CHAPTER XXVI.
ON TO WASHINGTON!
"Now, fellers," said Tubby, drawing a long sigh as, business over, Robpulled out a railroad guide, "the time has come to spring a surprise onyou. I've nearly burst trying to keep it a secret."
Tubby sighed again and took another "Mexican kiss" from the candy box inhis hand.
"Have one, Andy? Help yourself, Merritt. Just hold this box a minute,Rob," he continued indistinctly as his heavy jaws met on the sticky,nutty mouthful.
"No more for me, thank you," replied Andy with a little gesture ofrefusal. "Just about one makes a satisfactory between-meal, in myopinion."
"None for me," rejoined Merritt, also. "I have barely succeeded inwashing off the sticky traces of my last 'kiss.'"
"But what is the surprise, Tubby?" demanded Rob, keeping his finger inthe folded time table as he accommodatingly held the box.
"Come over to this bench in the shade," directed Tubby importantly, "andI will unveil the mystery!"
The boys winked amusedly at one another as they followed Tubby. Theyexpected nothing more serious than a joke, and Rob was a littleimpatient at the interruption.
"I couldn't tell you at first," Tubby went on, sinking upon the seat asthe boys reached it, "because Uncle Mark told me to say nothing until wewere ready to leave Mexico. And then I didn't dare share the news solong as Jared was around. But now----"
Tubby paused dramatically, and drew out of an inner pocket a sealedenvelope that bulged invitingly. This he turned over several times,apparently in an absent manner, and then looked up to see how the boyswere taking it.
"What in the world----" began Andy wonderingly.
"Out with it, Tubby!" cried Rob. "I'm in a hurry to look up the firsttrain that leaves here, going our way."
"You needn't hurry," replied Tubby deliberately. "We shall not leaveuntil the evening train for the north."
"Come, Tubby," urged Merritt, "what is up your sleeve?"
"Oh, it is in my hand now," said Tubby teasingly. "Now listen, fellers!When Uncle Mark bought our tickets, he secured them through a friend whois in a big touring agency, you know. Instead of buyingstraight-through, round-trip tickets, he got the return set withstop-over privileges, and had a little private itinerary arranged forus.
"We leave El Paso to-night and have an hour or two in Albuquerqueto-morrow morning, before we take the train east. Beyond that, I know nomore than the rest of you,--but here goes!"
With a quick motion, Tubby tore open the sealed envelope and took outfour long combination tickets, and a typewritten list of directions.
"Here, Rob, you read them to us," he said, handing over the paper.
"This gives us stop-overs at Albuquerque, St. Louis and Washington,"remarked Rob, glancing hastily at the items. "Each stop is for less thana day, and we travel every night. Hurray for Uncle Mark!"
"And a tiger!" added Andy enthusiastically.
"And many _bravos_," supplemented Merritt, his eyes shining at theprospect. "I have always wanted to visit Washington, but, with all ourtravels, we have managed to skip straight to our destinations withoutstopping anywhere."
"At this rate," commented Andy, "it will take us a good deal longer toget home!"
"Even so," agreed Tubby. "But who is in a hurry now? Give them time tofinish their repairs on the old Academy, Andy."
That evening, as arranged, the four boys took the train from El Paso. Asthey sat on the observation platform for an hour before turning in, Robremarked:
"Do you realize that we have been in the largest state in theUnion,--Texas? I can't appreciate it, for we have seen such a littleportion of the northwest corner. They say that El Paso, high and dry, isthe most isolated of the larger cities, and that irrigation has donemuch to increase its products and its population."
"I was surprised to learn that it is an important station on at leastfive big railway lines," added Merritt.
"But we have used the city in its most particular capacity," interjectedTubby proudly. "You know it is called 'the doorway to Mexico'!"
"And I guess that we are not very sorry to be on this side of the door!"commented Andy with a nod of his head.
All that night the train rumbled northward, never departing far from thecourse of the Rio Grande, as if following it toward its source. And whenthe boys awoke they were approaching Albuquerque, New Mexico, where theywere to breakfast and to spend some time before making their east-boundconnections.
"Whoop-ee! Look at the gay buildings!" cried Tubby, thrusting his headout of the car window as the train slowed down. "Is that what you'd callmodified adobe architecture?"
"You may wish to modify that statement later," remarked Merritt dryly,"so I will pull you in before you lose the top of your think-tank."
"All ready, boys?" called Rob briskly. "All out for breakfast!"
"Right here," replied Tubby promptly. "Hope we'll have a good one."
"We shall. The chain of restaurants along this line has a greatreputation," Rob rejoined, smiling at Tubby's eagerness. "Goteverything, Andy?"
The four boys and a few fellow passengers, likewise eastward bound,alighted from the train as soon as it had stopped and took a bee-linefor the dining-room, scarcely noticing their unique surroundings. Butafter even Tubby had pronounced his breakfast amply satisfying, the boysstepped outside with eyes and ears open for new impressions.
As they strolled along the broad, low piazza of the long Alvarado, Tubbypeered through the arched sides toward the railroad.
"See the procession of Indians!" he ejaculated. "They are wearing allthe clothes they own and carrying the rest of their worldly possessionson their heads!"
Andy laughed outright at this observation. "Did you ever see such clumsylegs?" he chuckled. "They are padded like a football player's."
"Worse!" commented Merritt, joining the discussion. "And those arewomen, too."
At that moment the line of approaching Indians broke into severalgroups.
Each woman squatted down on the edge of the sidewalk leading to the mainentrance of the Indian Building, and spread about her the baskets andpottery which she had been carrying on her head.
The few Indian men who had sauntered on before the procession loungednonchalantly against the arches near the doorway, gazing at their womenin superior disdain.
As the boys approached, the men merely looked at them from under theblack locks that straggled almost into their eyes; but the women roseclumsily to their feet, pulled their big plaid shawls more closely abouttheir heads, and hastened to offer their wares.
"By the way, fellers," said Tubby quietly, turning to the other boys,"Uncle Mark said to tell you to pick up some souvenirs and he would footthe bill. In fact, he gave me another sealed envelope marked'Incidentals,' and I found four ten-dollar bills in it when I opened itlast night. So go ahead, and select some things for the home folks."
"Tubby, your uncle is certainly all right!" exclaimed Andy.
"Well, he is some grateful, you know," returned Tubby.
"We won't refuse such a chance," remarked Rob appreciatively, "and I seea basket right now that would look fine on my mother's sewing table."
"Let's go inside and look around first," suggested Merritt. "It lookslike a museum in there."
For the next hour the boys were absorbed in the interesting thingsdisplayed in the various sections of the Indian Building.
"Jiminy," cried Andy, as he caught sight of a bark canoe suspended fromthe ceiling, "there is the genuine article, all right!"
"Doesn't that rug make you think of a cozy den at home, Rob?" addedMerritt a moment later.
"It is the very thing that a fellow likes,--red and black with a whitedesign," rejoined Rob. "And there's a little one with the swastika onit; just right to throw over the foot of the couch."
"What is the 'swastika'?" inquired Andy.
"Oh, it is a good-luck sign. If you look, you will find it in a greatmany rugs and blankets, and it is often woven into the baskets, too."
&n
bsp; "I wonder if this zig-zag pattern means anything?" asked Tubby, pointinga chubby finger at a large rug that lay on the floor.
"I've heard that that stands for lightning," Rob answered. "You know allsavage people have a great respect for the mysteries of nature."
"What do I hear?" exclaimed Andy, halting suddenly.
"It is a baby whimpering!" cried Tubby. "Of all things! There must be apapoose somewhere around!"
"Over here, boys," called Merritt, motioning toward the farther cornerof the room. The boys hastened to follow him and found a little alcove,shut off by draped blankets and enclosed by a slender wooden gateway.Through the wide slats of this, they discovered an Indian woman kneelingon a fur rug and busily weaving a brilliant blanket on an upright loom.Just beyond the mother, a little dark-skinned girl was peeping shyly atthem, one finger lost between her lips. And in the background, proppedagainst a roll of blankets, was the wailing papoose, securely wrappedand bound upon a board-cradle in typical and traditional Indian fashion.
As the boys looked in at this picturesque exhibition of family life, atall, lank Indian man sauntered up and muttered a few authoritativewords to the woman at the loom. She stopped her work and went over tothe child, trying to hush its cries by shaking a string of bright beadsbefore it.
"Huh!" grunted Tubby, looking after the departing man. "He only wantedus to see that he was 'big chief' here! Huh!"
When the east-bound train stopped at Albuquerque an hour later, each oneof the boys had purchased a few small souvenirs. Rob had the tiny squarerug of Navajo weaving that had caught his eye, a round, almost flatworkbasket, and a little pair of bead-embroidered moccasins.
Merritt and Andy had selected a few inexpensive, gaudily decoratedgourds and strings of beads for their boy friends. At the last moment,Tubby decided to burden himself with what he considered an artistic bitof pottery. Rob warned him that vases and jugs and urns were breakable,but Tubby persisted in bargaining for the piece that he had chosen.
"Two dolla'," the woman who held it said as he hesitated beside her.
"No, no. _One_ dolla'," Tubby offered.
"One dolla'," the woman agreed; and then as Tubby extended his hand forthe vase and gave her the money, the woman drew back and saidfrowningly, "No, no! _Two_ dolla'!"
At this Tubby seized his purchase and rather inelegantly rejoined, "Noton your life!" as he made off for the car.
At St. Louis the boys were glad to break the long railway journey and tovisit the places noted in the itinerary that Dr. Matthews had provided.This included an automobile ride about the city, which gave them anexcellent idea of its arrangement, its fine system of parks and itspublic buildings. At the end of the ride they felt quite ready to followthe next suggestion, which directed them to a popular restaurant. Andafter luncheon they still had time to walk across the great bridge thatspans the Mississippi and to return by ferry, before their train was dueto depart for Washington.
They reached the National City early in the morning, and here, too, theywere advised by their typewritten directions to save time by taking asight-seeing automobile and sitting near the "personal conductor" of thecar in order to view quickly the important sections of Washington.
Having engaged their seats, the four boys sat in the big machine andstudied diligently the map of the city and the guide books that they hadbought at the station, until the usual hour for the daily morning triparrived. Then, eagerly interested, they gave their whole attention tothe vistas that opened momentarily before them and to the descriptionsthat interpreted the sights. They made many mental notes of places thatthey would like to see again: the Capitol, the Congressional Library,the Smithsonian Institute, the Washington Monument, the White House anda dozen other interesting buildings. But when the ride was over, theydecided to accept the advice on the touring agent's list and spend mostof their remaining time in the Capitol and Congressional Library.
"We'll engage a guide here," said Rob as they ran up the broad flight ofsteps leading to the western entrance of the Capitol. "I know that it isthe customary thing to do, and it will save a lot of time, too."
Scarcely had they entered the Rotunda before a blue-uniformed attendantapproached them and offered his services, and no time was lost in makinga start.
The historical paintings gave the guide the text for his opening speech,and from then to the end of the trip the boys followed him closely andlistened to his explanations with keen interest.
Coming so recently from scenes of civil strife, the scouts had a newrespect for the torn and soiled battle flags that they saw, and for thesignificant paintings that illustrated scenes of martial victory.
"I'll bet Cornwallis hated to give up," ejaculated Tubby thoughtfully,as he gazed at the picture of the surrender at Yorktown.
"We don't often think of his feelings when we remember our victory,"responded Rob, "but it is just as well to know that there are two pointsof view for every crisis."
"This way, please," called the guide, and the boys hurried after himinto the Statuary Hall.
While Tubby stood lost in contemplation before a statue of DanielWebster, the guide led Andy quietly out of sight behind another marblefigure.
"Now whisper a message to your friend," directed the guide softly.
"Hey, Tubby, how would you like to be the man on the pedestal?"whispered Andy, seeing that there was some joke in store for his fatchum.
Tubby whirled around quickly at the question, and looked vastlysurprised not to find Andy at his elbow.
"Where are you?" he asked, bewildered.
Andy chuckled softly and, at a nod from the smiling guide, whispered,"This side of the Rio Grande!"
"Where _is_ Andy, fellers?" questioned Tubby, looking at Rob andMerritt. "Honest, his voice sounded right in my ear!"
At that Andy stepped into view, and the guide explained that the hallhad the properties of a "whispering gallery," and that half his fun inlife came through playing this simple trick on unsuspecting visitors.
"It is a good trick, all right," admitted Tubby, grinning, "and I won'thold it against you, Mr. Guide!"
From this room,--in Daniel Webster's day the Hall ofRepresentatives,--the boys were led to the doors of the presentlegislative chambers and permitted brief views of the imposing desks,arranged in semi-circular rows, at which the men sent from all over thenation sit in long sessions of serious deliberation. On the day of thescouts' visit, Congress was not in session and there was nothing toprevent the boys from peopling the empty seats with men of their ownimagination.
"Some day maybe you and Merritt will sit there," said Tubby to Rob.
"Why not you, Tubby?" asked Merritt quickly.
"Oh, me?" questioned the fat boy in alarm. "This is no place for me.Give me a good steady job that I can keep at till it's _finished_.Perhaps _I'll_ join the Secret Service!" And Tubby patted the pocketwhere the odd shaving lay.
After lingering briefly in admiration before the paintings that adornedthese rooms and the statues that punctuated the long corridors, theguide conducted the boys to the foot of the stairs that led to the loftydome above the Rotunda.
"Better not hurry," he cautioned them, glancing at Tubby's bulk. "Thereare three hundred and nineteen steps between us and the top gallery."
"I'm game," said Tubby quickly. "Come on, fellers. It can't be so bad ashorseback riding in Mexico!"
When about two-thirds of the way up, the guide halted the boys todemonstrate a second "whispering gallery," and there he placed Rob andMerritt sixty-five feet apart to enjoy a private conversation! Tubbyrefused to be convinced without a trial himself, so he and Andy testedthe acoustic properties of the gallery until they were satisfied thatthe guide's claims were well founded.
When they reached the highest point available within the dome, Rob madea discovery.
"Boys, will you look at that mess of color over your heads? From 'waydown below I thought that was a very beautiful painting!"
"And so it is," put in the guide.
"One
of the kind where 'distance lends enchantment,'" commented Merritt,gazing at the thick patches of paint on the ceiling above them.
"That is quite right," said the guide. "This painting was put here to beseen from the floor of the Rotunda, and that is one hundred and eightyfeet below."
"Jiminy," ejaculated Tubby, "our heads must look like mere specks to thepeople who are looking up here now!"
"And the people down there look like flies and ants scuttering around,"added Andy with his usual chuckle, as he peered over the lofty railing.
On the way down, the attendant showed the boys a fine view from thedome, and pointed out many of the prominent buildings and towers thatthey had already passed in their morning's ride.
As they paid the excellent guide in thanks as well as coin and went outof the great eastern portico, Tubby patted the front of his coatsuggestively.
"Fellers, my feelings tell me that it is long past noon," he said.
Rob pulled out his watch.
"For once your feelings are to be trusted, Tubby. It is one o'clock.We'll get a hasty lunch nearby and try to visit both the Library and theMonument this afternoon."
An hour passed, however, before the boys were again free to gosight-seeing. In Washington, distances are deceptive and time flies.
"Well, which shall it be, boys?" asked Rob. "It is two o'clock, and wehave two hours before we must start for the station."
"Let's make it the Monument," suggested Merritt.
"Agreed," said the others.
"And we'll ask this policeman the quickest way to get there," added Rob,jumping after a passing uniform.
The man pointed out a coming street car, gave them a few definitedirections, and the boys were off once more.
At the Monument luck favored them again, for they were just in time tocatch an ascending elevator. In spite of all that they had seen, theywere greatly surprised at the extent and the beauty of the view from thetop of the tall shaft. It was fortunately a clear day and they couldtrace easily the glint of the broad Potomac for many miles.
"Time to be moving if we walk down," said Rob, after they had tried tolocate everything visible in the panorama spread out before them.
"We must walk down," urged Merritt. "There is so much to see in the rarestones and relics set all the way down in the inside of the towerwalls,--so I've been told."
"If we read all the inscriptions it will take too much time," warnedRob, "but we can spend half an hour more here."
At the end of that time the boys emerged from the lofty shaft with afeeling that they had been on a long journey. From all over the worldhad come the mementos that they had just seen,--from foreignbattlegrounds, from fields of exploration, and from places of historicsentiment.
"That was as good as a lesson in 'Ancient and Modern History,'" claimedTubby, reluctant to go.
"Yes, but now let's beat it to the station," Andy urged, "or we'll missour train."
"Should you care if we missed it, boys?" asked Rob, stoppingdeliberately and facing them.
"What do you mean?" inquired Merritt.
"Just this: We have purposely refrained from giving our folks the exactdate of our coming home, and this itinerary does not bind us to anydefinite train. Why not get a glimpse of the Smithsonian Institute,visit the Congressional Library this evening and take the midnightsleeper for New York? Then we can walk in at home soon after breakfastis over to-morrow morning and surprise everybody. What do you say?"
"We say 'Yes'!" chimed in the three other voices.
"It is a great idea," Merritt added. "They say that the Library isreally wonderful at night."
And this was the program decided upon and carried out effectively. Tubbyand Andy were perhaps more enthusiastic over the collections in theInstitute than over the color decorations in the Library; but Rob andMerritt observed no lack of interest, their own pleasure in everythingbeing so complete.
It was a tired quartette of scouts who tumbled into their berths thatnight half an hour before the "owl train" pulled out of Washington, butnot one of them thought of complaining of their weariness. They weremore than satisfied at the delightful ending of their hasty flight toMexico.
Boy Scouts Under Fire in Mexico Page 26
