CHAPTER IV
ICE CREAM COMES HIGH
"Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream! Can't you understand that muchEnglish?" demanded Sam Hickey.
The Battleship Boys had entered the first restaurant they found. Thisproved to be none other than the Cafe de la Paix, one of the fashionableresorts of Paris. The waiter who attended their table was unable tospeak a word of English, nor could either lad make his wants known, butthe waiter quickly brought an employe to whom the boys stated theirwishes.
"Four dishes of ice cream, and in a hurry," commanded Sam Hickey. "Whatare those things in the basket there?"
"I do not know," answered Dan. "They are some kind of cake. I see themon each of the tables."
"I'm going to help myself. They don't look very nourishing for a good,healthy appetite like mine, but they are better than nothing at all."
Sam helped himself liberally. The cakes tasted so good that he ate tenof them; then, motioning a waiter, he ordered another basketful. By thistime the ice cream was served. Ice cream was a luxury that theBattleship Boys did not get on shipboard, so they ordered another plateeach.
"There, I guess that will keep me going until supper time," decided Sam."I wonder how much we owe him?"
"I should say about a dollar," answered Dan, motioning for the garconand asking for their check.
Dan's eyes grew large as he examined the bill that had been laid besidehim.
"I'm hungry yet. I could eat another round of the same thing," announcedSam. "How much does he say it amounts to?"
"I'm trying to figure it out. Six ice creams, thirty francs. Twenty-fivebiscuit at a franc apiece, twenty-five francs. Fifty-five francsaltogether."
"Fifty-five francs!" exclaimed Sam. "Wha--wha--how much is that--howmany cents is that in plain United States? I never could figure thisheathen money."
"Five francs make a dollar," figured Dan, talking to himself. "Five goesinto fifty-five eleven times. That's eleven dollars' worth of ice creamand cakes we have eaten."
"Eleven dollars?" gasped the red-haired boy.
"Yes, that's it," answered Dan ruefully, gazing at his companion in adazed sort of way.
"But we didn't order any cakes, Dan."
"It's those round cakes that were in the basket. They were put here sowe would eat them. That's a trick we didn't know anything about."
"Eleven dollars," groaned Sam. "It's highway robbery. I wish we had heldup the women and----"
"Sam!"
Dan's tone was sharp.
"Don't let me hear you speak like that again."
"No; I'm to be the easy mark. I'm to be frisked eleven dollars' worth,and----"
"Don't grumble; let's pay and get out, or they----"
"Yes, they'll be charging us rent for the chairs we are sitting in,first thing we know. Can't we steal some spoons to get even?"
Dan was handing the waiter the money, which he did without comment, Sam,meanwhile, slowly counting out his share of the check, which he passedover to his companion.
"What do they call this place, Dan?" questioned the red-haired boy asthey started away.
"Cafe de la Paix."
"That's it. We should have known better. I see it all now. Why didn't welook at the sign over the place before we went in?"
"What do you mean?"
"Cafe de la Pay. That's it; that's the place."
"Sam Hickey, have you gone crazy?"
"Cafe de la Pay--that's the place where you pay. And we did pay. I neverknew a place that was so well named," continued Sam with a sickly grin."We paid, didn't we?"
"'Leven dollars' worth," answered Dan sheepishly. "Are you stillhungry?"
"Hungry? No; I've lost my appetite; I've changed my mind. I shan't dareget another appetite while I am in Paris. Say, it's lucky they locked usup in the brig over at police headquarters, isn't it?"
"Why?"
"Because we'd be about a million dollars in debt by this time. Whew, butthey've got the original get-rich-quick scheme in this burg. Come on;let's go out in the park where we will not see things to eat. Theyexcite me too much. I'm liable to lose control of myself and eat again.If I change my mind again we're lost."
As they stepped out a group of men made a sudden rush toward them.
"Guide, guide, guide, sir--guide? Have a guide? Show you all the sightsof Paris----"
"We do not wish a guide, thank you," answered Dan.
"Guide, guide, guide, guide----"
"Say, why didn't you fellows come around, last night?" demanded Sam. "Weneeded a guide then. We don't now. We've been guided up against prettynearly everything that ever happened, as it is."
By this time others of the same sort had hurried to the scene. All wereshouting at once. It seemed as if all the guides in Paris hadcongregated in front of the Cafe de la Paix for the sole purpose ofwaylaying the unsuspecting Battleship Boys.
Several guides grabbed Dan by one arm, while as many more caught hold ofSam. Now others took a hand, pulling this way and that.
"Show you everything for five dollars, that's all. Show you----"
"See here, you fellows!" demanded Hickey, whose color was rising withhis temper. "I cleaned out a bunch of Apaches last night and I lickedhalf a dozen policemen to rest myself. If you want the same kind of ahand-out just keep right on. Leggo my arms!" he roared. "Shove off!"
For an instant the men did let go.
"Give them the flying wedge, Dan!"
The boys bolted through the throng of guides, bowling two or three ofthem over, sprang out into the street, then ran across to the oppositeside.
"Let's get out of this confounded town," grumbled Sam. "First thing youknow I'll be getting into a fight. I shouldn't like to get mixed up inone, 'cause I promised the captain I'd behave myself while I was overhere."
"Come along," said Dan, taking his companion by the arm. "We will go tosee the sights by ourselves. I guess we shall see as much without aguide as with one. No telling what sort of trouble these fellows wouldget us into. I don't like their looks at all."
"They'll look worse if they ever grab hold of me that way again."
The boys hurried around a corner and down the Avenue de L'Opera. Theylooked very neat and well groomed in their new suits. They strolledalong after getting out of sight of the guides, visiting some of thesmaller parks of the city. Chancing to come across a tourist agency theybought seats on a "Seeing Paris" car, and were driven about the citywith a lot of other tourists, most of whom were Americans. With some ofthese they got quite well acquainted.
The visitors inspected the Cathedral of Notre Dame, erected in thetwelfth century; stood within the portals of the Madeleine, the famouslittle edifice occupied by the insurgents during the Commune, and inwhich building three hundred of them were shot down.
The Battleship Boys also visited many other famous churches and notedpublic buildings. The other Americans, having learned who the lads were,made it their business to explain to them all about the places visited,relating many interesting historical stories, some of which were alreadyfamiliar to Dan Davis, who had read widely for his age.
The day that had begun so unhappily for the boys came to a close all toosoon, and they decided to return to their boarding house, which was notfar from where the tourist automobile stopped to discharge itspassengers.
They had paid for their accommodations at the pension for the full timethey expected to be in Paris, so they had no fear of being overchargedfor their meals there.
The table looked most inviting as they entered the dining room, takingthe places assigned to them.
The boys had just begun their dinner when they were summoned to thedrawing room, where they found a foreign-looking man in livery awaitingthem.
"Are you Monsieur Dan Davis?" he asked in English, but with a strongforeign accent.
"Yes, sir."
"You are to go with me, you and your friend."
"Go with you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Look out," whispered Sam. "I'll bet this is an
other pay-as-you-entergame; then they won't give you anything to eat after you get in."
"I do not understand you, sir. Why should we go with you?"
"The carriage awaits you at the door."
"'The carriage awaits you, sir,'" mimicked Sam, with a grimace at hiscompanion.
"Be still, Sam. I do not understand at all what you mean, sir. Have younot made a mistake? We know no one in Paris--no one would send acarriage for us."
For answer the servant extended an envelope, bearing a coat of arms. Danopened it wonderingly.
"Mr. Daniel Davis and Mr. Samuel Hickey are requested to dine with the Spanish ambassador, Senor Guillermo Martinez, this evening at 8.30 o'clock."
Dan opened his eyes wide when he read this, then passed the invitationto his chum. Sam perused it, cocked one eye up and winked at Dan.
"We seem to be getting quite popular. What are you going to do?"
"I do not know what it all means, but I'm going to accept theinvitation, though I am not sure I am right in doing so. What do youthink about it, Sam?"
"I don't think. I've gotten past thinking. Things are moving too fastfor me. I'm out of commission."
"Do you know why the ambassador wishes to see us?" he asked of theservant.
"No, sir. He did not say, sir. He said he would tell you when youarrive. Will you be ready soon?"
"We are ready now. We will be with you as soon as we get our hats."
It took the lads but a few moments to make themselves ready, after whichthey hurried down to the street. There they found a handsome carriage,with a coachman on the box, awaiting them.
Entering, they were driven rapidly away.
"This is different," laughed Dan, settling back among the soft cushions.
"Yes; it's somewhat different from last evening," answered Sam. "Wedidn't have any soft things like these to sit on then."
"No; and we knew little more about what was going to happen then than wedo now."
"I'm willing to take a lot of chances on this, just the same," retortedSam, with an audible chuckle.
The carriage drove up in front of a handsome residence on the ChampsElysees, almost directly opposite the Elysee Palace Hotel, the door ofthe vehicle was opened and the Battleship Boys stepped out.