CHAPTER X. WITHIN THE GATES OF THE FAIR.
"What about those papers of mine, Rob? Had I better take charge of thesame 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 theExposition. The whole city, as far as they could see, was in gala attire.Bunting and flags were everywhere visible; and it was evident that thegood people of San Francisco, in spite of many great discouragements,such as the breaking out of the World War abroad, and the failure of thecanal to stay dug on account of the slides, were doing all in their powerto 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 puzzledby what the other had just said.
"He means to duplicate our plan down at Los Angeles," spoke up wideawakeAndy.
"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 allmanner of trouble since the time they left San Antonio in Texas.
"That seems the best scheme, according to my mind," Hiram was told by theone in whom he felt such abiding faith. "Then, no matter what you findout 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 Iwould be doing some fool play, and mebbe losing the precious documentsthat are to prove my case with the Golden Gate folks. I'll go to the deskwith you any time you're ready, and see that the clerk gets my propertysnugged away in his safe."
When this had been done they set out. Rob, of course, had his suitcasealong 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 thatProfessor McEwen had been carrying in person to his scientific colleaguesat the Exposition, where they were to be placed with other articles.
What those numerous small rolls and packages contained none of the scoutsreally knew. From some remarks, let fall by Judge Collins, Rob had anidea they might be papyrus records found in some old ancient tomb orpyramid, and said to have come down from thousands of years back. To theboys these would not have been worth their bulk in sandwiches, possibly,because they could not appreciate their intrinsic value; but in the eyesof such men as the Scotch professor they represented treasures beyond anycomputation, far too valuable to be intrusted to a common express companythat 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 lastnight seemed as if a million fireflies had lighted on it," announcedAndy, with more or less excitement as they found themselves close to oneof 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 itpretty well named in the bargain. They've certainly chosen a splendidspot for the Fair, fronting, as it does, on the bay, with its wide sweepof 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 youcan see a monster seesaw, with one arm away up hundreds of feet in theair, and what looks like a car on it full of folks. Yes, I remember itnow; it is called the Aeroscope."
"Just what it is, Andy," said Rob, "and when we get up there for a lookover the harbor, the Exposition grounds and the city, we'll findourselves just three hundred and twenty-five feet off the earth--highenough to make you dizzy."
"Huh! seems like they do things on a big scale out this way," gruntedHiram.
"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 thegrounds.
Colossal buildings could be seen on all sides, most of them dazzling inthe sunlight. Rob had studied the arrangement of these buildings so wellthat he appeared to recognize them now as though entirely familiar withhis surroundings. It was evident that the little party would not havemuch use for a guide as long as Rob was along to serve them in thatcapacity.
"I calculate that this is the Panama-Pacific Court of the Universe," hetold his chums, "and that building over there is the Palace ofAgriculture, while this other must be the Palace of Transportation; thenthere's the Palace of Horticulture where you can see that huge glassdome. Over there is the Column of Progress, more than a hundred and fiftyfeet 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 ortwo we'll feel as much to hum with these big buildings as if we were inHampton, and lookin' at our Odd Fellows' Temple. But what a heap ofthings they must all of 'em hold. It'll keep us hustlin' to see the hulllot, 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 spendmost of my time in a certain quarter that wouldn't interest you otherfellows to any great extent; and on your part I've no doubt there arecertain things that will hold you spellbound, yet which we may only careto 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 histime at the show," he remarked, pointedly; and of course the other scoutfelt 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 theinventions 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 getsplanted in front of the booths, or finds out where the aeroplanes aregoing up every little while."
"Oh! well, I own up that's mostly what I wanted to come all the way outhere for," said Hiram, frankly. "But it's a toss-up, Andy, that once youget in that amusement park they call the Zone, a place of more'n sixtyacres, I read, you'll spend most of your time watching the Fiji Islandersdance, or riding around on that observation car to view the wonders ofYellowstone 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; butit's different in my case. I'm carefree, and bound to enjoy myself to thelimit. 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 longtrip here."
"It's very evident," began Rob, "that we'll have to settle on someparticular place as a sort of general round-up. If each one is going tostart off on his own hook, now and then, unless we fix it that way, wemight wander all day long through the enormous buildings, and the groundscovered by this Fair, and never meet."
"Well thought of, Rob!" cried Andy. "Let me suggest that we take thisqueer-looking tobacconist shop as our rendezvous. We can make anarrangement with the owner for a couple of dollars or so, to takemessages, and hold the same for the rest of the bunch."
"The sooner that's arranged the better it'll suit me, I guess," saidHiram, who was plainly on needles and pins while being kept from huntingup the building in which he would find myriads of remarkable devicesillustrating the inventive genius of the world, and particularly of thosefrom the American nation.
"Of course I'm going at once to the exhibit in which Professor McEwen isinterested," said Rob, after they had arranged with the proprietor of theOriental tobacco booth, "because I'll not feel easy until I've done mypart of the contract, and delivered the stuff he intrusted to ourcharge."
"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, bithis lip, and continued:
"That was the old selfish s
treak in me speaking then, Rob. You'll have tooverlook it once more. Of course, I'll not let you finish this businessby yourself. It would be a fine way of acting on my part, now, wouldn'tit--taking the goods and then refusing to pay for the same? Here, let mecarry the bag a while. I'm going to be your shadow for this one dayanyhow; 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, clappingthe other on the shoulder. "As for Hiram, I can understand why he's soanxious to find out where the aviation field lies. We've got to rememberthat his business is with parties who are altogether interested inairships and flying."
"Thanks, Rob," said Hiram, nodding his head in that quick jerky way hehad. "It stands to reason that I want to pick up a few pointers on thesly before I show myself to the Golden Gate people. By hanging around I'mapt to hear some talk, and learn a few facts that may stand me in goodlater on."
"You'd better go some slow, Hiram," cautioned Andy. "Remember that we hadit 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, "thatI mustn't be rash, and put my foot in it. I promise you I'll fight shythere, Rob; and when we meet here to get a bite of lunch together, p'rapsI'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 hastreated you splendidly already, and that they must be on the square."
"And after that affair is all settled up," continued the other, drawing along breath of anticipation, "think of the great times I'm going to havemousing around the building that houses the inventions. I tell you I'mthe luckiest dog that ever lived to get this big chance thrown right atme."
So Hiram hurried away, having already marked out his course from longstudy of the little chart each one of the scouts possessed, and whichgave what might be called a "bird's-eye view" of the extensive Expositiongrounds, where the most prominent buildings were located, and theshortest way to get from one point to another.
Rob looked after him with a smile on his face. He turned to Andy andlaughed.
"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'sdead in earnest could be spoken of as a crank. And it's the cranks, asyou call them, who make the wheels of progress go around."
"Yes," added Andy dryly, "I've noticed that some of them even seem tohave wheels in their heads, though they get hopping mad if you mentionit, or turn your hand this way," and he indicated a revolving motion withhis finger that could hardly be mistaken by a sensitive person.
"All I know is that Hiram is due to enjoy the greatest feast his soulever could imagine. But don't let us waste any more time here, Andy; I'vegot my bearings by now, and can take you straight to the building wherethe scientists love to gather and gloat over the queer things that are sowonderful to them. Come along!"