CHAPTER II. AND SEES THE WORLD
The Crown Prince was just a trifle dazzled by the brilliance of hissuccess. He paused for one breathless moment under the porte-cochere ofthe opera house; then he took a long breath and turned to the left.For he knew that at the right, just around the corner; were the royalcarriages, with his own drawn up before the door, and Beppo and Hanserect on the box, their haughty noses red in the wind, for the earlyspring air was biting.
So he turned to the left, and was at once swallowed up in the streetcrowd. It seemed very strange to him. Not that he was unaccustomed tocrowds. Had he not, that very Christmas, gone shopping in the city,accompanied only by one of his tutors and Miss Braithwaite, and boughtfor his grandfather, the King, a burnt-wood box, which might hold eitherneckties or gloves, and for his cousins silver photograph frames?
But this was different, and for a rather peculiar reason. PrinceFerdinand William Otto had never seen the back of a crowd! The publicwas always lined up, facing him, smiling and bowing and God-blessinghim. Small wonder he thought of most of his future subjects as beingmuch like the ship in the opera, meant only to be viewed from the front.Also, it was surprising to see how stiff and straight their backs were.Prince Ferdinand William Otto had never known that backs could be sorigid. Those with which he was familiar had a way of drooping forwardfrom the middle of the spine up. It was most interesting.
The next hour was full of remarkable things. For one, he dodged behinda street-car and was almost run over by a taxicab. The policeman on thecorner came out, and taking Ferdinand William Otto by the shoulder, gavehim a talking-to and a shaking. Ferdinand William Otto was furious, butpolicy kept him silent; which proves conclusively that the Crown Princehad not only initiative--witness his flight--but self-control anddiplomacy. Lucky country, to have in prospect such a king!
But even royalty has its weaknesses. At the next corner FerdinandWilliam Otto stopped and invested part of his allowance in the forbiddenfig lady, with arms and legs of dates, and eyes of cloves. He had wantedone of these ever since he could remember, but Miss Braithwaite hadsternly refused to authorize the purchase. In fact, she had had one ofthe dates placed under a microscope, and had shown His Royal Highness anumber of interesting and highly active creatures who made their homestherein.
His Royal Highness recalled all this with great distinctness, and,immediately dismissing it from his mind, ate the legs and arms of thefig woman with enjoyment. Which--not the eating of the legs and arms, ofcourse, but to be able to dismiss what is unpleasant--is another highlydesirable royal trait.
So far his movements had been swift and entirely objective. But successrather went to his head. He had never been out alone before. Even atthe summer palace there were always tutors, or Miss Braithwaite, oran aide-de-camp, or something. He hesitated, took out his smallhandkerchief, dusted his shoes with it, and then wiped his face. Behindwas the Opera, looming and gray. Ahead was--the park.
Note the long allee between rows of trees trimmed to resemble walls ofgreen in summer, and curiously distorted skeletons in winter; note thecoffee-houses, where young officers in uniforms sat under the trees,reading the papers, and rising to bow with great clanking and muchceremony as a gold-wheeled carriage or a pretty girl went by.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto had the fulfillment of a great desirein his small, active mind. This was nothing less than a ride on theAmerican scenic railroad, which had secured a concession in a far cornerof the park. Hedwig's lieutenant had described it to him--how one wastaken in a small car to a dizzy height, and then turned loose on atrack which dropped giddily and rose again, which hurled one throughsheet-iron tunnels of incredible blackness, thrust one out over a gorge,whirled one in mad curves around corners of precipitous heights, andfinally landed one, panting, breathless, shocked, and reeling; butsafe, at the very platform where one had purchased one's ticket threeeternities, which were only minutes, before.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto had put this proposition, like the figwoman, to Miss Braithwaite. Miss Braithwaite replied with the sadhistory of an English child who had clutched at his cap during a crucialmoment on a similar track at the Crystal Palace in London.
"When they picked him up," she finished, "every bone in his body wasbroken."
"Every bone?"
"Every bone," said Miss Braithwaite solemnly.
"The little ones in his ears, and all?"
"Every one," said Miss Braithwaite, refusing to weaken.
The Crown Prince had pondered. "He must have felt like jelly," heremarked, and Miss Braithwaite had dropped the subject.
So now, with freedom and his week's allowance, except the outlay for thefig woman, in his pocket, Prince Ferdinand William Otto started for theLand of Desire. The allee was almost deserted. It was the sacred hourof coffee. The terraces were empty, but from the coffee-houses along thedrive there came a cheerful rattle of cups, a hum of conversation.
As the early spring twilight fell, the gas-lamps along the allee, alwaysburning, made a twin row of pale stars ahead. At the end, even as thewanderer gazed, he saw myriads of tiny red, white, and blue lights,rising high in the air, outlining the crags and peaks of the sheet-ironmountain which was his destination. The Land of Desire was very near!
There came to his ears, too, the occasional rumble that told of somepalpitating soul being at that moment hurled and twisted and joyouslythrilled, as per the lieutenant's description.
Now it is a strange thing, but true, that one does not reach the Landof Desire alone; because the half of pleasure is the sharing of it withsomeone else, and the Land of Desire, alone, is not the Land of Desireat all. Quite suddenly, Prince Ferdinand William Otto discovered that hewas lonely. He sat down on the curb under the gas-lamp and ate the figwoman's head, taking out the cloves, because he did not like cloves.At that moment there was a soft whirring off to one side of him, anda yellow bird, rising and failing erratically on the breeze, careenedsuddenly and fell at his feet.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto bent down and picked it up. It was a smalltoy aeroplane, with yellow silk planes, guy-ropes of waxed thread, and awooden rudder, its motive power vested in a tightly twisted rubber.One of the wings was bent. Ferdinand William Otto straightened it, andlooked around for the owner.
A small boy was standing under the next gas-lamp. "Gee!" he said inEnglish. "Did you see it go that time?"
Prince Ferdinand William Otto eyed the stranger. He was about his ownage, and was dressed in a short pair of corduroy trousers, much bloomedat the knee, a pair of yellow Russia-leather shoes that reached well tohis calves, and, over all, a shaggy white sweater, rolling almost to hischin. On the very back of his head he had the smallest cap that PrinceFerdinand William Otto had ever seen.
Now, this was exactly the way in which the Crown Prince had alwayswished to dress. He was suddenly conscious of the long trousers on hisown small legs, of the ignominy of his tailless Eton jacket and stiff,rolling collar, of the crowning disgrace of his derby hat. But thelonely feeling had gone from him.
"This is the best time for flying," he said, in his perfect English."All the exhibition flights are at sundown."
The boy walked slowly over and stood looking down at him. "You oughtto see it fly from the top of Pike's Peak!" he remarked. He had caughtsight of the despised derby, and his eyes widened, but with instinctivegood-breeding he ignored it. "That's Pike's Peak up there."
He indicated the very top of the Land of Desire. The Prince stared up.
"How does one get up?" he queried.
"Ladders. My father's the manager. He lets me up sometimes."
Prince Ferdinand William Otto stared with new awe at the boy. He foundthe fact much more remarkable than if the stranger had stated that hisfather was the King of England. Kings were, as you may say, directly inPrince Ferdinand William Otto's line, but scenic railroads--
"I had thought of taking a journey on it," he said, after a second'sreflection. "Do you think your father will sell me a ticket?"
"Billy Grimm will. I'll go with you."
The Prince rose with alacrity. Then he stopped. He must, of course, askthe strange boy to be his guest. But two tickets! Perhaps his allowancewas not sufficient.
"I must see first how much it costs," he said with dignity.
The other boy laughed. "Oh, gee! You come with me. It won't costanything," he said, and led the way toward the towering lights.
For Bobby Thorpe to bring a small boy to ride with him was an everydayaffair. Billy Grimm, at the ticket-window, hardly glanced at the boy whostood, trembling with anticipation, in the shadow of the booth.
The car came, and they climbed in. Perhaps, as they moved off, PrinceFerdinand William Otto had a qualm, occasioned by the remembrance of theEnglish child who had met an untimely end; but if he did, he pluckilyhid it.
"Put your lid on the floor of the car," said Bobby Thorpe' depositinghis own atom there. "Father says, if you do that; you're perfectlysafe."
Prince Ferdinand William Otto divined that this referred to his hat, anddrew a small breath of relief. And then they were off, up an endless,clicking roadway, where at the top the car hung for a breathless secondover the gulf below; then, fairly launched, out on a trestle, with thecity far beneath them, and only the red, white, and blue lights forcompany; and into a tunnel, filled with roaring noises and swiftmoving shadows. Then came the end of all things a flying leap down, aheart-breaking, delirious thrill, an upward sweep just as the strain wastoo great for endurance.
"Isn't it bully?" shouted the American boy against the onrush of thewind.
"Fine!" shrieked His Royal Highness, and braced himself for another dipinto the gulf.
Above the roaring of the wind in their ears, neither child had heardthe flying feet of a dozen horses coming down the allee. They never knewthat a hatless young lieutenant, white-lipped with fear, had checked hishorse to its haunches at the ticket-booth, and demanded to know who wasin the Land of Desire.
"Only the son of the manager, and a boy friend of his," replied BillyGrimm, in what he called the lingo of the country. "What's wrong? Lostanybody?"
But Hedwig's lieutenant had wheeled his horse without a word, and,jumping him aver the hedge of the allee, was off in a despairing searchof the outskirts of the park, followed by his cavalrymen.
As the last horse leaped the hedge and disappeared, the car came to astop at the platform. Quivering, Prince Ferdinand William Otto reacheddown for the despised hat.
"Would you like to go around again?" asked Bobby, quite casually.
His Highness gasped with joy. "If--if you would be so kind!" he said.
And at the lordly wave of Bobby's hand, the car moved on.