CHAPTER XV. TUBBY IS OUT OF HIS ELEMENT.
If there had arisen any doubt in Hiram's mind as to the deep interestthose chums were taking in his enterprise, it must have been quicklydispelled when he made this announcement, and saw the looks of delightspreading over their faces.
"Bully!" cried Andy.
"Best wishes, Hiram!" added Tubby, genially, as he patted the otherfondly on the shoulder.
Rob did not say anything, but if looks could speak Hiram might easily seethat he had the sincere sympathy of the scout leader; though he knew thatmuch before.
"While I've been hovering around here," continued Hiram, "making myselfuseful whenever a flier was going up by running with the machine to giveit 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 knowledgethat might be useful to a feller that's got the aviation bee abuzzin' inhis bonnet. And I've learned a heap, let me tell you, boys. Why, it'spaid me already for my long and arduous trip across country. I c'n starton as many as _three_ schemes I've been hatchin' in my fertile brain thislong time. I was up agin' a blank wall, you see; but now I've got ideasworth a hull lot to me."
"That sounds all right, Hiram," Rob told him; "only I hope you go slowabout this business. Don't overdo it, or we may have to take you home ina 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 beenscattered, and seems like the sun was shinin' all the time. Once I getthis stabilizer business well off my hands, and have some coin to go towork 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 neverwas a patrol of scouts organized that had as many bright minds on theroster 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," heremarked, just as if it sprang straight from his heart. "And we want youto know that with the other seven the name of Tubby Hopkins will goringing down the ages in Boy Scout history as one who always made hismark. 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 couldbe inferred that they knew very well to what those last few wordsreferred. The fact of the matter was that once upon a time Andy had hadthe misfortune to be under a tree when Tubby was knocking down nuts; andthe fat scout, losing his grip on a limb, came down with tremendous forcedirectly 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 mighthave chosen some other place to land."
"You don't wonder at me being chained to this place, do you," askedHiram, "when there's so much happening all the time, with pilots going upand coming down, agents explaining the use of new designs of aeroplanesthey are putting on the market, and everybody 'talking shop'? They reckonI've been employed in some place where they make these fliers, because Iknow somethin' about them. So they let me help in a lot of ways. It'sfun, I tell you, the best fun I ever knew."
Anyone could see that Hiram was right in his element. His freckled Yankeeface seemed to glow with enthusiasm, and his little eyes shone in a wayRob had never noticed before. Indeed, if the scout leader had beeninclined 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 heread that letter from the Golden Gate people. They were hard-headedbusiness men, and not visionary dreamers; and surely they would neverhave advanced all that money to a strange inventor unless they believedin 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 manythings that were going on all the time around them, "that there must be asort of fascination about this thing to fellows who have a leaning thatway. But as for me you never could tempt me to climb up thousands andthousands of feet like the air-pilot in the monoplane that looks like aswallow 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 allthe 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 aflier, and bore up into the clouds. In the first place, it wouldn't befair to the people down below. He nearly killed me once by dropping justten feet; think what would happen to the poor chap who happened to get inthe 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 forsquashing him."
"But think of the mess," chuckled Andy.
"Watch that man who has just gone up in a monoplane. He's the best thereis 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'vewatched him go around twice, and as neat as a circus tumbler would do itoff a springboard over the backs of three elephants. There he goes! Whatd'ye think of that?"
"Whew! he's a corker, for a fact!" ejaculated Tubby, as he stood withopen mouth, gaping at the wonderful exploits which the reckless air-pilotwas engineering far up above the earth.
Rob, chancing to turn toward the stout boy, saw to his amusement thatthere was something of a wistful expression on his rosy face. Tubby couldat least feel the charm that this hazardous sort of life might possessfor venturesome boys, even though he knew he could never hope to attainany standing in the ranks, owing to what Andy had well called "physicaldisabilities."
Athletes alone make good air-pilots, and a fellow who had the shape of atub 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 debarredfrom taking an active part in so many sports such as boys enjoy. ButNature had at least given him a cheerful disposition, so that no matterhow keenly disappointed he might be, he never allowed this to sour histemper.
They stood there and watched the trick aviator doing what Hiram called"stunts." Sometimes the boys fairly gasped with sudden fear lest the manaloft had made a miscalculation, and would come plunging down like astone to his death; but his agility and quick wit always served himfaithfully.
"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, justwhere 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 forkeeps."
"Not if he is a wise man, and has a patent Nelson self-acting parachutefastened to him all the time!" declared the other, proudly. "It'll openand allow him to drift slowly down, like you see hot-air balloonperformers come to the earth after they've cut loose above."
"Good for you, Hiram!" exclaimed Tubby; "I reckon folks have got to situp and take notice, now that you've come to town! Young blood will tellevery time. Oh, but I'm glad I met my chums! It was getting mightylonesome for me, in a crowd all the time, but with not a solitary fellowto speak to. And Hiram, I'm glad you coaxed us to come over here. I'mgetting interested in flying
; p'r'aps if I cut down my feed, and knockoff 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 onelaughed at his strange remark; for they did not want to hurt hisfeelings. But when they glanced from the corners of their eyes at hisgirth the absurdity of his hope was manifest. Perhaps they may even haveremembered a remark once made by Joe Digby to the effect that Tubby wouldhave to have an extra big pair of wings given to him if ever he became anangel.
"There's another exhibition pilot going to start up, boys," said Hiramjust then. "Suppose we walk over closer, and you can watch me lend a handto shove him off on a good start."
"That's right, let's get closer and see how things are done," addedTubby, as he bent over, and, picking up a stick of clear pine that hadcaught his eye, he took out his penknife and commenced to whittle awayjust as though he might be the representative Yankee of fiction.
But whittling had always been a favorite occupation with Tubby; somehowit seemed to soothe him and cause his thoughts to flow more smoothly. Henever could resist an extra fine bit of wood, though besides shavings hehad never been known to produce any especial result from the use of hiskeen-edged knife-blade.
There were quite a number of people around, and they seemed to be more orless interested in the claims made by the representatives of thedifferent aeroplanes that were being displayed, and in the practicaldemonstrations.
Tubby listened with rapt attention as some of the men talked, explainingwhat improvements had been made in the working construction of themachine just then about to be put to the test.
Hiram was doubtless dreaming of the hour of his triumph when one of theseaeroplanes would be equipped with his wonderful stabilizer, and he mightstand there listening to the fulsome praise of the Golden Gate Company'sdemonstrator, before a practical test was made, to show how impossible itwould be for a flying machine that carried such a life-saving device tobe 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 handson the aeroplane with the intention of running a score or two of feet, soas to assist in the start. Unnoticed by Rob, Tubby, too, had copiedHiram's example, urged on by some irresistible impulse approachingmadness, perhaps.
When the word was given, and with propeller whirling, the aeroplanestarted 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 wassprinting furiously after the aeroplane, which was bumping along over theground with ever increasing momentum. Rob felt a thrill of real alarmwhen 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 trailingcord, so that he was compelled to keep on, no matter how much he wantedto break away!
The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition Page 15
