -over in Belgium and France on the previous late summer and fall when the -war was going on, and consequently could be looked on as having passed -through some lively experiences. - -"Just a little while," agreed Andy; and Hiram, after looking longingly -away, no doubt in the direction of the quarter given up wholly to recent -remarkable inventions, seemed to resign himself to martyrdom for a spell, -for he, too, found a seat close by. - -"Now tell it all to me," demanded Tubby, "because I'm just sure it must -be a story worth hearing. What happened to bring you three fellows out -here? Did some one die and leave you his fortune? It takes a pretty hefty -wad of money to pay all the expenses of a jaunt across the continent." - -"A poor guess that time, Tubby," said Rob. "We'll have pity on you, and -give you the details before you lose weight trying to hit on the true -explanation. To begin with, Hiram won the trip his own way, while Andy -and myself just happened by a stroke of good luck to run upon our -chance." - -"Tell that to the marines, will you, please?" scoffed Tubby. "Things -don't just happen to you that way, Mr. Assistant Scoutmaster Blake. Every -time I've known you to get a thing you earned it by the sweat of your -brow. I'd rather believe it was the other way, and that Hiram had dropped -on a piece of good luck." - -"Well, mebbe I did, Tubby; but then I showed perseverance and grit such -as a true scout should allers possess, they say; and so I claim I earned -my right to be out here at the Exposition. Go on and tell him the hull -story, Rob." - -Seeing that he was expected to undertake the job of being spokesman for -the entire party, Rob started in. He was not the one to embellish facts, -or try to make things seems of more importance than they really were. -Indeed, if anything, Rob was apt to go to the other extreme, especially -if he figured at all in a leading role in the narrative. - -In this way Tubby was finally put in possession of all the needful -information connected with their coming. He heard about the smart way in -which Hiram had conducted his negotiations by mail with the company that -made a specialty of aviation goods, and which apparently had so much -faith in his patent stabilizer that they had advanced sufficient funds to -enable the inventor to come out and visit them at their headquarters in -San Francisco. - -Then followed the account of how Rob and Andy had been of such signal -service to Captain Jerry and his famous scientific passenger at the time -the old naphtha launch took fire while crossing the bay to Collins' -Point; together with what resulted from that rescue. - -It was all very interesting to Tubby, who asked many questions when he -thought Rob was holding back certain facts that had a direct bearing on -the narrative. - -"You see, my uncle has gone up to Portland for a week or more on -business," Tubby told them. "He left me to enjoy myself at the Exposition -as I pleased. I'm not going around in my scout clothes, but I've got the -khaki suit at the hotel; and now that I've met you fellows, of course, I -mean to wear it right along, even if I astonish the natives." - -"Oh, boys wearing khaki are such a common sight these days!" Rob told him -in a consoling way, "that you'd not be apt to attract any person's -attention, even if you are stouter than any other scout going." - -"Yes, I've met quite a few of the boys and chatted with them, too," -admitted Tubby. "You see, I always make it a point to wear my badges -under my coat even if I am in mufti--is that what they call it, Rob, when -a military officer dresses in civilian garb? Yes, the scouts are -everywhere, and it doesn't surprise you one bit when you see a couple of -them taking part in a camel race, as I did." - -Having finished their explanations, and urged on by the impatient Andy, -the little party began to make the rounds of the amusement zone. It was -laid out on such an extensive scale that one could hardly expect to do it -justice in one afternoon; indeed, Andy announced that he anticipated -putting in a full week there, taking in the sights, and feasting his eyes -on the wonders that had been collected from the four corners of the earth -for this special occasion. - -"Here's where we can see in miniature what some of us have actually -looked on before when building--the working of the great Panama Canal," -announced Tubby, as they arrived at the panorama section. "Shall we pay -and take chairs on the moving platform for a trip around?" - -Of course there was not a dissenting voice, for they were boys, and had -plenty of spare change and wanted to see all the sights, at least once. - -After that nothing would do for Andy but that they must embark on the -train for a trip through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, which was well -executed with regard to color effects so as to excite their ardent -admiration. - -"I was sorely tempted to take that side trip on the way here," Rob -confessed. "We could have done it easily enough, but you see I didn't -know what to do with that priceless stuff we had charge of for Professor -McEwen. I couldn't carry it on mule back, and didn't dare leave it behind -at the hotel. Besides, we promised him we wouldn't linger on the way -going, but do all our sight-seeing coming back." - -"I'm going to fix it with uncle," asserted Tubby eagerly, "so that I can -hold on with you fellows if he has to return sooner, or by another route. -I believe I'd enjoy seeing the Selkirks up in Canada first-rate, 'cause -I've heard a lot about that wonderful scenery." - -"We'll be glad to have you along, Tubby," said Andy. - -"That goes without saying," added Hiram; while Rob smiled, and nodded in -a way that Tubby knew meant "those are my sentiments, too, every time." - -The next thing on the program was seeing Yellowstone Park, another scenic -trip so realistic that Andy declared he would always have trouble -convincing himself he had not actually been through the National -Reservation where the hot springs and geysers flowed, some of the latter -rising a hundred and fifty feet into the air, with steam and vapor -forming a dense canopy around. - -It was just after they had come out from this that the absence of Hiram -was discovered. Tubby professed to be somewhat alarmed, and feared their -old chum might have fallen from the observation car; but Rob set his mind -straight when he admitted that he had seen Hiram sneaking away. - -"He'd reached his limit of endurance," he told Andy when the latter -expressed his opinion of one who cared so little for amusement; "and -we've got to remember that our chum is a queer fish at best. Besides, his -heart is wrapped up in things along a certain line. Let him go his way; -and later on, perhaps, when some of us have grown a little tired of all -this clatter in the Zone, we'll hunt up the aviation field and see what -Hiram is doing." - -Andy had many more things on his list, but Rob told him not to try and -rush it all into one afternoon. - -"Take it easy, Andy," he advised. "'Rome wasn't built in a day,' you -remember. We're going to be around these haunts for a good long while, -and one by one we can see all the shows that are gathered here--that is, -all worth seeing. These odd people from the wilds interest me -considerably, too, so that I wouldn't miss looking in on their villages, -where they're genuine, as most of them are, because the management stand -for that fact." - -It may have been nearer four o'clock than three, when, being more or less -tired with their first day at the Exposition, the three chums turned -their faces in a quarter that up to then none of them had visited save -Tubby, and he only casually. - -"We'll take a look in at the aeroplane boys first," said Rob; "and if we -don't run across Hiram there, we will go over to the building where he -says many of the latest inventions are on exhibition." - -It was not difficult to discover which way to go, for overhead several -aeroplanes were whizzing this way and that. Far up in the heavens they -could see a small speck which was no doubt some daring pilot trying for -an altitude record. - -"Makes me think of those days over in Belgium and France, eh, Rob?" -remarked Tubby Hopkins, "where we saw German and French and British and -Belgian fliers; yes, and even a big Zeppelin that was meaning to bombard -some city." - -"Well," Andy told them, "here we are on the field, and like as not we'll -find our aviation mad chum over in that crowd around the machines on the -ground, where the starts are made." - -"I rather think those must be the various models of new machines," -observed Rob, and immediately adding, "There's Hiram now; he's sighted -us, and is heading this way." - -"Yes, with a grin as big as a house on his face," asserted Tubby; "which -I take it must mean he's struck something that tickles him just fierce." - -Hiram joined his three comrades a minute later. - -"Well," he said, in a mysterious fashion, addressing himself particularly -to Rob, "the Golden Gate Aeroplane Manufacturing Company has a -contraption on one of their machines, intended to equalize shifting -weights; but shucks! it isn't in the same class with my dandy little -stabilizer. I guess they mean business in my case, with a big B." - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - TUBBY IS OUT OF HIS ELEMENT. - - -If there had arisen any doubt in Hiram's mind as to the deep interest -those chums were taking in his enterprise, it must have been quickly -dispelled when he made this announcement, and saw the looks of delight -spreading over their faces. - -"Bully!" cried Andy. - -"Best wishes, Hiram!" added Tubby, genially, as he patted the other -fondly on the shoulder. - -Rob did not say anything, but if looks could speak Hiram might easily see -that he had the sincere sympathy of the scout leader; though he knew that -much before. - -"While I've been hovering around here," continued Hiram, "making myself -useful whenever a flier was going up by running with the machine to give -it a good start, I've kept my eyes and ears wide open, let me tell you." - -"So as to learn all you could about the Golden Gate Company, of course?" -remarked Andy. - -"Yes," Hiram told him, frankly enough, "and soak in any sort of knowledge -that might be useful to a feller that's got the aviation bee abuzzin' in -his bonnet. And I've learned a heap, let me tell you, boys. Why, it's -paid me already for my long and arduous trip across country. I c'n start -on as many as _three_ schemes I've been hatchin' in my fertile brain this -long time. I was up agin' a blank wall, you see; but now I've got ideas -worth a hull lot to me." - -"That sounds all right, Hiram," Rob told him; "only I hope you go slow -about this business. Don't overdo it, or we may have to take you home in -a strait-jacket yet." - -"Nixey, not for me," jeered the other; "my head's as clear as a bell. -Fact is, I never felt half as bright as I do now. The clouds have been -scattered, and seems like the sun was shinin' all the time. Once I get -this stabilizer business well off my hands, and have some coin to go to -work with, you'll see the dust fly." - -"And he belongs to the Eagles, too!" said Tubby, in wrapt admiration. -"Seems as if you just _can't_ suppress 'em, no way you try. There never -was a patrol of scouts organized that had as many bright minds on the -roster roll as ours contains." - -Andy immediately took off his campaign hat and made Tubby a low bow. - -"That's nice of you, Tubby, to say such sweet things of your chums," he -remarked, just as if it sprang straight from his heart. "And we want you -to know that with the other seven the name of Tubby Hopkins will go -ringing down the ages in Boy Scout history as one who always made his -mark. And I can testify to that from my own personal knowledge." - -From the way in which Hiram and Rob tittered when Andy said this it could -be inferred that they knew very well to what those last few words -referred. The fact of the matter was that once upon a time Andy had had -the misfortune to be under a tree when Tubby was knocking down nuts; and -the fat scout, losing his grip on a limb, came down with tremendous force -directly on Andy, who was flattened out on the ground like a pancake. - -He carried the bruises he received on that occasion for quite some time; -but no one could bear malice against Tubby, who, scrambling to his knees, -had immediately expressed great solicitude for his unfortunate comrade, -saying: - -"Oh, excuse me, Andy, I didn't know you were right under me, or I might -have chosen some other place to land." - -"You don't wonder at me being chained to this place, do you," asked -Hiram, "when there's so much happening all the time, with pilots going up -and coming down, agents explaining the use of new designs of aeroplanes -they are putting on the market, and everybody 'talking shop'? They reckon -I've been employed in some place where they make these fliers, because I -know somethin' about them. So they let me help in a lot of ways. It's -fun, I tell you, the best fun I ever knew." - -Anyone could see that Hiram was right in his element. His freckled Yankee -face seemed to glow with enthusiasm, and his little eyes shone in a way -Rob had never noticed before. Indeed, if the scout leader had been -inclined sometimes to fear Hiram would develop into a harmless crank, -with only vague unreasonable ideas rattling about in his loose brain, -that suspicion was rapidly vanishing. - -Perhaps it had commenced to have an effect upon Rob's opinion when he -read that letter from the Golden Gate people. They were hard-headed -business men, and not visionary dreamers; and surely they would never -have advanced all that money to a strange inventor unless they believed -in him, and meant to attach his genius to the fortunes of their company. - -"I own up, Hiram," said Andy, as they stood there and watched the many -things that were going on all the time around them, "that there must be a -sort of fascination about this thing to fellows who have a leaning that -way. But as for me you never could tempt me to climb up thousands and -thousands of feet like the air-pilot in the monoplane that looks like a -swallow against the sky." - -"It takes some nerve, I'll admit, Andy," said Hiram, modestly. - -"Huh! plenty of people may have nerve enough," objected Andy, "but all -the same they'd be laboring under physical disabilities." - -"As how, Andy?" asked the other. - -"Oh, well, take our chum Tubby here; you never could expect him to make a -flier, and bore up into the clouds. In the first place, it wouldn't be -fair to the people down below. He nearly killed me once by dropping just -ten feet; think what would happen to the poor chap who happened to get in -the way if Tubby came down from where that aviator is now?" - -Even Tubby had to laugh at that highly colored supposition. - -"Well, one thing sure!" he exclaimed, "I wouldn't have to beg pardon for -squashing him." - -"But think of the mess," chuckled Andy. - -"Watch that man who has just gone up in a monoplane. He's the best there -is on the Coast, next to Beachey himself, who is a native of California. -You'll see him turn flip-flaps to beat the band presently. Why, I've -watched him go around twice, and as neat as a circus tumbler would do it -off a springboard over the backs of three elephants. There he goes! What -d'ye think of that?" - -"Whew! he's a corker, for a fact!" ejaculated Tubby, as he stood with -open mouth, gaping at the wonderful exploits which the reckless air-pilot -was engineering far up above the earth. - -Rob, chancing to turn toward the stout boy, saw to his amusement that -there was something of a wistful expression on his rosy face. Tubby could -at least feel the charm that this hazardous sort of life might possess -for venturesome boys, even though he knew he could never hope to attain -any standing in the ranks, owing to what Andy had well called "physical -disabilities." - -Athletes alone make good air-pilots, and a fellow who had the shape of a -tub would only be useful as an anchor, or something like that. - -Poor Tubby! It did seem that Fate was cruel to him, since he was debarred -from taking an active part in so many sports such as boys enjoy. But -Nature had at least given him a cheerful disposition, so that no matter -how keenly disappointed he might be, he never allowed this to sour his -temper. - -They stood there and watched the trick aviator doing what Hiram called -"stunts." Sometimes the boys fairly gasped with sudden fear lest the man -aloft had made a miscalculation, and would come plunging down like a -stone to his death; but his agility and quick wit always served him -faithfully. - -"Some of these fine days something will happen that he doesn't count on," -Rob said, soberly, "a flaw may develop in some part of his machine, just -where it counts the most; and then--well, it will be his finish." - -"That depends," remarked Hiram, quietly. - -"On how high he happens to be at the time, you mean?" asked Andy. "Oh! -just a few hundred feet will be enough to put him out of business for -keeps." - -"Not if he is a wise man, and has a patent Nelson self-acting parachute -fastened to him all the time!" declared the other, proudly. "It'll open -and allow him to drift slowly down, like you see hot-air balloon -performers come to the earth after they've cut loose above." - -"Good for you, Hiram!" exclaimed Tubby; "I reckon folks have got to sit -up and take notice, now that you've come to town! Young blood will tell -every time. Oh, but I'm glad I met my chums! It was getting mighty -lonesome for me, in a crowd all the time, but with not a solitary fellow -to speak to. And Hiram, I'm glad you coaxed us to come over here. I'm -getting interested in flying; p'r'aps if I cut down my feed, and knock -off a hundred or so pounds I might have a show in this business yet." - -As they did not know whether Tubby was joking or really meant it, no one -laughed at his strange remark; for they did not want to hurt his -feelings. But when they glanced from the corners of their eyes at his -girth the absurdity of his hope was manifest. Perhaps they may even have -remembered a remark once made by Joe Digby to the effect that Tubby would -have to have an extra big pair of wings given to him if ever he became an -angel. - -"There's another exhibition pilot going to start up, boys," said Hiram -just then. "Suppose we walk over closer, and you can watch me lend a hand -to shove him off on a good start." - -"That's right, let's get closer and see how things are done," added -Tubby, as he bent over, and, picking up a stick of clear pine that had -caught his eye, he took out his penknife and commenced to whittle away -just as though he might be the representative Yankee of fiction. - -But whittling had always been a favorite occupation with Tubby; somehow -it seemed to soothe him and cause his thoughts to flow more smoothly. He -never could resist an extra fine bit of wood, though besides shavings he -had never been known to produce any especial result from the use of his -keen-edged knife-blade. - -There were quite a number of people around, and they seemed to be more or -less interested in the claims made by the representatives of the -different aeroplanes that were being displayed, and in the practical -demonstrations. - -Tubby listened with rapt attention as some of the men talked, explaining -what improvements had been made in the working construction of the -machine just then about to be put to the test. - -Hiram was doubtless dreaming of the hour of his triumph when one of these -aeroplanes would be equipped with his wonderful stabilizer, and he might -stand there listening to the fulsome praise of the Golden Gate Company's -demonstrator, before a practical test was made, to show how impossible it -would be for a flying machine that carried such a life-saving device to -be upset by flaws of wind, or the sudden movements of the pilot. - -When all was ready for the flight, Hiram was one of those who laid hands -on the aeroplane with the intention of running a score or two of feet, so -as to assist in the start. Unnoticed by Rob, Tubby, too, had copied -Hiram's example, urged on by some irresistible impulse approaching -madness, perhaps. - -When the word was given, and with propeller whirling, the aeroplane -started along on its bicycle wheels, with a dozen pushers to assist, -there was Tubby in the midst. - -Suddenly there arose a series of shouts of alarm. - -All of the other willing helpers had dropped off, only Tubby was -sprinting furiously after the aeroplane, which was bumping along over the -ground with ever increasing momentum. Rob felt a thrill of real alarm -when he believed he saw that the left arm of the stout boy was drawn out, -as though in some unfortunate way it had become caught in a trailing -cord, so that he was compelled to keep on, no matter how much he wanted -to break away! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - THE ILLUMINATED FAIRYLAND. - - -"Oh! Tubby!" Andy was heard to cry out above the clamor. - -It was all over in a few seconds. Rob believed he saw the fat boy manage -to get his other hand out; and it flashed through the scout leader's mind -that the last he had noticed Tubby was gripping his open knife in that -hand. - -They saw the stout boy roll over and over like a big rubber ball. At the -same time it became evident that the shouts of sudden alarm and horror -bursting forth from the crowd must have warned the aviator that something -was wrong, for he instantly shut off the power, and the monoplane was now -slowing up instead of increasing its speed over the level ground. - -Rob, Andy and Hiram joined in the forward rush, everybody fearing the -worst with regard to poor Tubby. But when they arrived on the spot they -were more than pleased to see him calmly brushing off his clothes. - -"Did you get hurt, Tubby?" demanded Andy, anxiously. - -"Never a bit," replied the grinning Tubby. "That's the good of being -encased in fat, you see. If it had been you, Andy, you would have gotten -a broken rib, or something like that. Oh! thank you for my hat, mister. -Did anybody see my knife; it slipped out of my hand just as I cut the -cord that was holdin' me to the machine?" - -"Good for you, Tubby, if you had the presence of mind to do that!" cried -Hiram. - -"And here's your knife, my boy," said an air-pilot, advancing. "You had a -narrow escape, and if I were you I would let it be the last time I ever -tried to run with a machine. If you had fallen over you might have been -dragged and killed." - -"Not by that cord, I should think, mister," declared Tubby, holding up -the piece that still dangled from his left arm, where a loop had -accidentally become fast. "It would have broke short on me; but all the -same I'm through trying games like that. I'm not built for it, I guess." - -They were pushing the monoplane back for another start. The aviator -stopped to survey Tubby from head to foot. - -"So, it was you holding me back, was it? Didn't get hurt any, I hope? But -looky here, young fellow, when I want an _anchor_ I'll get a real one, -and not just a tub of jelly; understand that, do you?" - -It was pretty rough on Tubby, for the crowd laughed uproariously, but he -disarmed the anger of the air-pilot by joining in the mirth. - -"I meant all right, mister," he told the aviator, "and it would have been -easy only for that cord that was hanging out. It got caught around my -arm, and I couldn't break away. Thank you for letting me off so easy." - -After that the boys walked away. It had threatened to be a serious matter -at the time, but now that everything was over Andy and Hiram were -secretly exchanging nods, and chuckling over the remembrance of their fat -chum sprinting after the swift monoplane, going faster no doubt than he -had ever done before in all his life. - -"I see the finish of the rest of the boys in Hampton when the foot races -are on next fall," Andy complained, in what he meant to be a serious -tone, "if you take to doing your practicing that way, Tubby." - -"Yes," added Hiram, "when it comes to the point that Tubby can keep along -with a racing aeroplane, or a speeding motorcar, the rest of us might as -well throw up the sponge and quit. He'd make circles around us like Rob's -boat the _Tramp_ could with the old _Sea Gull_." - -"Make your minds easy, boys," Tubby told them pleasantly. "I'm going out -of training. Once is enough for me. You can have the field to yourself, -Hiram; only if I were you I'd quit that running business. An inventor has -no right to take chances; and what's happened once may happen again." - -"Well, now, I never thought of that, Tubby," admitted the other, shaking -his head seriously. "Just as you say, an inventor has no right to expose -himself like an ordinary person. No telling what he might not think up -some day for the uplift of the civilized world. He sorter belongs to -science, don't he? Yep, I'll stop chasing after aeroplanes; but of course -I'll have to go up once in a while in order to keep in touch with -things." - -"We're about ready to start for the hotel, Hiram," announced Rob; "and if -you've decided not to introduce yourself to the Golden Gate people -to-day, you might just as well come back with us." - -Hiram sighed, and allowed his glance to rove over to where the crowd -still gathered around the demonstration station. - -"I s'pose I'd better," he replied with an effort. "I don't want to be -greedy, and overdo things; but it's giving me a jolt to have to break -away from here. How about you, Tubby; coming along and have dinner with -us to-night?" - -"Of course he is," said Rob immediately. "To-morrow he must change -hotels, so he can be one of our party." - -"Why, you took the words right out of my mouth, Rob," declared Andy. - -"That makes it unanimous," added Hiram, vigorously; "so you see there's -no way for you to back fire, and break away from your moorings from the -same old crowd, Tubby." - -Tubby smiled, and looked pleased. - -"It's nice to know you're appreciated, let me tell you, boys," he -observed. "I'll be only too glad to join you at dinner. Yes, and in the -morning I'll pack my grip so as to change base. I can leave a letter for -Uncle Mark that he'll get as soon as he comes back from Oregon." - -So that much was settled, and somehow all of them seemed to feel pleased -over the addition to their ranks. Tubby Hopkins was always like a breath -of Spring and a welcome guest at every camp fire. Gloom and Tubby never -agreed; in fact he radiated good cheer as the sun does light and heat. - -"What's the use of going to the city, and eating an ordinary dinner at -some hotel or restaurant, when we can get such a corking fine spread at -the place where we had our lunch?" asked Andy. - -"Well, there's a whole lot of sense in that," admitted Rob. "We can sit -around and get rested, then go to our dinner before the evening rush -starts in; and by the time we're through, the illumination of the -Exposition will have gotten fully under way. And that's a sight we're -wanting to see, you know." - -Hiram fell in with the idea at once, and Tubby declared it suited him -perfectly. So once more they headed toward that section of the Zone where -the giant Aeroscope lifted up its cage of sight-seers hundreds of feet -every few minutes, for the eating-place had been close to this spot. - -Since they were looking forward to several weeks at the Fair, no wonder -the boys felt very satisfied and happy. There was so much to see that -they believed they could put in all the time to advantage without -duplicating anything. - -When they were seated at the table, Tubby kept his chums in a constant -roar of laughter by his many quaint remarks. Sometimes these were called -forth by some queer type of foreigner chancing to pass by; and then again -it might be Tubby would revive some ludicrous memory of past events in -which he had figured. - -They certainly seemed to enjoy their "feed," as Tubby called it; it was -not unlike a camp supper, when eaten under such odd surroundings. Andy -openly declared that with so many swarthy turbaned Arabs strolling by, -not to mention Egyptians, Hindoos, Algerians, Moors, and the like, he -could easily imagine himself away off on a sandy desert, with camels as -the only means of transportation. - -"Makes me so thirsty just to think of it that I have to keep on drinking -all the time; so please get me another cup of coffee, waiter," he said. - -"A poor excuse is better than none," remarked Hiram. "Now, I'm going to -have a second helping of that ambrosia nectar just because I want it. I -don't have to ring in all that taffy about hot deserts, camels and such -stuff." - -By the time they were through with dinner the illumination of the -Exposition grounds was in full blast. It certainly looked like fairyland -to Rob, Andy and Hiram; though the last named seemed to be more -interested in figuring how an improvement might be made in the wonderful -electrical display than in admiring the amazing effect of the myriads of -colored lights. - -The roofs of buildings, the domes, the turrets and the towers, as well as -the Triumphal Arch of the Setting Sun were all aglow. It made a spectacle -not easily forgotten, and which the boys were never weary of gazing at. - -As all of them felt pretty stiff and tired from having been on their feet -so much that day, and not being used to it after sitting so long on the -train, it was determined that they would not linger any longer. - -"We'll be here on plenty of nights up to the closing hour," said Rob, -"and I think it would be poor policy to overdo things in the beginning." - -"Yes," added Tubby with the air of an oracle, "I never forget what I was -once told, that it's very unwise to press your horse in the start of a -long journey. Let him generally get used to going, and by degrees he'll -be able to do better work right along--and finish strong." - -"Same way," added Andy, "the jockeys hold back racers till they reach the -last lap. The one that's the freshest on the home stretch is the one -that's going to win, nine times out of ten." - -"I'm going with you, boys, and see all I can of my chums," announced -Tubby, who undoubtedly hated to spend even one more night alone. "I can -engage a room near yours for to-morrow, p'r'aps; and besides, Rob has -something he promised to show me, which won't keep over the night." - -What he referred to happened to be some photographs Rob had taken on the -way to California, and which would have looked just as good on the next -day; but then Tubby was hunting for even a poor excuse to hang on to the -party as long as he could. - -They took a carriage at the exit. At the office of the hotel they waited -until Tubby had interviewed the clerk, with Rob at his elbow to vouch for -him. - -"Great luck, fellows!" announced Tubby, as he rejoined Andy and Hiram. "I -got my room all right, which in itself is a wonder with all the crowds in -the city right now; but would you believe it I'm next door to you!" - -"It's some more of that everlasting Hopkins' luck," Andy told him. "You -can't be kept down, Tubby, no matter how they try it. We've seen you bob -up on top before now. And look at you chancing to have that open knife in -your hand this afternoon, when that cord held you! One chance in ten -thousand of such a thing happening, and yet it did with you. Sometimes I -wish my name wasn't Bowles; if I couldn't have it that I think I'd choose -Hopkins. Sounds lucky to me!" - -Chattering as they went, the four chums sought the elevator, and were -soon on the fifth floor where the boys' connecting rooms were located. - -Rob had secured only the one key at the desk. With this he opened the -door, and stepping inside reached out his hand to switch on the electric -light. As this flashed up the boys stared about them. - -"Wrong room, Rob, I bet you!" exclaimed Andy. "We never left things -scattered around on the floor like this." - -"But that looks like your suitcase, Andy; and this open steamer trunk is -mighty similar to the one we fetched along to hold our extra clothes!" -exclaimed Rob. - -"Looks like somebody had been in here looting!" remarked Tubby, whose -eyes seemed as round as saucers as he turned from one object to another. - -"Well, what d'ye think of that?" cried Hiram, bitterly; "here's my bag -turned inside out, just like some sneak thief had been looking for money -or jewelry. There's been an attempt at robbery here, fellows, as plain as -the nose on my face!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - PRYING FINGERS. - - -"Let's see if there's anything missing!" - -As Andy made this remark he started to gather up some of his possessions -that strewed the floor close to his suitcase, where they had been hastily -thrown when the leather receptacle was emptied. - -"Wait a minute," said Rob, halting him in the work; "let's take a general -look around first. It seems to me as if they hadn't gotten more than -half-way through our trunk. That would indicate something had alarmed the -thief, and caused him to leave in a hurry." - -"Oh, mebbe I'm not tickled nearly to death!" exclaimed Hiram, suddenly, -beaming on the others as though he felt like shaking hands with himself -over something. - -"What about?" asked Tubby. - -"I can give a guess," said Rob. "It's about the papers we left in the -safe downstairs, eh, Hiram?" - -"Just what it is, Rob," admitted the other, continuing to show his -pleasure. "Only for your smartness in getting me to deposit the packet -with the clerk under a seal, it might have been in my bag right here. -Say, I wonder now, if that was what the thief wanted?" - -"But no one out here would suspect that you carried valuable papers, -Hiram," objected Rob. - -"How do we know that?" asked the other, who had seized upon that -explanation of the mystery, and saw no reason as yet to abandon his -theory. "Didn't I tell you how several companies I approached had men in -their employ who tried to play smart games on me, so as to steal the -fruits of my labor? Rob, you haven't forgotten that unscrupulous -Marsters, have you?" - -"Why, no, but there's a whole lot that would have to be explained about -him before I could believe he had anything to do with this game," Rob -told him. - -"Then you're of the opinion it's just an ordinary everyday hotel sneak -thief who's been looking through our stuff in hopes of finding some spare -money hidden away in one of our grips, is that it, Rob?" and Andy started -in once more to gathering up his scattered property, rubbing at the bosom -of a shirt where it seemed to be marked with dirty fingers. - -"I don't believe he found anything worth taking," said Hiram, "because we -made it a point never to keep valuables in our bags, outside of those -rolls belonging to your Professor McEwen." - -"If anything worth a considerable amount had been stolen," ventured Rob, -"I'd have stopped Andy before now from destroying one of the finest clues -that could ever be found. I mean that finger-print so plainly marked on -the bosom of your white shirt. With the modern methods used by the police -to fix a crime on a criminal, that dark impression of his fingers would -prove the fellow guilty in case they could use a drag net and round-up a -bunch of suspects." - -Tubby stood and watched the others work, gathering their belongings -together. Both Hiram and Andy growled occasionally because the thief in -his haste to look through everything had jumbled things considerably. - -"What did he want to waste his precious time for trying to find anything -worth while in the belongings of three boys?" Andy asked, as though he -had a personal grievance against the rogue who had entered their rooms -with a duplicate key, since they had certainly found the door locked. - -Struck with an idea, Rob stepped over to one of the windows and looked -out. - -"Think he may have climbed in from some fire-escape, don't you, Rob?" -demanded Tubby, who had noted this move on the part of the scout leader. - -"The idea struck me," admitted Rob, "but it only took one look to tell me -such a thing is quite impossible, and out of the question. No, he must -have come in by the door." - -"And went out the same way?" continued Tubby. - -"Yes, after upsetting our things in the way he did," pursued Rob. - -"I s'pose he found out that the owners of the trunk and bags were only -three boys," Tubby went on to say in his logical way, "and then he threw -up the game; no use expecting to run across jewelry or any extra cash in -baggage belonging to boys seeing the Fair." - -"Seems like it's the old story over again," Hiram remarked, "and there's -no end to the queer things we run up against. I'm getting so nowadays I -expect some surprise to break in on me any minute, day or night. If it -isn't one thing then it's another. And when all else fails why we c'n -depend on Tubby here to keep the wheels spinning with some of his -antics." - -"Antics!" echoed Tubby, indignantly. "I object to you giving my adventure -of this afternoon such a name as that. You must think I would purposely -tie myself to a speeding aeroplane, and then have to run after it just -for the fun of the thing. Antics nothing. Misfortunes, you'd better call -my troubles after this." - -"Oh, never mind, Tubby! After all, you didn't get hurt," said Andy. "In -this case it looks like the thief had had his troubles for nothing." - -"I've got a theory," said Rob, "but of course there's no way of proving -it. It's connected with those two fellows who tried to play a smart game -on Hiram here at Los Angeles, and got left for their pains." - -"Hello! I haven't heard anything about that up to now," exclaimed Tubby. -"Who and what were they, Rob? Ten to one you engineered a scheme to block -them, because it would be just like Rob Blake to do that." - -So Andy, having a glib tongue, took it upon himself to relate the -adventure of the through train, and how the two clever rogues had tried -to get them to enter a carriage as prisoners, meaning, of course, to rob -Hiram as soon as the chance came. - -Tubby laughed when he heard how their plan was brought to naught. His -merriment grew even more boisterous after he learned that Rob had taken -Hiram's papers to secrete them on his person, while the other hid some -old letters in an inside pocket, which were deftly "lifted" during the -short time the boys happened to be in close touch with the pair of -rogues. - -"Just to think of the bitter disappointment they met with," said Tubby -between his gasps. "I'm sure they'll remember you fellows with anything -but pleasure. Every time they glimpse a boy in khaki they'll be apt to -utter some hard words." - -"Well," continued Rob, "it was on what they must feel that I based my -theory. You see, they must have been coming to one of the expositions, -probably the big Panama-Pacific show, to ply their trade. That would take -them here to San Francisco. By some chance or other they may have seen -us, and found out where we are stopping; and this raid was carried out -more with a desire to have revenge on us than anything else. If some one -hadn't alarmed the fellows they might have amused themselves destroying -everything in our bags and trunk." - -"A mean revenge, but I wouldn't put it past a thief who was boiling mad -because three Boy Scouts had managed to get the better of him," Andy -declared, with considerable emphasis, which looked as though he rather -favored the theory advanced by the scout leader. - -"Whee! I hope this thing isn't as catching as the measles," ventured -Tubby. "You know, I've gone and paid out some good money for several -things that caught my eye in the booths at the Exposition; and I'd hate -to have some one get away with them during my absence." - -"Oh, small chance of that happening, Tubby! And if you're afraid to stay -alone to-night, why, I'll go over with you to get your bag, and come on -here," Andy told the anxious one. - -Perhaps Tubby was at first sorely tempted to accept that offer; but then -he chanced to catch a gleam of amusement on Hiram's face. That settled -the matter. Pride stepped in and took the reins. - -"Oh, never mind about that, Andy!" he hastened to say. "It's very kind of -you to offer me help, but I think I had better wait until morning. I'll -be around early and take breakfast with the bunch, remember. What time do -you eat?" - -Hiram and Andy allowed Rob to settle that for them. - -"Call it eight o'clock, then. We'll wait that long for you, Tubby," the -scout leader said. - -"I'll be on the move by seven, and as I expect to pack my bag to-night -before turning in, it isn't going to take me long to finish." - -Tubby got up as though he knew he ought to be going; but apparently he -hated to part from his chums. They had been together so much of recent -years that they were as thick as peas in a pod. - -Rob somehow did not seem to be altogether satisfied with the result of -his first examination of the room; he was heard moving around in the -second apartment. When he joined the rest again, Andy, who must have -guessed what he had been about, began to question Rob. - -"Find anything to give the game away in there, Rob?" he asked. - -"Well, no, not that I could see," the scout leader replied. "The door, as -you may remember, is locked, and the key at the office, where we haven't -bothered taking it out. Besides, when we left this morning I shot the -bolt home, so that no thief could have entered by that door; and -certainly no one left the room that way, or the bolt would not be in the -socket as it is." - -"Oh, well, what's the use of bothering about it? We don't as a rule -believe in crying over spilled milk. If that's the case, why should we -fret when there's been no damage done at all, except my white shirt being -soiled by finger prints?" - -"Send that to the hotel laundry and forget it," advised Tubby. "Where did -I leave my hat? Oh, here it is! By the way, don't be surprised when you -see me in the morning, because I expect to be togged out in my khaki -uniform, which Uncle had me fetch along in my big collapsible grip." - -"We'll try and stand the wonderful sight the best way we can," Hiram told -him; "but break it to us by inches, please, Tubby, so as to avoid as much -risk as possible. I've got a weak heart, you know, and a sudden shock -might be serious." - -"Too bad you made your bargain with the hotel clerk before you donned -your khaki, Tubby," ventured Andy. "He might have given you the room at -half the price you expect to pay for it now on the European plan. Your -presence here would be a standing advertisement for the place. They could -afford to let you stay for nothing if only you'd agree to stand outside -the restaurant door an hour each day, and pick your teeth." - -All this kind of "joshing" had no effect on Tubby, who really seemed -rather to enjoy being a target for these shafts of sarcasm leveled by his -comrades, for his smile was as bright and cheery as ever. - -"I'll tie my shoe first, and then skip out. Must be going on nine o'clock -now, and I've got some lost sleep to make up." - -Saying which he dropped down on one knee and set to work. The others -accommodated themselves to the several easy-chairs, Hiram swinging one of -his long legs over the arm of his seat in real Yankee fashion. - -Rob yawned, and then taking out his little notebook--in which he was -particular to jot down every daily event of any consequence on the -trip--he felt in his pocket for a pencil. - -"By the way, Hiram, you borrowed my pencil this afternoon, and didn't -return it," he remarked, stretching out his hand toward the other scout, -who, with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders, fished the article in -question out of his vest pocket and handed it over. - -It was just then that Tubby fairly scrambled to his feet. Rob looked up -in some surprise, when to his further astonishment the fat boy tiptoed -over, bent down, and said: - -"Please don't give me the grand laugh, Rob, when I tell you I saw -something moving under that bed there--a pair of shoes!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE THIEF UNDER THE BED. - - -"Hey, what's that, Tubby?" - -It was Hiram who whispered this in a rather hoarse and strained voice. He -had managed to just barely overhear what the fat scout was telling Rob, -and could hardly believe his ears. - -Rob instantly held up a warning finger. His face looked serious for, -while after all it might prove that Tubby's imagination was playing -tricks with him, there were circumstances that gave the matter a -suspicious look. - -Some one had certainly been in their rooms turning things upside-down, as -though searching for articles of value, or with the intention of creating -as much havoc and confusion as possible. - -Besides this, had they not already concluded that this person must have -been disturbed in his vandal work? They believed he had fled, but after -all it was possible that, hearing them at the door, he had made the -utmost haste to conceal himself in the first hiding place available, -which was under one of the beds. - -Rob had to think quickly. - -The man must be a desperate rascal or he would never have taken the -chances he did in entering their apartments bent on such work. -Consequently he would, of course, be armed, and if given half a chance, -might make things exceedingly disagreeable for the four scouts. - -What should be done? - -Hiram was already pointing toward the house telephone, as though -suggesting the use of it to bring help from below. Rob shook his head to -indicate that the plan did not seem to appeal to him when there might be -a better one to adopt. - -They were four in number, and pretty husky fellows in the bargain, who in -times past had accomplished quite a few feats worth mentioning. It would -be too bad if a squad of scouts of their caliber and experience could not -manage in some way to smother a single concealed thief. - -Of course, by this time, Andy had come to realize that there was -something very exciting and mysterious going on. He wanted to burst out -with a plain question, and ask Rob what it was all about; but reading the -signification of that upraised finger, and the frown on the scout -leader's face, he simply put out a hand and rested it on Rob's sleeve -while a pleading expression gripped his face. - -Taking pity on Andy, and believing that they must all work together if -they expected to accomplish anything, Rob bent over and whispered in his -ear. - -"Somebody's hiding under the bed, Tubby says. Now laugh out loud as -though we were having a joke; that is to keep him quiet a while longer." - -Fortunately Andy Bowles was quick-witted enough to grasp the peculiar -situation. He understood just why Rob wanted him to make it appear as -though things were moving along as usual, and that no suspicion had been -aroused. - -So Andy laughed. If there was a queer, husky touch to the sounds he -emitted to order surely Andy could hardly be blamed, for he must have -been quivering all over just then from hysterical excitement. - -Rob drew the heads of Tubby and Andy down close to his mouth. They knew -he meant to issue instructions, and hence eagerly strained their hearing -so that not a single syllable might be lost. Meanwhile Hiram was standing -near by, and busily engaged in taking off his khaki coat which, being -quite new, he evidently did not mean to have mussed in any rough and -tumble work. - -At another time Rob would have smiled to see Hiram carefully folding his -coat and then softly depositing it on the bed that was held under -suspicion; but it did not cause a ripple of amusement to cross his -serious face now. - -"You and Tubby pass around to the other side of the bed, and try to act -as if you were cutting up," Rob whispered. "Keep your eyes on me, and -when I give the word lay hold of his legs and yank him out. Tubby, we -depend on you to keep him from getting to his feet; squash him if -necessary. Get that, both of you?" - -Both heads eagerly nodded an affirmative reply. The plan was so extremely -simple that there did not seem to be any possibility of confusion. - -Tubby's face was not quite so rosy as usual, perhaps, but no one could -say he looked frightened in the least. He immediately started some -"horse-play" with Andy, laughing as he pushed the other around the foot -of the bed so that they could presently bring up on the other side. - -Taking advantage of the very first opportunity, Tubby, even while -continuing to pretend to wrestle with Andy, pointed a finger downward. -Knowing what this was meant for, Andy ducked his head in order to also -get a glimpse of the object the fat boy considered so suspicious. - -Meanwhile Rob and Hiram were holding themselves in readiness to jump -around to any point where they could make their presence count. The -former was keeping an anxious eye on Tubby and Andy. When he saw the -latter make that quick movement, Rob knew what it meant, and understood -that considerable would depend on how Andy came to decide. - -So Rob fairly held his breath awaiting the verdict. If after all Tubby -had allowed his imagination to get the better of him, and had mistaken -some simple object for a pair of shoes under the bed, Andy's keen eyes -would quickly detect the illusion, and they might expect to hear him give -a roar of amusement. - -Nothing of the kind happened, it turned out. Instead of this, when Andy -once more straightened up he nodded his head toward Rob in a way that -could have only one meaning--he was ready to risk his reputation for -veracity along with Tubby in admitting that the facts looked suspicious. - -That settled the matter with Rob. They must combine to make a sudden -assault on the concealed thief and try to overpower him before he could -place himself in a condition to do them harm. - -Like a wise general, the scout leader took one last look around in order -to see that his forces were all in their respective positions before he -gave the signal that would precipitate action. - -Andy, impatient to get busy, made a significant gesture, opening and -shutting both hands rapidly, while a faint grin could be seen on his -face. This was intended to convey the intelligence that he was eager to -lay hold on the lower extremities of the sneak thief cowering under the -bed, and start to drag him out from his place of concealment. - -There was no need of any further delay, and so Rob made a quick movement -with his hand, at the same time exclaiming: - -"Now's your time; get him!" - -Before the last word had been uttered Andy was bending down and hurling -himself part-way under the bed. He immediately began to back out, tugging -with all his strength at something upon which he had pounced. - -Tubby also took hold and united his power with that of the other scout. -They made short work of it, once that combination got started. Out from -under the bed they dragged a struggling figure that was scratching, -clawing and trying in every possible way to swing around so that he would -not be taken at such a terrible disadvantage. - -By that time Rob and Hiram had managed to arrive, the latter scrambling -directly across the bed in his hurry to get into action. - -There was a lively little scene for a brief interval, with all of them -trying to keep those kicking legs and violently driven arms pinned down. - -A few blows were given in the struggle, and not all on one side, since -Andy had a thrust in the eye that made the tears come, and Tubby received -a kick which forced a grunt from his lungs. - -Whoever the fellow might be he evidently was convinced that his condition -was desperate, judging from the wild way he fought, to break away, with -the intention of bolting from the room. - -In the midst of the _melee_ Tubby settled the affair in a unique way all -his own, and which none of the others could have imitated even though -they sought to do so. - -He simply allowed himself to sit down squarely on the squirming figure -with which they had been battling so fiercely. When that heavyweight -settled down, it was like a stone wagon dropping into a hole in the road. -They heard a gasp from the unfortunate wretch underneath, whose struggles -immediately began to lose much of their former vigor. - -It happened that at the time the thief was lying on his stomach, so that -Tubby perched on his back, which might have been broken had the fellow -been less sturdily built. - -After that there was really nothing more for the others to do; Tubby was -equal to the task of keeping his victim pinned there in spite of anything -the wretched fellow might try to do. - -It was then they heard him wheezing as though short of breath, and saw -his hand moving as if in abject appeal. - -"I give up! I'm all in! Please don't kill me, Rob and Andy! Won't you let -Tubby get up off my back; he's smashing my ribs, I tell you!" - -Rob, Andy and Hiram stared at each other as though they hardly knew -whether they could be awake or dreaming. Why, the squirming wretch whom -they found hidden under the bed, and who had undoubtedly been searching -their effects with robbery in view, had actually mentioned the name of -Rob and that of Andy. Yes, he had even begged that Tubby be restrained -before he utterly crushed his back and sides! - -It gave them one of the greatest surprises in all their experience; for -how a common hotel sneak thief should know who they were, and address -them so familiarly, was past their comprehension. - -Tubby, too, looked astounded, though he made no move to get up in -response to the pitiful wheeze of the wretch he was pinning to the floor. -Perhaps it filtered through the slow-moving brain of the fat scout that -this might be only one of those clever tricks known to sharpers, and -entered into simply to gain some advantage. - -Rob knew differently. There seemed to be something about that whine on -the part of the prisoner that was familiar, though on the spur of the -moment Rob could not have told where he had last heard it. - -Accustomed to prompt action, the scout leader motioned to Andy and Hiram -to hold themselves in readiness to seize upon the fellow's arms, and in -this manner keep him from taking advantage of his newly acquired freedom -when Tubby arose. - -"Now you can get up, Tubby!" said Rob. - -Tubby thereupon gave one of his satisfied grunts and commenced to roll -off his human cushion for, as a rule, when he wished to gain his feet, -like the elephant he resembled in many ways, the fat boy had to get upon -his knees first of all, and then make a further effort. - -"Turn him over, Andy, Hiram; and if he tries any funny business he'll -wish he hadn't, that's all!" Rob told the others, who immediately started -to obey. - -"Oh, believe me, I've had enough as it is, Rob! I hope you won't be too -hard on me this time! I was wild to get back home, and that's the truth," -the fellow was crying as Andy and Hiram turned him on his back. - -The former bent down to stare into the thief's face. Rob fairly held his -breath, awaiting the explosion something told him was due. Nor was he -mistaken, for Andy drew back, uttering exclamations of wonder. - -"Why, who d'ye believe it is," he burst out, "but that sneak of a Jared -Applegate who had to skip out of Hampton when things got too hot for him, -and who you last ran across when you were down in Mexico? Rob, he's up to -his old tricks of trying to steal what belongs to others. Say, this is -one of the biggest surprises that ever came our way. Old Hiram -Applegate's bad boy, and a common hotel thief!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - AN ENEMY OF THE PAST. - - -They all recognized Jared now, although he had grown considerably since -last Rob had seen him, and was a husky looking fellow, easily capable of -doing a man's work. - -In other days he had been a thorn in the flesh of the newly organized -troop of scouts in Hampton, doing every mean thing his wits could devise -in order to annoy them. Then, later on, when some of the boys had visited -the Panama Canal, in process of being dug at the time, they ran across -this same young reprobate, and found him associated with a number of -desperate foreigners who were trying to blow up the locks of the canal in -order to effect the ruination of the whole grand project to unite the two -oceans across the isthmus. - -Still later, Rob had run across Jared down in Mexico, where he was having -a hard time of it, having joined forces with some of the rival warring -elements that at the time were smashing things right and left. Whatever -became of Jared, Rob had never learned, nor had he bothered himself very -much over the disappearance of the unscrupulous young rascal. - -And now, to find him trying to steal things from their baggage, was -enough to make them believe the world was a pretty small affair after -all. Of the hundreds of thousands of people in San Francisco it was -certainly queer that Jared, their old-time enemy, should be the one to -attempt this thing. - -"What's this checkered jumper he's wearing mean?" remarked Andy, when he -could find his breath, which had really been taken away by the -astonishing discovery. - -"Looks like Jared might be doing some honest work at last," added Hiram. -"Else he's just put it on to make people believe he belongs here in the -hotel." - -"No, no, that isn't so, Hiram!" hastily cried the wretched Jared. "I'm -really a sort of porter here, you see. I fetch trunks up to guests' -rooms, and all that. Mebbe you didn't know it, but I brought that steamer -trunk of yours here when you were out. That's how I got my first -knowledge some of my old schoolmates had come on to the Fair, because I -read the name of Robert Blake on the same, and Hampton, L. I., ditto." - -"Oh!" said Andy, "and you felt so warmly drawn to your old schoolmates, -Jared, didn't you, that you just couldn't resist sneaking up here when -they were out, and rooting all through their baggage in hopes of picking -up a windfall?" - -The wretched Jared groaned in a way that told how badly he felt, not -because he repented for anything he had done, as Rob well knew, but on -account of having had the ill-fortune to be caught in the act. That was -what pinched the most, though it was not to be expected he would admit as -much; for Jared had always been one of those tricky, whining, cowardly -fellows who make big promises when in trouble, but forget all about them -as soon as the wind blows fair. - -"I'm just sick to get back home again, and that's the truth, I give you -my word it is, Rob!" he said, trying to appear very dejected and humble, -because he knew from past experiences that this was the best way to work -upon the sympathies of these good-hearted former school companions. - -"And ready to rob us so as to get the money to take you there, you mean, -don't you, Jared?" Rob demanded. - -"Oh, it was wicked, I realize that now, but everything has been against -me out here," whined the one who lay on his back on the floor. "I get to -thinking of the folks at home on Long Island and it seems I would go -crazy I want to get back there so bad again. If I ever do, I'm meanin' to -be a different feller than in the past. I've had my lesson, Rob; I've -been kicked around like a dog till I came to hate nearly everybody that -lived. But if I could only have one more chance I'd try awful hard to -make good, sure I would. Oh, I hope you'll believe me, Rob Blake!" - -Now Rob, through so many dealings with this treacherous fellow in the -past, had lost all faith in his possessing the least trait of decency in -his composition. In most bad boys with whom Rob had ever had anything to -do he could discover some sign of decency, even though it required -considerable searching to find it; but upon Jared he had come to look as -worthless. - -All these promises Rob believed were only made with one idea in view, and -this a wild desire to escape the punishment he so richly deserved. - -Caught hiding under the bed after their effects had been searched and -thrown recklessly around, Jared must certainly be treated as a common -thief if arrested, and the management of the hotel would take great -satisfaction in prosecuting him if only to discourage other employees -from copying his example. - -"Let him sit up, boys!" the scout leader told the two who had been -pinning both of Jared's arms to the floor. - -They did as Rob requested, but from the way in which Andy and Hiram -seemed to watch the culprit, meanwhile holding themselves in complete -readiness to hurl their weight upon him at the first show of aggressive -action on his part, it was evident that they attached small importance to -his claim of repentance. - -Rob hardly knew what to do. They had no reason to think well of this -scamp who, in the past, never lost an opportunity to do them an ill turn, -whether in the home town on the shore of Long Island, down at Panama, or -upon the wide plains of Mexico. In Rob's mind there was no shadow of -belief with regard to that promise of reformation, or the gnawing desire -to return home. - -Still, so far as they knew, nothing had been stolen, so that there was no -real reason why they should sink so low as to want to revenge themselves -on Jared. - -He certainly presented a most pitiable object as he sat there and turned -his anxious eyes from one face to another of the four boys with whom he -had gone to school for years, and who now held his fate in their hands. - -"If I got anything, Rob, I meant to make it up to you later on when I -could earn the money," he was saying again, mistaking that serious look -on Rob's face and fearful that he meant to turn him over to the police. -"I'm ready to go back to the farm and work it with the old man. This -thing of knockin' about the world ain't all it's cracked up to be, and -I'm dead tired of going hungry half the time. Let me off, Rob, won't you, -please? It'd nigh 'bout kill the old woman if she learned I'd been caught -tryin' to steal from my schoolmates." - -Like all cowards, Jared, when he found himself face to face with the -consequences of his folly, was ready to play the part of the prodigal -son, and bring in his parents as a reason why he should escape -punishment. Rob and the other scouts knew his mother and father, and -while they had no reason to respect Farmer Applegate, still the fact that -Jared was his son and must have almost broken the hearts of his people at -home, was bound to influence Rob. - -"Get up, Jared!" said the scout leader, shortly. - -Andy gave a grunt of displeasure. He could guess what Rob was about to -do, and felt like expressing his disgust, though it was seldom any of the -boys ventured to differ with Rob, such confidence did they have in his -long-headed policies. - -Hiram simply contented himself with shrugging his shoulders. If Rob -considered it best that they let the contemptible sneak thief off, after -catching him in the very act as it were, well, it must be all right. -Scouts were taught that when a foe was on his back and begging for mercy -they must not be too hard-hearted. Jared was deceiving them, Hiram felt -sure of that, but after all why should they bother with punishing him any -further? - -"Are you meanin' to let me go, Rob?" quavered the fellow, as he managed -to get upon his feet, with the four scouts clustered around him. - -"Yes, because we haven't lost anything through you as far as we can find -out," the scout leader told him, at which Jared's face lost some of its -strained look, and Andy thought he caught some of the old-time crafty -gleam in his shifting eyes. - -"I give you my word for it, Rob, I never took a single living thing," he -hastened to say. - -"Well, we'll make sure of that by taking a look through your pockets!" -declared Rob, sternly. "You don't seem to like that, do you? But make up -your mind that if you start to show the first sign of resistance we'll -not only pile on you, but hand you over to the police afterward without -listening to any more promises. Andy, you tap his pockets, and see what -he's got." - -Andy did not hesitate an instant; indeed, to see the way he started in -one might believe this was an avocation with the scout, and that he had -been employed a long time at police headquarters searching the pockets of -prisoners before they were thrust into cells. - -A number of things were brought to light, which did not possess any -particular interest for the scouts. When, however, from an inside pocket -Andy drew a roll of bills, fastened with a rubber band, Tubby was heard -to give a "whee!" and Hiram nudged Rob in the side as if to say: "See how -he yarned when he vowed he wanted to get back on the farm, but didn't -have the railroad fare East!" - -Andy deliberately proceeded to count the contents of the roll, while the -wretched owner followed his every move, as though he feared that by some -hocus-pocus or sleight of hand process, with which he himself was -possibly familiar, some of the money might take wings and fly away. - -"Just ninety-seven dollars here, Rob!" announced Andy. - -"Yes, that's right," declared Jared, cringing before Rob's look, "and I -earned every cent of that roll by honest days' labor, every cent of it. I -thought I needed just a little more to see me through all the way East. I -was told it'd take about--say a hundred and ten clear. But I c'n wait now -till I get my next wages. I was a silly fool to think to rob my old pals -of the days in Hampton." - -"You never said truer words than those, Jared," Rob told him, plainly, -but with a feeling that nothing the other declared would be believed -under oath, for truth and Jared Applegate had never been friends. - -"But, Rob, I hope now you ain't a-goin' to keep any of my cash roll, or -hand it over to the manager of the hotel. I've been working here quite -some time now, and they treat me white so I'd hate to get bounced when -I'm so near makin' up the amount I need. It's all clean money, Rob, you -believe me, don't you? Look at my hands and see how calloused they are? -That's a pretty good sign, I take it, that I ain't been layin' around, or -playin' cards like I used to." - -He had certainly been doing some sort of hard labor, though Rob was -rather inclined to believe Jared must have been working in the mines with -pick and shovel, and had only come to the city when driven out of the -camp because of some crooked doings. - -"You shouldn't judge everybody by your own standard, Jared," he told the -other. "None of us could be hired to take a single cent of yours, no -matter how you got the money, which is no affair of ours. Give it back to -him, Andy; and I guess you've searched enough to satisfy us he is -carrying away nothing that belongs to us." - -Jared clutched the money as might a miser, and hastened to stow it away -again. - -"And you mean me to go, don't you, Rob? I take it you're too high-minded -to want to have revenge on a poor devil who's down in the world, even if -he has done you dirt in the past. Say I c'n skip out, won't you, Rob? I'm -a changed boy, I tell you; and you'll never be sorry you acted white with -me!" - -"Open the door, Tubby," said Rob, and the fat scout did so, though with -apparent reluctance, for Tubby did not have the slightest faith in -Jared's wonderful reformation, and thought he ought to be punished in -some way. - -"Now go, and I only hope we never set eyes on you again, Jared Applegate. -Only for the fact that you've already brought enough trouble on the heads -of your folks at home I'd be in favor of handing you over to the police -to deal with. Hurry up and leave before I change my mind." - -Jared did not linger a second longer than he could help. He gave each of -the three scouts a look, and although he tried to appear grateful, they -could see that there was the same old crafty gleam in his eyes as though -deep down in his heart there existed not a trace of the desire to reform -of which his lips had boasted. Passing through the open door, he vanished -from their sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - LOTS OF EXCITEMENT. - - -After all that excitement, Tubby could not immediately tear himself away -from his chums. - -"Why, seems as if all the sleep had been chased out of my eyes!" he -declared, as he once more composedly sat down; and of course a general -discussion took place in connection with their past experiences with -Jared Applegate. - -In the end they had to fairly pry Tubby away from that chair, and put him -out of the door, in a friendly scuffle; he protesting to the last that as -he had no expectation of getting a wink of sleep that night, there was no -need of hurrying. - -"Why, it's half-past eleven right now," Andy told him. "We'll be a nice -lot of blinking owls to-morrow unless we hit the hay in a hurry. You come -back when you promised, and join the bunch. Good-night, Tubby!" - -With that the door was closed, and of course the unwilling Tubby found -there was no use trying to change the program; so he headed for the -elevator, smothering a tremendous yawn by the way. - -He made his appearance promptly on time when morning came, and they -started for the Exposition grounds in a squad, all of them filled with -lively anticipations of another great day of sight-seeing. - -Of course the most anxious one of the company was Hiram. His business had -not as yet come to a focus, and he was not at all certain how it might -turn out. The others did not wish to hurry him unduly, for they knew -Hiram to be very set in his ways; but at the same time they gave him -plain hints that he would be unwise to wait too long. - -"They're expecting me any day now," Hiram had explained in answer to -these remonstrances, "and I'm just keepin' 'em on the fence, you see. -When I kinder guess the time's ripe I'll drop in on the company and tell -'em who I happen to be." - -"Hiram means he's engineering a sort of climax," explained Andy; "but the -rest of us will be as mad as hops if he pulls the thing off without -giving us a chance to see the fun." - -"You wouldn't be so mean as that, I hope, Hiram?" pleaded Tubby. - -"What d'ye take me for?" the other had exclaimed, in seeming indignation. -"Guess I ought to know what my duty to my chums is. You'll all have front -seats on the band wagon when the music begins. Consider that as good as -settled, Tubby. I'm having an extra big chair fixed for you, too, so -you'll be comfy." - -Tubby beamed his gratitude, and as they had arrived at the turnstile by -that time the subject was dropped. - -It was decided that they should keep together, for a while at least, -though anyone could see that Hiram was wild to hurry over to where the -Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company had its headquarters adjoining the -field where the airships gave frequent exhibitions. - -The crowd had not begun to make itself felt as yet, so that they found -splendid opportunities to inspect numerous things that attracted their -attention in some of the many immense Fair buildings. - -An hour was spent among the pictures in the art building. Rob enjoyed -this, for he was very fond of paintings, and at some future date he meant -to put in a whole morning here. - -Tubby soon tired of it, and as for Hiram it seemed to be pretty much of a -bore. One whose heart and mind were wrapped up with all sorts of -inventions could not be expected to content himself gazing upon works of -art; they were too tame for his spirit; what Hiram delighted in was the -whirr of machinery, the clack of the aeroplane propeller, and kindred -objects that meant real _work_ for him. - -Just how it happened that about the middle of the morning they found -themselves once more treading the devious ways of the Amusement Zone -neither Rob nor Tubby nor Hiram could somehow understand. They dimly -suspected, however, that the artful Andy must have managed to coax them -in that quarter under a specious plea that he wanted to show them -something wonderful. - -The first thing they knew they were seated in chairs on the moving -platform, and viewing the scenery along the stretch of the Panama Canal, -which had a very realistic look for those who had been there themselves. - -Each chair had a dictaphone attachment connected with the arm, and by -applying this in the proper manner to their ears the occupants were -enabled to hear a description of each section of the great ditch as it -was reached. - -Taken in all, it was a novel experience, and one they enjoyed very much; -though in the end it required the strength of the other three scouts to -drag poor Tubby out of his chair, which happened not to have been -capacious enough for the standard requirements of the fat boy. - -"Honestly," said Tubby, in explanation of his sticking so tight, "I -believe some skunk went and put a piece of shoemakers' wax in that chair; -and I feel that I'm lucky to have saved the seat of my new khaki -trousers. If it had been the old ones there's no telling what might have -happened." - -"H'm! a poor excuse is better than none, they say," muttered Andy; "but -seems like instead of calling these chairs comfortable they might have -added that they were the 'Fat Man's Misery.' But forget it, Tubby; you're -safe and sound again, breeches and all. Come on and see what there is in -this Bedouin Camp. The camels look like it ought to be a heap -interesting." - -The others were not as much taken with the show as Andy. To him it was -all real, and breathed the atmosphere of the desert and the traders' -caravan; but Rob saw how much was tinsel and make-believe, and really -suspected that some of the so-called Arabs talked among themselves in -pretty fair English. - -It happened that shortly after they had issued from this concession, and -Hiram was commencing to show signs of uneasiness, as though wanting to be -off, something came to pass that for the time being made them forget -their plans. - -"Hey! what's all that running about over there?" suddenly exclaimed Andy. -"Mebbe there's goin' to be an Oriental elopement or a wedding? Let's -hurry over and get in line to see!" - -"More'n like a dog-fight," grumbled Hiram; "for I've noticed that in some -of these squalid villages of foreigners they have some ugly yellow curs -hanging around, which I should think the Fair people wouldn't stand for." - -All the same, Hiram ran as fast as his mates to see what was going on. -They made a discovery before they were more than half way to the spot. -Indeed, the loud outcries borne to their ears, as well as the smoke that -came from a building where the signs indicated that a celebrated Egyptian -fortune-teller could be consulted, made this very manifest. - -"Whee! it's a fire!" gurgled Tubby, who was puffing very hard in his -effort not to be left in the lurch by his more agile companions. - -The excitement can be easily imagined in that always thronged section of -the Exposition grounds. Scores of persons, many of them turbaned Arabs, -Turks with red fezzes on their heads, or other foreigners were rushing -this way and that, all wildly shouting, and wringing their hands as -though they expected that a dreadful misfortune threatened that part of -the Amusement Zone. - -The gayly-dressed fortune-tellers were apparently up against a hard -proposition. They could pretend to tell what the future held for others, -but apparently had not been able to foresee such a common everyday -occurrence as their booth taking fire. - -No one seemed to be thinking of trying to do anything. The authorities of -the Fair had provided arrangements for such accidents, and in due time, -doubtless, the fire company would dash upon the scene, ready to pour a -stream of water on the flames. - -But seconds count when fire is seizing hold of flimsy curtains and -woodwork. A minute or two in the commencement of a conflagration means -that it may be smothered before it gets a firm clutch on the building. - -Rob possibly remembered what had happened on that Long Island bay at the -time he and Andy saved the naphtha launch owned by old Cap. Jerry. - -Just then he discovered a couple of local scouts hurrying up. They were -small lads, and might hardly know what was to be done in such an -emergency. Rob seized hold of the first one. - -"Tell me, do you know where the nearest fire extinguisher is fastened; I -remember seeing some around the grounds here?" - -No sooner had Rob put this question to the small scout than his face -lighted up eagerly. - -"That's the ticket!" he exclaimed, shrilly. "I knew there was something a -fellow ought to do! Why, yes, there's one right back yonder, mister. All -you got to do is to grab it off the stand and get busy. I know where -another is further on!" - -With that he darted off, followed by his companion. Rob had not even -waited to hear all that was said. He had his eye on that little -extinguisher immediately, and was leaping toward it, followed by the gaze -of his admiring chums. - -Why, it seemed almost no time at all before the scout leader had wrenched -the extinguisher loose. His first thought was that luck favored him -because lo! and behold it chanced to be one of the same pattern he always -carried aboard his little motorboat, to provide against a catastrophe by -fire. - -Thus armed and equipped, Rob started into the small building from which -the dense clouds of smoke issued, and amidst which tongues of angry flame -were to be seen. - -Andy, Hiram and Tubby followed close on his heels. They had nothing with -which to fight the fire, but somehow seemed to consider it a part of -their duty to back their energetic leader up to the full limit of their -capacity. - -It was, after all, nothing of moment, once Rob got the little stream -started on the flames. The fire had not gained sufficient headway to make -a stubborn resistance of it, and inside of three minutes Rob had it -entirely subdued. - -"Back out, fellows; it's all over!" he managed to exclaim, though half -choked by the penetrating smoke. - -Just as the scouts came out, and by their smiles assured everybody that -there no longer remained a spark to endanger the neighboring flimsy -structures, the fire squad came hustling up. Of course there was a -perfect mob gathered by this time, and Rob found it hard work to try and -make his way through. - -The man in charge of the fire-fighters hunted the scouts up and insisted -on shaking hands with them, a procedure that many in the crowd copied, -greatly to the displeasure of Rob, though Tubby and the others did not -seem to mind it in the least. - -One alert young fellow, who announced that he was a reporter on a San -Francisco daily, tried his best to get an interview with Rob, who -positively declined to say anything except that they were scouts from -Long Island. - -As this persistent newspaperman kept after them, and was seen in eager -conversation with Tubby in the rear, it might be taken for granted that -the fat scout was of a different mind from Rob. Trust Tubby to "blow the -horn" good and strong, especially when he could sing the praises of one -he cared for as much as he did for Rob Blake. - -"Seems like things keep on happening wherever we go," said Andy, after -they had finally managed to shake off the last of the curious crowd, and -retreated to another part of the Zone. - -"It's lucky for some people that such is the case," asserted Tubby, -promptly. "If we hadn't happened to be around I reckon that -fortune-teller's place would have been burned to the ground. Some time we -may be sorry we bothered with it. They're all a lot of fakes, say what -you will." - -Andy chuckled audibly at hearing that remark. - -"You mustn't mind Tubby, fellows," he said, pretending to whisper, though -he knew the fat scout could hear every word plainly; "ever since that -time we were down at Coney Island, and a woman seeress there told him he -had a glorious future as the world's most famous fat man, Tubby has been -sore on the craft. Now, that same wise woman told me I was going to be -the greatest traveler since Livingstone's time. She read my longings and -aspirations, and I often think she could lift the curtain and see into -the future." - -"Aw! you're silly if you believe a single word they say!" burst out -Tubby, with wrath and indignation; but in less than two minutes he was as -amiable as ever; the unpleasant incident was forgotten; for Tubby could -not stay out of humor long, and as Hiram was accustomed to saying, -"trouble and anger slipped from Tubby just like water does from a duck's -back!" - -More people were coming as the morning progressed, though the crowds -would not begin to compare with those that the afternoon and evening -would bring; when the band concerts were an added attraction, with -numerous other events going on in every direction, until one would wish -they could have a thousand eyes and ears so as not to miss anything. - -Rob was tired of the scenes in the Amusement Zone, and ready to suggest -that all of them make a change of base, though he knew it would not be an -easy task to tear Andy away from the sights his heart yearned to keep in -contact with. - -"There's one of the yellow curs we saw in that Indian village," remarked -Tubby; "and some boys are plaguing the life half out of him by throwing -sticks, and trying to round him up. He must have broken loose from the -enclosure where he was confined, and don't know how to get back again. -Look at the way he acts, will you? They'd better go slow, or he'll bite -one of those sillies! Oh, look at him snapping, will you, Rob? Makes me -think of the mad dog that ran through our town last----" - -"Stop that talk, Tubby!" ordered Rob, sternly; but apparently it was too -late, for some one gave a shout, and like magic the cry was taken up -until dozens of frightened voices sent it rolling along the street of the -Zone: - -"Mad dog! mad dog! run for your lives, everybody!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE MAD DOG PANIC. - - -No more dreadful cry can be imagined than the one the four scouts now -heard rising all around them. It made many faces turn deathly white, and -there was a hasty flight on the part of the more timid in order to gain -the shelter of the adjoining walls of the booths. - -Some boys and men also remained, and commenced to pelt the wretched cur -still further with stones, sticks, or anything they could lay hands on, -meanwhile keeping up more or less wild shouting. - -"The fools!" exclaimed Rob, indignantly; "that dog is no more mad than I -am; but they're doing everything they can to make him so. He's already -scared half out of his head with all those things being shied at him. He -snarls and snaps because he's at bay, and the old wolf nature shows then. -All he wants is to get back home somehow!" - -The clamor grew in violence as new voices joined in. Those who came -running up, always eager to see whatever was going on, began to hurl -things at the cringing yellow cur flattened against the wall; though when -the poor beast once started toward them it was amazing to see how the mob -melted away, men falling over each other in their frantic fear of being -bitten. - -Rob was growing more and more indignant. He tried to speak to some of -those nearest him, but he might as well have tried to stop the flow of -Niagara for all the effect his words of expostulation had upon the -shouters. - -Women and children were shrieking in fright, even though they were -apparently safe in the various buildings that lined the sunny street of -the Zone. - -"I just can't stand for this racket!" the others heard Rob say, as he -suddenly left them and sprang forward. - -Immediately loud voices called out, some warning him not to be rash, and -others applauding his daring, for it is always so easy to stand back and -clap hands when some one is taking the chances. - -"Oh! what does Rob mean to do?" cried Tubby, who had seen the mad dog -killed in the main street of Hampton the previous summer, and had a -perfect horror of being brought into personal contact with any animal -suffering from the rabies. - -"He isn't intending to try and grab the beast!" explained Hiram. "Rob -knows better than that, even if the dog is only scared, and not mad. It -would bite him just as quick, I guess, as if it was rabid. Watch and see -what his game is, fellows; Rob knows what he's about, you'd better -believe!" - -Every eye was centered on the form of the boy as he advanced toward the -cowering dog. Rob was snapping his fingers, and acting as friendly as he -could, wishing to assure the beast he had no hostile motive in -approaching. This he did in order to keep the frenzied and tortured dog -from jumping at him before he could manage to put his little plan into -operation. - -At least it held the attention of the dog, though the animal suspected -the genuine nature of his advance, and cowered there watching him, still -snarling viciously. - -It required considerable nerve to keep on in spite of the increasing -growls of the dog at bay. Rob was ready to act in case the beast did -spring toward him, for he certainly had no intention of allowing its jaws -to come in contact with his flesh. - -Most of the shouting had died out by now. Everybody was watching with -held breath to see what that venturesome boy in khaki would attempt. Many -doubtless believed, as they stared with distended eyes, that Rob actually -meant to grapple with the animal and throttle it. - -"It's a burning shame to let a boy try what men might have done!" one -white-faced woman near the other scouts was heard to say; and they could -readily imagine that she had boys of her own at home, of whom she was -doubtless thinking as she watched Rob walking forward into the danger -zone. - -But Rob had another scheme in view. Unarmed, he did not covet an -encounter at close quarters with that yellow dog, whether the beast was -mad or only frenzied with fear. - -In fact, Rob meant to try and cage him, if it could be worked. He -believed that if given a chance the dog would only too gladly slip in -through any opening that seemed to offer him a temporary refuge from all -those shouting tormentors. - -Rob, in taking a rapid survey of the situation, had noticed what seemed -to be a partly finished booth which was being erected for some late -coming concession owner. The small building was almost finished, and had -a door, which he had seen was ajar, though not fully open. - -It was the boy's plan, made up on the spur of the moment, to reach that -door and push it wide open. Then in some fashion perhaps the frightened -dog might be influenced to enter, when the door could be closed, and thus -he would be held in a trap. - -Perhaps Rob's heart beat like a trip-hammer within him as he came close -to that door, and he fancied he saw the dog starting to jump toward him. -He snapped his fingers again and spoke kindly. It may be these -expressions of good-will had a little effect on the beast; at any rate -the advance movement was delayed, though the vicious snarling and whining -continued. - -Then Rob found that he could stretch out his hand and reach the door. He -started to push it open, though it was no easy task. - -Having accomplished this to his satisfaction, he began to back away, -still keeping his eyes on the dog, and ready to seek some friendly place -of safety in case of necessity. - -The dog had seen his action. It must have known that an avenue of escape -had been opened up by the pushing back of that door. Possibly the poor -beast anticipated a safe return to the village where it had been at home -among its kind. - -"Look! it's going to accept Rob's invitation!" cried Tubby, excitedly. - -"Smart dog!" said Andy; "he may save his bacon by that clever move." - -"There he goes in; now what d'ye think of that for a bright trick?" Hiram -shouted. - -That was just what the badgered dog did--slipped along the wall until it -came to the partly open door, and then vanished from view. - -"There goes Rob back! What's he meaning to do now, I wonder?" Tubby -exclaimed, in fresh consternation. - -"He wants to complete the job by shutting the door," explained Andy, who -could grasp a situation like this much better than the stout scout, -because his wits worked quicker. - -All sounds ceased again as Rob pushed along the wall of the new building -until he could reach out his hand. Then the door began to close, faster -and faster until the yawning gap was entirely filled. - -Hardly had this been done than there arose a deafening cheer. Everybody -seemed to be wild with delight, and shook hands with one another in their -excitement. Now that the terrible "mad dog" had been caged, plenty of -weapons would be remembered; and it would be so easy, and safe, to shoot -through the windows of the building. - -"Let's get out of this, fellows!" said Rob, when he managed to worm his -way through the crush and join his mates. - -Tubby frowned as though it was against his principles to run away when -people were wanting to shake hands, and call one a hero; but not wanting -to be left behind the others, Tubby had to go. - -They had not reached a point far distant when the report of several -firearms reached them. Rob shook his head and frowned. - -"That's about the silliest thing I ever ran up against," he said. "The -dog was no more mad than Tubby here is. Those boys pestered him, and got -him scared. Then all that shouting and waving of hands and throwing of -things at him finished the business. It was a foolish scare, and I guess -nine out of ten mad dog hunts are in the same class." - -"Well, they've finished the poor thing now, I guess!" ventured Hiram. - -"It sounds like it the way they're cheering, just as if they've done -something mighty heroic!" added Andy. - -"The only thing worth a cheer," remarked Tubby, emphatically, "was when -our chum Rob walked right at the snarling beast, and took all sorts of -chances of getting bit and clawed up. That needed nerve, let me tell -you!" - -"Oh! not any to speak of," said the scout leader, hastily. "I made sure -to have my eye on a shed close by all the while; and if he'd really made -a jump for me you'd have seen a mighty fine exhibition of high and lofty -climbing. Mad or not, I wasn't meaning to stay there and tackle him, -without a thing to hit him with." - -"But it all worked well, as nearly always happens with you, Rob," said -Tubby; "though once my heart seemed to be up in my throat; that was when -you had to snap your fingers and coax him, Rob. Only for that he'd have -made for you, thinking you meant to strike him." - -"I'm glad it's over," observed Hiram, shuddering. - -"That dog belonged to the Injuns we saw in the village," ventured Andy, -thoughtfully; "and you know Injuns think roast dog is the finest dish -ever. I expect they'll want to claim the remains. Little they'll bother -about any talk of mad dog; it's more likely to be mad Injun when they -find out what's happened." - -And after that they tried to put the latest incident out of their minds, -though Tubby would explode some new idea concerning it every once in a -while, as they wandered about the Fair grounds taking in new sights. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - TAKING IN THE SIGHTS OF THE FAIR. - - -"Well, he's gone, Rob!" said Andy, as they were coming out after an hour -spent in the wonderful Transportation Building. - -"Oh, you mean Hiram?" remarked the scout leader, after taking a -comprehensive glance around. "Well, I've been expecting him to give us -the slip for some time. He held on longer than I thought he would." - -"No trouble guessing where he's bound for," laughed Andy. "That hall -where the latest modern inventions are on exhibition draws him like sugar -or molasses does the pesky flies in summer time. He sticks there nearly -as hard as--well, as Tubby did in that skimpy chair at the Panama show." - -"Bring it nearer home, can't you, Andy, and say about as well as you -_want_ to stick to that Zone of freaks and flimsies and Coney Island -shows," ventured Tubby, with singular quickness, for him. - -"I arranged it with Hiram to stay with us just as long as he could stand -for it," explained Rob; "and that when he did feel he had to go, to call -at the little booth of the tobacconist where we've arranged to meet, not -later than four this afternoon." - -"Remember that, you Andy," warned Tubby, shaking a fat finger in the -direction of the other, "in case we _happen_ to get separated! Accidents -will come along sometimes, you know; and you're likely to feel that call -to the wild again any old time." - -Andy only laughed. Apparently he had a tough hide when it came to -resisting such harmless blunt-nosed shafts as Tubby could launch against -him. - -"I'll keep it in mind, Tubby, I promise you," he remarked; "but after -we've had something to eat, you won't try to keep me any longer. We're -all here to enjoy ourselves according to our bent, you must remember." - -"And your bent runs along the line of the spectacular display of gaudy -tinsel and all sorts of make-believe frauds!" continued Tubby, pretending -to curl his short upper lip in disdain, though truth to tell he rather -enjoyed a little of the same pleasures himself. - -"Have it as you please, Tubby," Andy told him. "To me they're all real, -and when I find myself surrounded by that wonderful foreign atmosphere, -it's just like I'd taken wings and flown over there to Africa, or Asia, -or the islands of the Far East. Rob, make him stop trying to interfere -with my pleasure. Just because one fortune-teller riled him, Tubby sneers -at everything that wears a Turkish fez, a Bedouin bournoose or a Persian -caftan. I guess I know how to sift the chaff from the wheat. And a fellow -who means to be a world traveler some day ought to rub up against these -sort of people all he can." - -Tubby gave it up. He knew nothing he could say would alter Andy's -deep-rooted convictions. Indeed, it was more to get even with him that -the stout scout spoke as he did. - -Later on they hunted up a dining-place where they could secure a fair -meal for their money, at least as good as was to be expected under the -circumstances. - -"Now laugh if you want to, Tubby," said Andy, boldly, after they had -issued forth from the restaurant. "I'm going to break away, and you know -where I'll be heading. You keep Rob company the rest of the day. He's got -a list of things he's fairly itching to see, and it's as long as my arm, -at that. Good luck to you!" - -He hurried off without waiting to hear what Tubby might have to say; but -the latter only shook his head as he caught the amused look in Rob's -eyes, and shrugged his fat shoulders as though ready to give Andy up as -beyond redemption. - -"Let him go and enjoy himself as he feels like," commented Rob. "That's -everybody's privilege when they come to a show as tremendous as this one -is. And, Tubby, I think you're too hard on Andy. I happen to know that -he's been devouring every book on travel and exploration he can find -anywhere. The subject fills his mind." - -"Then he really does mean to make that his life work, Rob? I thought it -was just a sort of cloak, as you might say, to cover his wanting to see -these Oriental humbugs carry on. Fortune-tellers ought to be suppressed -by law; they do lots of harm, I understand, especially where silly people -believe in 'em." - -Rob came very near remarking that, for one who scorned their class, Tubby -himself seemed to be bothered considerably over a certain foolish -prophecy; but on second thought he concluded not to add to the color in -the fat boy's cheeks by embarrassing him. - -Being now free from the two chums who had such peculiar and strong -notions as to what they wanted to devote all their time to, Rob and Tubby -started in to spend several hours to the best possible advantage. - -They were not merely seeking amusement, but instruction as well; and -there were copious fountains to be tapped within the borders of those -extensive grounds of the wonderful Exposition that would repay the -laborer manyfold for his trouble. - -"I tell you I'm mighty glad I happened to run across you, Rob," Tubby -remarked, for perhaps the tenth time, as they watched the process of the -Government fish hatchery, where millions of eggs were transformed into -tiny objects that looked like animated specks in the water, but which -under proper care would some day be placed in certain lakes or rivers or -in the sea, to add to the prosperity of the nation that was fast learning -how to conserve its food supplies. - -"And I'm just as pleased on my own account," the scout leader told him. -"You see how my two chums are bound to desert me, each crazy along his -own particular line, and bound to follow his pet whim through thick and -thin." - -"Haw! then I'm the only _sensible_ one of the lot, seems like!" grunted -Tubby, with beaming face. "Thank you for intimating as much, Rob. I do -seem to fancy many of the same things that strike you as worth seeing. -'Course I sort of enjoy the humbug of the Zone, but a little goes a great -way. My better nature craves educational value for the time spent in -coming away out here!" - -When Tubby said this so grandly he tried very hard to keep a straight -face; but discovering the gleam of merriment in Rob's eyes, he burst into -a laugh. - -"Well, it's part way true, anyhow, Rob," he declared. "I am having a real -good time keeping up with you, even if we're walking miles and miles, and -my shoes are getting to pinch me something fierce." - -"Let's get somewhere and sit down for a spell," Rob suggested, for he -awoke to the fact that poor Tubby was not built for getting over acres -and acres of ground with all that flesh to carry along. - -"Now, isn't that queer, Rob; but d'ye know I was just going to dare you -to go me a plate of that ice cream over there. We can sit at a table and -get rested while we partake of the stuff. Excuse me for calling it that, -but the chances are against getting anything first-class when you're -dealing with a man who put up an enormous sum to pay for his concession, -and has to get it back somehow out of the public." - -They spent almost half an hour there, watching the crowds and resting. -Then as Tubby declared he felt capable again of almost any exertion, they -resumed their sight-seeing walk. - -"I notice, Rob, that you're working around so as to come on our -meeting-place after a while," suggested Tubby. - -"I was waiting to see if you'd pay attention to that," the other told -him. "I'm glad to find you did. A scout must have his eyes on the alert -all the while if he wants to keep up with the procession, Tubby." - -"Oh! I'm improving right along, Rob; my folks at home tell me that, too. -Time was when my favorite occupation used to be to stretch and yawn. All -that's changed now, for I yawn and stretch, you see. This scout business -does work wonders, doesn't it?" - -But then everyone knew that Tubby had changed wonderfully since he joined -the troop. Considering the handicap under which he labored on account of -his size, and the difficulty he had in doing things that were easy for -his chums, he managed to get along tip-top. Rob always gave him more -credit than the rest when an object they had been laboring to accomplish -had been attained; because the one who overcomes the most strenuous -barriers deserves greater praise than those who have not been compelled -to draw upon their reserve powers. - -They stood there looking up at the vast Triumphal Arch of the Setting -Sun, which, it seemed to Tubby, was the most beautiful thing in the whole -Exposition. It appealed to him in a way he could hardly explain, except -that something seemed to draw him back there again and again. - -"Why, before you came, Rob," he remarked, "I used to just haunt this -place, together with the vicinity of the Column of Progress looking out -on the Marino. I'll see them in my dreams long after all the other -effects of the Fair have faded away. And I reckon now every visitor will -somehow have a certain thing stay with him through all time, as a memory -of the greatest Exposition that ever was given." - -"Step back here, Tubby!" said Rob, as he took hold of the other's sleeve -and drew him swiftly around a corner. - -"Why, what's all this mean?" gasped the stout boy, looking startled. - -"Oh! I saw that hustling newspaper man again," explained Rob, "and I was -afraid he'd corner us and try to worm out something of our past." - -"Shucks! is that all?" said Tubby, in disgust. "Why, Rob, honest to -goodness now, if I didn't think it might be another mad dog scare we were -up against." - -"Well, it was something I dislike almost as much," vowed Rob. "And if he -ever got _you_ cornered I'm pretty sure you'd give him all the details -about that other little happening that would make me look silly in the -paper. Now he's gone, and it's safe for us to step out." - -Tubby shook his head, and sighed. - -"You sure are the queerest fish ever, Rob," he observed, with a -disappointed air. "I never yet ran across the fellow who wouldn't be only -too glad to see a write-up about him in the paper where he was called a -hero, and all that. Why, they'd hurry off to buy a dozen copies, and mail -the same to all the girls they knew. But say, whenever you do a thing -worth mentioning you try to sneak away as if it was something to be -ashamed of." - -"I don't like it, and that's the only explanation I can give you, Tubby. -Come, let's go into this building, and then half an hour from now it'll -be time to make for our meeting-place so as to pick up the other -fellows." - -"I hope Hiram has made up his mind it's about due to spring his surprise -on the company he's come all the way out here to see and talk with," -Tubby said, as they started into the building mentioned by Rob. - -"I've got a hunch that he will, after to-day, Tubby. I mean to speak with -him about it this very night, and see if it can't be settled to-morrow. -Hiram looks so anxious every little while it's too bad he doesn't take -the bull by the horns and settle the matter once for all." - -When the half-hour was up the two boys issued forth, and headed in the -direction of the tobacconist's booth, which was not a great way off. -Tubby was again feeling tired, and seemed pretty well used up. - -"We'll go home as we did last night, right after eating," suggested Rob. -"Then to-morrow we needn't hurry around, for we'll stay until the gates -close at ten, so as to see the illumination, and the play of the electric -fountains." - -"That suits me first-rate, though I've seen all those things already, and -more than once," the other told the scout leader. - -A few minutes later and Tubby burst forth again. - -"There's the booth we're aiming for, Rob," he declared; "and isn't that -our chum Andy walking up and down like a tiger in its cage? There, he -sees us now, seems like, and he's beckoning. Let's hurry on," and Tubby -actually forgot that he was tired in his eagerness to learn why the other -was showing such signs of excitement. - -"A note from Hiram that he left here for us, fellows," Andy hastened to -say as the others reached his side; "and he wants us to chase around -there hot-footed, because there's something big on the bills." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - HIRAM FACES THE MUSIC. - - -"Read it out, Rob, please," pleaded Tubby, with round-eyed wonder. - -Thus urged, the scout leader proceeded to oblige. - -"This is what he says here," he announced. "'Come around to the aviation -field as soon as you possibly can. Something doing. Guess my chance is -knocking at the door like opportunity that comes once to everybody, they -say. Please _hurry_! - - "'Signed Hiram.'" - -"Do we go, Rob?" gasped Tubby, with intense eagerness in his whole -manner. - -"Without losing a single minute!" declared the other. - -"Well, I should remark," added Andy. "We've been up to our ears -interested in this affair of Hiram's from the day we left home; and we -mean to see him through his troubles to boot." - -"So let's be on the move," suggested Rob. - -"That suits me," breathed Tubby. "You see, I've gotten over my tired -feeling. There's nothing can revive a weary scout half so quick as a -chance to get in the swim. Why, I feel as fresh as a daisy, whatever that -can mean." - -"Well, toddle along with us then, Tubby," said Andy; "and take my -advice--don't talk so much when you're hurrying; it's a bad thing, -because you need every bit of breath you c'n get." - -Evidently Tubby realized this fact for himself, because he subsided from -that moment; all they heard from him were frequent heavy sighs that -accompanied his strenuous efforts to keep at their heels. - -They knew the way to the aviation field, and took as direct a course as -possible when aiming for that favorite portion of the grounds. There -could always be found a large crowd watching the bird-men in their -preparations for going aloft, and making landings after showing what -their airships were capable of doing. - -As a rule most of the spectators were debarred from getting too close to -the aeroplanes, for many reasons; but Hiram had made himself so useful on -former occasions that no one questioned his right inside the ropes. So -also the other three scouts would doubtless be allowed to loiter near the -starting point, where there were always a dozen or two air-pilots -gathered, comparing notes and joking each other after the manner of -daring adventurers, which all of them undoubtedly are, since they take -their lives in their hands every time they ascend. - -Hiram was waiting for them on the border of the great throng of deeply -interested spectators. They saw immediately that the inventor scout was -very much worked up over something or other, and naturally all of the -other boys were deeply curious to know what had happened to excite him. - -Hiram was evidently on the lookout for his three chums, since he beckoned -them over as soon as he caught their eyes. - -"Well, we've come!" said Tubby, breathlessly, as they lined up alongside -the other. - -"Now tell us what's in the wind!" added Andy, impatiently. - -"Something has happened," began Hiram, mysteriously. - -"You said that in your note," grumbled Andy. - -"The Company," Hiram continued, "have been waiting for me to show up, and -they're just so eager to find out what my stabilizer can do that they -can't stand for the delay any longer." - -"Great governor! they don't mean to steal your idea, I hope?" asked -Tubby. - -"Oh, no, I guess not!" replied the other, calmly. "You see they've -applied it to one of their best machines to give it a try-out." - -"Bully! that suits you all right!" urged Andy, enthusiastically. - -"I should say yes!" declared Hiram, with a wide grin. "And if you crane -your necks right now so as to rubber and look up you'll see that same -aeroplane soaring along there!" - -"That monoplane you mean, don't you, Hiram?" asked Andy, after all of -them had taken a good look to where the other was pointing. - -"Yep, she's the one, and my stabilizer's aboard," Hiram went on to tell -them, with a pardonable touch of pride in his voice, though he was -careful that no one else should hear him speaking. - -"Have they tried it out yet, d'ye know?" inquired Tubby. - -"I think the pilot's just starting in now to see what she can do," he was -told. - -"Oh! Did you see him tumble then?" ejaculated the fat boy, gripping -Hiram's arm nervously as he spoke. - -"That was looping the loop," explained the inventor; "lots of pilots c'n -do that trick nowadays; why, I've heard that Beachey even makes two -complete turns. That bird-man up there is second only to Beachey, I'm -told. Watch some more of his bold stunts; and hold your breath, Tubby, -for he'll give you lots of thrills." - -"But I've got to breathe, don't you see," complained the fat scout, who -was already unduly red in the face from his exertions in this line. - -They watched the aviator go through a number of hazardous exploits. It -was doubtless generally known among the pilots assembled that he was -testing some new idea, for he seemed to be closely observed by everybody -within the enclosure. - -Hiram could see that some of the bird-men were pleased, for they nodded -their heads as they exchanged remarks. Fancy how this fact thrilled the -boy, for it was _his_ invention that interested these veterans among -air-pilots. - -"Now I kind of guess he's exhausted every trick he knows, and is goin' to -come down," said Hiram, presently. "We'd better be gettin' inside, for I -want to be as close as I can when he makes his report to the folks." - -Accordingly he led his chums inside the roped enclosure. He seemed to -have made good with the attendants, for they smiled and nodded to Hiram. -That Yankee "gift of gab" which Hiram possessed was very apt to get him -into the good graces of those upon whom he chose to exercise it. - -The scouts presently found themselves in close touch with many of the -participants in the exhibitions that were hourly taking place. Here were -men famous in their line, from aviators to makers of machines. Here also -had collected those who were interested in the future of aviation, and -thinking more or less seriously of embarking in the business. - -As may be expected, the talk was "shop" every minute of the time. No -matter what terrible distress the war over in Europe might be causing, -these enthusiasts could only think and speak of matters that were -connected with the game of rivaling the birds in their flights. If they -mentioned the battles that were taking place day in and day out, it was -only in connection with the exploits of the aviation corps on the side of -the French, the German, the British or the Belgian armies. - -"See that gentleman with the white mustache, the one that looks like a -Kentucky colonel, or an army officer?" whispered Hiram. "Well, that's the -head of the Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company, and the person I expect -to do business with pretty soon." - -"He's a fine looking gentleman, I must say," admitted Rob. "I think -you'll have no trouble making fair terms with him, if I'm any judge of -faces." - -"I'm glad to hear you say that, Rob," breathed Hiram, with a sigh, -"because one minute I think everything looks rosy, and the next I'm -groveling in the dust. But the agony will soon be over. There, he means -to land this time; get ready to stick by me, because I want to be near -when he climbs out of his seat and meets that boss of the whole company -face to face." - -The monoplane came swooping down, and like a great bird with wings -extended, sailed along close to the ground, with constantly decreasing -speed, as the power had been shut off. - -Now the wheels under the frame had come in contact with the ground, and a -dozen eager hands were outstretched to bring the machine to a full stop -on the border of the group. This assemblage was being constantly -augmented by fresh arrivals, all eager to pass the good word with the -pilot, and possibly congratulate him on the fine showing he had just -made. - -Hiram was looking as sharp as a fox as he strained his ears to catch -every syllable that the air-man uttered. - -He leisurely climbed out of his seat and reached the ground. There was a -satisfied smile on his face that sent a wave of delight to the anxious -heart of the waiting boy, to whom the success or failure of this, his -first real invention, meant so much. - -The pilot looked around. He was evidently expecting to make an immediate -report to the gentleman with the white mustache, and Hiram had been very -careful to keep in close touch with that man. - -Yes, the pilot, after exchanging a little badinage with some of his -comrades, immediately pushed directly toward the spot where the four -chums stood. Straight up to the head of the large firm by whom he was -employed the bird-man strode. - -"Well, what is the decision?" Hiram heard the gentleman say, a note of -anticipation in his voice. - -"Decidedly favorable, Mr. Curley. In fact, with only one trial I am -convinced that it is going to be the best stabilizer so far on the -market. You have made no mistake, take my word for it!" - -Rob almost feared Hiram was going to faint. He leaned so heavily against -him, as though for the moment his heart had ceased to beat. And yet, -strange to say, the very first thing the overjoyed inventor did was to -turn and clap his mouth close to the ear of the scout leader and mutter -in trembling tones: - -"By jinks! Did you hear _that_, Rob? Say, I meant to ask 'em just -twenty-five hundred cash for the patent, but she's doubled in price now. -And don't you think they'll pay the five thousand all right, Rob?" - -The Yankee in Hiram was on tap, Rob saw with amusement. At the same time -he hastened to assure his chum that he was well within his rights in -demanding all he thought he could get for his cunning device. - -Evidently Hiram had determined to break the ice while the opportunity lay -within his reach. Long had he waited for this glorious moment to arrive. -By day he had pictured it in a dozen fantastic forms, and while he slept -his dreams must have carried him through numerous interviews with the -powers that swayed the fortunes of the wonderful Golden Gate Aviation -Supply Company. - -He pushed forward a little further. If some of those present noticed the -boy in scout uniform they paid little attention to him, being taken up -with what was passing between the pilot and the builder. - -So Hiram managed to squeeze himself along until he could put out his hand -and actually touch the two central figures in the discussion. - -Rob and the other boys were not quite so fortunate, but being within easy -hearing distance, they believed they would not be apt to miss anything -that went on. - -They saw Hiram put out his hand and give a tug at the coat of the -fine-looking gentleman with the white military mustache. The latter -looked down and was apparently annoyed to see that it was only a youth -who sought to distract his attention. - -"What do you want, boy?" he was heard to ask, impatiently. - -Then Hiram spoke up. If his voice quavered a little that was not -surprising; indeed, in Rob's mind the wonder was that the excited scout -could find his tongue at all. - -"Do you think, Mr. Curley, that the little stabilizer has proved to be -all that was claimed for it, sir?" was what Hiram asked. - -The gentleman stared hard at him. Others who heard his question did the -same, and Rob saw a smile as of amusement appear on the bronzed face of -the noted air-pilot who had just come down, after experimenting with the -device, bringing a favorable report; it was as though he had begun to -smell a rat, and realized what a joke it would be to have a boy invent -such an important appendage to a heavier-than-air flying machine. - -"Why, what business is that of yours, may I ask, boy?" demanded the -business head of the big company, as he continued to stare at the eager, -flushed face of the lad who wore the khaki of a Boy Scout. - -"Oh! Because I happen to be the Hiram Nelson you've been corresponding -with, sir, that's all!" said Hiram. "I used the money you sent me to come -out here, but was a leetle bit afraid to face you. But I guess it's all -right now, Mr. Curley, because I heard your pilot say the thing worked -fine. That suits me; and I'm ready to talk terms with you right away!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - A BOY SCOUT'S TRIUMPH. - - -"What's this you are telling me?" asked Mr. Curley, quickly. "Have you -the proof of what you claim with you, young man?" - -Rob noticed that it was no longer "boy" with the gentleman; Hiram was -evidently climbing in the scales, and rapidly at that. - -"Oh, yes, sir, I've got everything to show you; and my patent right -papers are in the hotel safe ready to be turned over in case we can reach -a bargain." - -The gentleman looked hastily around him. There were representatives of -other makers of aeroplanes present who might endeavor to bid against him -if only they knew he did not as yet have any positive agreement with the -inventor of that successful stabilizer. - -"Please say no more until we are in my office, Mr. Nelson," he remarked, -softly; "and if you have the time now we might as well adjourn there. -I'll ask a few of my people to accompany us, as well as this pilot who -has just given your little trick its first try out." - -"I'll be glad to enter into a talk with you, Mr. Curley," declared Hiram; -"but I must insist that my friends, who have come out to the Coast with -me, be along." - -He beckoned to Rob and Andy and Tubby, who immediately started to push -their way through the crowd to where Hiram and the gentleman with the -white mustache stood. - -"Certainly, it is only fair that you should have equal backing with us," -observed the gentleman, whose eyes twinkled with amusement now, as he -began to grasp the situation, and realize that his company was up against -a boy who knew his rights, and was possessed of considerable business -sagacity, as well as inventive talent. - -Accordingly they all headed for some buildings not a great ways off, and -thus it came that presently the scouts found themselves behind closed -doors with Mr. Curley and a number of others. - -The head of the manufacturing firm was frowning a trifle, Rob noticed, -even if there were times when he allowed a trace of a smile to steal -across his face on glancing down at the figure of Hiram Nelson. Rob knew -why this should be so, and he considered that it was only natural. - -As a shrewd business man Mr. Curley realized that Hiram had been too -smart for them. Instead of announcing his presence immediately, and -taking what they chose to offer him for his clever device, the young -Yankee inventor had hung around and waited for the climax to come. He had -heard the favorable report made by the bird-man, and of course that had -strengthened his case. - -The gentleman understood that this unfortunate happening was likely to -cost them dearly, since the inventor, knowing the value of his patent, -would be likely to hold out for a much larger sum. - -"Now, if you will let me see some papers to prove your identity, Mr. -Nelson, we will talk shop with you; and I might as well confess in the -beginning that if you are inclined to treat us fairly we can come to -terms with you; but please consider that only one trial has been given to -your stabilizer; and it may, after all, be of less value than appears at -this moment." - -Hiram needed no second invitation to get busy. He immediately unloaded a -mass of proof upon them to show he was all he claimed, and that he also -had the papers connected with his patent. - -"I am satisfied, so far as that goes," announced the gentleman, as though -desirous of arriving at the most important part of the whole proceedings -as soon as possible. "Now will you please state the very lowest cash -price you will accept to turn the patent over to this company?" - -"Five thousand dollars, sir!" replied Hiram promptly. - -Rob was watching the other's face. He saw something there that told him -Hiram had at least not exceeded the amount which would have been reckoned -a price limit for the invention. Mr. Curley, however, was too good a -business man to show any eagerness in the transaction, though there was -certainly a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes as he seemed to consider -the offer. - -"I am going to be frank with you, Mr. Nelson," he remarked, presently. -"The sum you mention, although somewhat larger than we had contemplated -paying for an invention the value of which has still to be fully proved, -is within the amount we could afford to risk in the hopes of getting a -really dependable stabilizer. Now, if we agree to do business with you, -would you consent to sign a paper here and now to turn over your patent -right entirely to us on the receipt of the sum you mention, five thousand -dollars?" - -Hiram was holding his own remarkably well. He refused to show any signs -of being overwhelmed by his great good fortune, and seemed to be capable -of displaying his customary shrewd Yankee bargaining qualities. - -"I'll agree to do it, Mr. Curley," he said deliberately, "if your company -also makes the bargain so it can't be broken. It mustn't bind only me. -Pay a certain sum in hand, and agree to give me the balance to-morrow, -and I'll sign the paper you speak of, handing over the patent rights -transferred to you when the balance is put in my hands." - -"That's strictly business acumen, Mr. Nelson," said the gentleman, now -smiling broadly, for there was no longer any danger of a backdown, and -the wonderful little invention could not be taken away from them by some -rival and wealthy company; "and with your permission, then, here is an -agreement, in duplicate, with the amount left blank, which I will fill in -according to your proposition; and if everything is agreeable, we will -both sign it in proper form." - -A few minutes later the agreement, filled out as settled upon, was handed -to Hiram to look over before signing. He immediately backed over to where -his three comrades stood. - -"I want you to go over it word for word with me, Rob, and if there's any -sort of hitch or trap, tell me; though I don't expect to find that sort -of thing, because I guess Mr. Curley is too straight a gentleman to try -and take advantage of a boy." - -They weighed every sentence, and fortunately the agreement was very -simple, so it was easily understood. - -"How about it, Rob?" asked Hiram, trying to control himself as best he -could, for he knew curious eyes were upon him, and he did not want any of -the men to believe this was his first venture in the realm of finance, -which in fact was the actual truth. - -"It seems to be all right, Hiram, and I wouldn't hesitate to sign it," -the scout leader advised him. "If you want a witness allow me to put my -signature on it. I'll be proud to know that I've had something to do with -your first real success." - -"Something to do!" echoed Hiram, with considerable emotion, "why, Rob, -you've been my backbone up to now. Only for you I'd have made a botch of -the hull thing. I owe you more'n I c'n ever tell." - -He went back to where Mr. Curley was waiting, a little anxiously Rob saw, -as if he feared Hiram might be overcome with greed, and attempt to boost -the price he had already named. - -"I see you agree to give me a check for five hundred dollars right now, -Mr. Curley," Hiram commenced, "to bind the bargain with. Well, I would be -tempted to say I didn't want you to do that, but I know it's a poor thing -to refuse money in hand, and also that it fixes it so neither of us can -back out. So I'll accept the sum, sir, and sign the agreement." - -This he hastened to do, and Rob was called on to add his name as a -witness; then other names were placed upon the agreement, as well as the -duplicate which was to be given into the possession of Hiram as the other -party. - -When that check for five hundred dollars was placed in Hiram's hand he -smiled, and then coolly doubling it up, placed it carefully away in his -pocketbook. - -"That, for a beginning, isn't so bad, Mr. Curley," he said, as the -gentleman was shaking hands cordially with him. "I'm meaning to use every -cent of this money to advance several little schemes I've got started. -Only for my need of cash to push them along mebbe you mightn't have got -that stabilizer without a few bids from other companies; but you sure -treated me white, Mr. Curley, and I wanted you to know I appreciate it." - -Possibly Mr. Curley may have thought that Hiram had worked a pretty sharp -trick on them in hanging around, and learning what they thought about his -invention before disclosing his identity; but then certain things are -allowable in business, and at least he had shown himself capable of -looking after his own interests. - -"If any of your later ideas happen to be in line with our work, Mr. -Nelson," the head of the firm said, "I hope you will give us a look at -them before you approach any rival company. In one way it is a good thing -for an inventor to keep advancing with the firm who first patronized him, -of course, granting that they will meet any price he may be offered -elsewhere." - -"I guess I c'n promise you that, sir," said Hiram, who was very happy, -and at that moment felt drawn toward the fine-looking gentleman who had -treated him so splendidly. - -So the four boys wended their way toward the gates of the Exposition. -Hiram hardly knew whether he was walking on air or on ground. It seemed -to him that his heels must be made of some magical rubber that kept pace -with his ecstasy of mind, for he came near dancing at times, much to the -amusement of Rob. - -"First thing for me to do, fellows," Hiram said, as they reached the -hotel, "is to send a night letter to my folks telling 'em that I've got -the coin. My maw she believed in me right along, but dad he's allers been -kinder skeptical, you know, and used to say I was spendin' heaps of money -on foolishness. Guess he's due to change his tune after this, hey?" - -Rob found that there had been a telegram for him that morning which -somehow he had failed to receive before leaving for the Exposition -grounds. It was a night letter from Professor McEwen in answer to the one -he had sent, signed by the name of Professor Marsh, who was in charge of -the exhibit. - -In this communication, limited to fifty words, the Edinburgh scientist -tried to express the deep satisfaction he felt because Rob and Andy had -successfully filled his place, and handed over that precious packet to -the gentleman in charge, without any accident. He declared that he would -remain until their return home, and that he hoped to be able to thank -them again most heartily. - -The boys were a happy lot that evening. They attended a theater where -there was an instructive show well worth seeing by all scouts. Indeed, -Hiram seemed to have actually grown two inches since morning. - -Of course his chums gloried in his success; so that the rest of their -stay at the City of the Great Exposition was likely to be one long -picnic, with not a single hovering cloud to mar their pleasure. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - HOMEWARD BOUND. - - -On the following day, at the appointed hour, Hiram and his three chums -turned up at the offices of the Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company, -where the final exchanges were made. Hiram handed over his papers to the -new owners of his invention, and received their check for the balance of -the purchase price. - -At Rob's solicitation he proceeded to the city and opened an account at a -bank, against which he could check from time to time as he needed cash in -pursuing his work. - -Then, having now relieved themselves of all source of worry and anxiety, -the four Eagle Patrol members gave themselves up to the full enjoyment of -their holiday. - -What wonders they continued to see as they daily visited the great Fair, -would take volumes to describe. New and amazing things were constantly -cropping up as they prowled hither and thither through devious ways that -up to then they possibly did not know existed. There was a constant -succession of surprises awaiting them with each new day. - -"Why, I honestly believe," Tubby declared many times as they discovered -some display that up to then had eluded them, "everything that was -thought of in the whole world must be included in the exhibits inside -this enclosure. I'll never get over being thankful to Uncle Mark for -fetching me here. And to think that I was given a chance to be with the -dearest chums any scout ever had--that's a whole lot the best thing of it -all. Oh, it was certainly my lucky day when I decided to go up on that -Aeroscope, because only for that we never might have met at all; and just -think what I would have missed." - -"The sight of Hiram here winning his prize for one thing; that was a -spectacle for sore eyes, let me tell you!" remarked Andy. "We're all -proud of him, and we want him to know it too." - -"Then there was that fire scare," said Hiram, "when Rob got the blaze -smothered with that little extinguisher before the regular department -arrived on the spot--don't forget to count that as something, Tubby." - -"And the mad dog chase, with our leader again demonstrating what a scout -should be able to do when an emergency arises," Andy added. "The poor dog -got shot, but there was no human being injured in the panic, which there -might have been only for the handsome way Rob coaxed the cur to slip -inside that inclosure." - -"Yes," added Tubby, anxious to display his view, "and we don't want to -forget about Jared Applegate, either. He gave us something of a racket, -you remember, by sneaking into that room at the hotel, and hiding under -your bed when he heard us coming along the hall." - -"It makes me laugh when I remember how he almost licked Rob's hand, and -promised to be good if only he was let go," said Hiram, rather -disdainfully. - -"That sounds as if you didn't have much faith in Jared's promises to -reform?" said Rob, smilingly. - -"He never meant a word of it, and I know it!" declared Hiram. "I could -see the nasty snap in his eyes just like they used to be. Haven't we -known him to crawl and make all sorts of big promises before, but always -to break the same the first chance he had? Huh! that money in his pocket -was never earned honestly, I'd like to wager; and it won't be used either -to carry him back home." - -"Oh, well, he's left the hotel, which is one good thing," said Rob. "I -thought it was my business to find out this morning, for as we knew him -to be a thief it hardly seemed fair to keep quiet, and not put a flea in -the ear of the management here." - -"He saved you the trouble then by skipping out?" remarked Andy. - -"Yes, I suppose he imagined we might tell on him as a duty, and thought -he had better leave between two days," Rob explained. "Of course, when I -learned he had thrown up his job, been paid off, and was gone, I -concluded it was no use saying anything more about it." - -"Like as not Jared's been doing more than one shady job since he came -here," suggested Hiram, shrewdly, "and he was afraid they'd take him to -task for the same, p'r'aps shut him up in a cell; so he concluded to get -away while the going was good. Well, here's hoping we may never run -across the snake again." - -"I don't know," ventured Tubby. "Seems like there's some queer fatality -about it, but we do come on that scamp in the most re_mark_able ways. -There he was down in Mexico, and before that at Panama. To think that -he'd be out here where the Big Show's going on, and of all places acting -as a porter in the very hotel where we took up our quarters." - -"'The pitcher that goes once too often to the well comes to grief,' they -say," mentioned Rob. "If Jared keeps on bobbing up as he has been doing, -and getting in our way, he'll rue it some time or other." - -As the days came and went, Rob and his three chums certainly managed to -have the time of their lives. If there was one part of that mammoth -Exposition that they failed to investigate it was not because they wasted -any of their time; at least this could be said for Rob and Tubby, who -were most energetic in making the grand rounds. - -As was to be expected, the other two were so wedded to their idols that -it was not an easy task to tear them away; and at times Rob had to insist -on their accompanying himself and Tubby to other parts of the inclosure. - -Andy never tired of watching the quaint scenes in the Zone, where the -tides of humanity from all over the world ebbed and flowed through all -the hours of the day and evening. He dearly loved to just imagine himself -in far-distant lands, close in touch with these brown or yellow people. -And the resolution to become a world traveler when he grew to manhood -seized hold of Andy with renewed vigor. - -As for Hiram, he could not be blamed for haunting that section where his -heart found the greatest charm of the entire Exposition. Here he pored -over the various ingenious inventions fashioned in the clever brains of -the foremost among the nation's talented men and women, from Edison down -to the most humble. - -And Hiram, having already reaped the fruits of his first venture in this -fascinating field of human endeavor, naturally looked forward to the time -when perhaps his name, too, might be linked with those for which he felt -such reverence. - -When Tubby's uncle returned he was well satisfied to go East alone and -leave his nephew in such good hands. - -During the remainder of their stay in San Francisco the boys never once -caught a glimpse of Jared Applegate. If he still remained in the City he -made it a point to religiously avoid meeting any of his former school -companions. - -Rob had determined that he might let the crabbed old farmer and his wife -know they had met Jared while on the Coast, so as to ease their minds, if -they had not heard from their bad son for a long while, though he decided -he would say nothing about the deplorable circumstances under which the -meeting had taken place. - -"I never liked the old farmer and his wife," Rob had said to the others, -when they were discussing the matter their last evening at the Fair, -sitting at their ease, disposing of some ice cream, and watching the -throng pass by. "But I suppose they have feelings like the rest of us, -and in their own way, care for their boy. It would only give them a new -stab to be told that Jared was as bad as ever, and do no good; so I hope -none of you will whisper anything about that little episode." - -Being true scouts, and with malice toward none, the others readily agreed -to do as Rob asked. They could easily afford to forget that unpleasant -adventure, since things had turned out so wonderfully well for them. - -"And to think that this is our last night at the Exposition," said Tubby, -with a vein of despondency in his voice. "I tell you I'm awfully sorry, -much as I want to see the folks at home again. I'll never, never forget -all I've seen out here, let me tell you; for even if half of the -civilized world is at war and killing each other off by tens of thousands -each day, you'd never know it in this beautiful land of peace and -plenty." - -"Hear! hear! Tubby's getting poetical!" exclaimed Andy, pretending to -pound on the table with his fist. - -"Well, it's enough to stir anybody up that's got a soul for things -besides old fakers with red fezzes and turbans, who make out to be -fortune-tellers from Egypt and such places, when the fact is they were -born in Cork or Hoboken!" the other shot back at him. - -"It is the greatest Fair that ever was held," said Rob. "When we get back -home to Hampton we'll tell every boy we know that if he has a chance to -come out here and fails to take advantage of the same, he's missing the -treat of his life, barring none!" - -"We all can subscribe to what you say, Rob," agreed Tubby. - -"And that isn't all," continued the scout leader. "Think of the things -we've been allowed to put through. There was the fetching of that fragile -exhibit all the way across the continent, without any accident. And Hiram -here has struck the first round on the ladder of fame. Even that doesn't -exhaust the list of our pleasures, because we've still got another treat -before us." - -"Meaning the homeward trip, I guess?" ventured Hiram. - -"Yes, when we find ourselves among the mighty Rocky Mountains that the -Canadian Pacific Railroad climbs in passing from Vancouver to the East, -we can feast our eyes on the grandest natural mountain scenery of the -world. As for me, I'm anxious for the time to come when we'll be enjoying -it." - -As they were starting for Vancouver in the morning, with the intention of -passing over the railroad line that pierced the famous Selkirks, it would -seem that Rob would not have long to possess his soul in patience. - -And since they finished with the Great Panama-Pacific Exposition on going -to their hotel that night, it would seem that this is the proper place -for us to say good-by to the four chums. But while our story must end -here, there can be no telling what the future may have in store for Rob -and his comrades of the Eagle Patrol; and if fortune is kind enough to -throw them in the way of further adventures and triumphs, we hope ours -may be the pen selected to place these events before the readers who have -so long accompanied them in their numerous journeys. - - - THE END. - - -[1]See "The Boy Scouts on Belgian Battlefields," also "The Boy Scouts - with the Allies in France." - -[2]See "The Boy Scouts Under Fire in Mexico." - - - - - HURST & COMPANY'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - - - _A Volume of Cheerfulness in Rhyme and Picture_ - - - KINDERGARTEN LIMERICKS - - By FLORENCE E. SCOTT - - _Pictures by Arthur O. Scott with a Foreword by Lucy Wheelock_ - -The book contains a rhyme for every letter of the alphabet, each -illustrated by a full page picture in colors. The verses appeal to the -child's sense of humor without being foolish or sensational, and will be -welcomed by kindergartners for teaching rhythm in a most entertaining -manner. - - _Beautifully printed and bound. In attractive - box. Price, Postpaid One Dollar._ - - - HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - FRANK ARMSTRONG SERIES - - By MATTHEW M. COLTON - - Cloth Bound. Illustrated. Price, 75c. per vol., postpaid - - _Frank Armstrong's Vacation_ - - How Frank's summer experiences with his boy friends make him into a - sturdy young athlete through swimming, boating and baseball contests, - and a tramp through the Everglades, is the subject of this splendid - story. - - _Frank Armstrong at Queens_ - - We find among the jolly boys at Queen's School, Frank, the - student-athlete, Jimmy, the baseball enthusiast, and Lewis, the - unconsciously-funny youth who furnishes comedy for every page that - bears his name. Fall and winter sports between intensely rival school - teams are expertly described. - - _Frank Armstrong's Second Term_ - - The gymnasium, the track and the field make the background for the - stirring events of this volume, in which David, Jimmy, Lewis, the - "Wee One" and the "Codfish" figure, while Frank "saves the day." - - _Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker_ - - With the same persistent determination that won him success in - swimming, running and baseball playing, Frank Armstrong acquired the - art of "drop-kicking," and the Queen's football team profits thereby. - - _Frank Armstrong, Captain of the Nine_ - - Exciting contests, unexpected emergencies, interesting incidents by - land and water make this story of Frank Armstrong a strong tale of - school-life, athletic success, and loyal friendships. - - _Frank Armstrong at College_ - - With the development of this series, the boy characters have - developed until in this, the best story of all, they appear as - typical college students, giving to each page the life and vigor of - the true college spirit. - - Six of the best books of College Life Stories published. They - accurately describe athletics from start to finish. - - _Any book sent postpaid upon receipt of 60 cents, or we will send the - six for $3.50._ - - - HURST & COMPANY, Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text - is public domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific -Exposition, by Howard Payson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS AT PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPO *** - -***** This file should be named 42086.txt or 42086.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/0/8/42086/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Brenda Lewis and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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