Doctor Jones' Picnic

by S. E. Chapman

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  The World at the Feet of Doctor Jones.

  The following morning our friends were up be-times and were soon engagedin the busiest day of their lives. The wind was still unfavorable fortheir passage to Washington, and they abandoned themselves to thenumerous duties that pressed upon them, and hospitalities of thefriendly Gothamites. Messages almost innumerable and visitors bythousands poured in upon them. Mrs. Jones, Mattie, and Denison acted assecretaries for Dr. Jones, while Will and Fred performed the same officefor Professor Gray. Reporters by scores besieged them at all hours. TheDoctor disposed of these importunate visitors by appointing an hour whenhe met them in a body in a private room, and there answered theirnumerous questions. At three o'clock P.M. the mayor called, and througha private exit the whole party was led to carriages, and shown aconsiderable portion of the better part of the city. They drove to theglobe and found it surrounded by thousands of admirers. Silver Cloudproudly floated above them, gently oscillating in the breeze, slightlybowing to the right and left, as if complacently acknowledging theadmiration and praises of its visitors.

  The carriages were driven as near as possible to the globe. Will andDenison worked their way to the cage and ascended to the cabin. The vastthrong watched this proceeding with intense interest, and made thewelkin ring with their shouts as the two men safely entered the manhole.They examined the thermometer, trimmed the burners that were necessaryto be kept alight, wound up the motor springs, and then descended with arapidity that caused the spectators to hold their breaths.

  After several hours' driving, during which time the mayor pointed outmany objects of interest, they were driven to their hotel and left torest and prepare for the evening's entertainment. They had beeninformed that the largest building in the city had been engaged, and thewhole party of Arctic explorers were earnestly requested to meet thepublic that evening in said building. This they consented to do. Therewas not the slightest snobbishness about Dr. Jones, or it certainlywould have manifested itself now when the world was at his feet. But thelittle man was as kind and unaffectedly friendly now as ever in hislife. He was a close student of human nature too, and thoroughlyunderstood that they were fully capable of crying "Hosannah!" to-day,and "Crucify him! crucify him!" to-morrow. Human nature is not differentfrom what it was thousands of years ago. It is no better and no worse.Unregenerate man is out of harmony with his Maker; and being possessedof a finite mind, he can never be right, do right, nor keep right untilhe places himself unreservedly into God's hands.

  "Just as I am, without one plea, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God! I come."

  "When I would do good, evil is ever present with me," was St. Paul'sexperience. It is yours and it is mine, gentle reader. There is noescape from it, except through the blood of Christ. Then shall we commitall our ways unto Him, and shall never be moved. This is the one greatcause of man's inconstancy. He is constantly seeking after that whichshall satisfy the cravings of his never dying soul, but refuses thelight which God gives him. He sips from every cup of worldly pleasure,and madly rushes after the sensation of the hour, be it good or bad. Oneafter the other, they pall upon his wearied senses, and he dashes themfrom his lips in disgust. Happy alone is he who listens to that Voice,'Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.'

  That evening, before many thousands of people, our friends did what theycould to please them. They sang as they never had done in their lives.It is unnecessary to say that their efforts were received withtremendous rounds of encores by the delighted host. The music wasinterspersed with appropriate speeches from the mayor and other civicdignitaries. They all spoke in unlimited terms of praise of the man whohad conceived the idea of the aluminum globe, and who had had thecourage of his convictions. He had added undying glory to the land thatbore him, and now that land delighted to honor him by every means withinher power, etc.

  The Doctor and Professor each spoke at some length, giving the historyof the expedition and the importance of it to the scientific world. TheDoctor told them of the planting of the aluminum flagstaff in terse,graphic language, and concluded by saying:

  "And now friends, we will conclude the evening's performance by givingyou an exact representation of how we marched about the flagstaff andsang Professor Marsh's composition, 'The North Pole March.' You mustimagine the thermometer sixty or more degrees below zero in order toappreciate the scene."

  A fair representation of the foot of the flagstaff had been improvised,and the stage was made to look like a field of snow and ice. In a circleabout the pole were set vessels of burning oil. Within this circle thefriends marched to the beautiful music that Fred played upon thealuminum organ (for even that instrument had been brought by Denison andWill from the globe, that the scene might lack nothing in realism.)

  And so real was the scene as they marched in their sealskin suits--poorSing among them, though he could not sing--and so inspiring was themusic, that the vast assemblage sat still as death, every sense strainedto the highest tension, that they might not lose a movement nor note.When they finished, the shout that went up was a tremendous lungburstthat was simply deafening. Men, women, and children jumped upon theirfeet, waved their handkerchiefs, and screamed and shouted themselveshoarse. Nor would they cease until the lights had all been turned low,and they realized that the Children of the Skies would appear no morethat night. They had improved the opportunity while the multitude thusencored to make their escape in their carriages to the hotel.

  "I don't know, Doctor, but you will be responsible for many cases oflunacy among our people," said the mayor. "I never saw them so utterlycarried away as they were with your company and the globe. All you haveto do is to take to the stage and you can bankrupt the nation."

  After a quiet supper with a select party of notables of the city, ourfriends were permitted to retire for the night.

  "I am anxious to get on to Washington. This is very pleasant, but I muchprefer the cabin of Silver Cloud, with you, my dear friends, to all thishustling, cramming, and jambing. The people are kind as they can be, andare doing everything for our comfort and pleasure, but I never couldendure being crowded. Give me plenty of elbow room or give me death!"cried Dr. Jones.

  "Who would have thought that our march about the pole would make such asensation!" said Mrs. Jones. "Your North Pole March will make yourfortune, Fred. You should immediately copyright and publish it. Youcould sell thousands of copies to-morrow."

  "All right, Mrs. Jones; I will profit by your suggestion," answeredFred, gayly. "Dear old Silver Cloud is making us all famous and rich.Strike while the iron's hot;' 'Make hay while the sun shines;' etc. Mynext attempt will be the Silver Cloud Waltz. This is the tide in myaffairs, and I must be thrifty enough to take it at its flood."

  On the following morning after breakfast it was observed that the windwas from the nor-nor-east, or nearly exactly toward their destination.

  "Shall we sail to-day, or accept further hospitalities of New York?"asked Dr. Jones of the company. The unanimous decision was that theysail immediately.

  The mayor was telephoned that they would sail within one or two hours,the wind being favorable. A few moments later that gentleman appeared inthe parlor where they were sitting and said hastily:

  "My dear Doctor, we cannot let you go to-day. We have a splendid programlaid out for you, and our people will be greatly disappointed if you donot stop at least another day. Besides, great excursions by steamersand rail are expected to-morrow. We cannot let you off for two or threedays yet."

  "My dear sir, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to remain aslong as you desire. But my commands are peremptory from Washington toreport there at the earliest practicable moment. So I really have nooption in the matter, and must sail this very morning," replied Dr.Jones.

  "Such being the case, Doctor, I am too good a citizen to urge you todisobey orders. We will say no more about it, but thank you for thepleasure you have given us, and wis
h you 'Bon Voyage.'"

  "You may do better than that, sir. We should be exceedingly pleased tohave you and your family accompany us to Washington. We can promise youthe sensation and pleasure of your lifetime," returned the Doctor.

  "O do come, sir!" cried Mrs. Jones. "Bring your family and give them thegreatest treat this world affords."

  "I will consult them, immediately. But I fear that they are poorsailors, and can hardly be persuaded to venture a trip in an air-ship."

  "I will see that they do not suffer from seasickness," said the Doctor."Prevail upon them to come if possible, for I know you will never regretit. Now shall we remain here, or meet you at the globe?"

  "Remain here, please, and I will return with all possible expedition."

  A half hour later he returned with his wife and two daughters, thelatter being stylish, lovely girls of about Mattie's age. All three werein a state of more or less nervousness and trepidation at the idea of asail through the sky, and yet they could not resist the desire to go.

  "O Mrs. Jones! Miss Bronson! don't you feel awfully frightened away upthere, thousands of feet from the earth?" asked one of the girls.

  "Not the least bit!" replied Mrs. Jones. "So far from that, will youbelieve me, I feel better and fully as safe in the cabin of our SilverCloud, five thousand feet from the earth, as I do in this parlor."

  "Do you hear that, mamma?" cried the elder girl. "And what anappropriate, beautiful name--Silver Cloud. Well, I am determined to bea good sailor, and enjoy this trip as I never did anything in my life."

  "I will meet you within an hour at the ship," said the mayor. "I mustattend to some business before I can go," and he hurried away.

  An hour later they were all standing upon the balcony of Silver Cloud,excepting Will and Denison. They were standing by the spring motors tohoist and stow the anchors.

  The news had spread that the great globe was about to sail, and peoplewere rushing by thousands to witness its departure. The signal wasgiven, and Silver Cloud arose so majestically and beautifully above thegreat city that the people roared like another Niagara at thetranscendently glorious spectacle! It rose to the height of eighthundred feet, and moved rapidly toward the southwest. They maintainedthis comparatively low altitude on account of their visitors manifestingsymptoms of extreme terror, especially the young ladies. But Mrs. Jonesand Mattie soothed and petted them, and assured them so positively oftheir perfect safety that by degrees they became quiet, and in a shorttime were enjoying the scenery, and watching through their glasses themain objects of interest.

  "Mrs. Jones." said the mayor's wife, "I do not wonder that you preferthe cabin of this ship to the parlor of our grandest city hotel. This isthe most inspiring scene I ever witnessed, and one that I should nevergrow tired of. How cool and pure this atmosphere is! I am sure thatnothing could add to the beauty of the scenery or your splendid ship."

  "O madam! but you should have seen Silver Cloud before we robbed her ofher chief ornament, the flagstaff. That was her glory, as a fine head ofhair is a woman's," replied Dr. Jones, who had overheard the lady'sremark. "I shall never be satisfied until we have replaced it."

  The ship, meantime, was hastening at a forty mile gait toward theCapital. The trip was one long thrill of excitement and pleasure to thevisitors. The Doctor had settled all symptoms of nausea with hiswell-selected remedies, and nothing more could be desired to add totheir pleasure and comfort.

  At the hour of noon they sat down to lunch. They ate but little, theexcitement having more or less destroyed their appetites. But they sat aconsiderable time at the table and talked animatedly upon varioustopics; principally, though, of the ship and their voyage to and fromthe Pole. The ladies could not sufficiently admire and praise thebeauty, cleanliness, and comfort of the cabin.

  Fred was seated beside Grace, the younger of the sisters, and they werediscussing music. She praised his North Pole March in unstinted terms,until he blushed to the ears with delight. She and her elder sister,Rose, were musicians of a high order, and had graduated at the leadingmusical conservatories of America. They had besides spent several yearsin Europe in the pursuit of knowledge in that line. Fred asked Grace topromenade the balcony with him. She immediately accepted theproposition, and they were soon oblivious to the world in the discussionof their favorite theme--music. No doubt the inspiring scene below andall about them drew out all the finer sentiments of their beings. Andwhat could two handsome, heartwhole, sentimental young beings do butfall----

  "Not over the balustrade!" O no! but into love!

  The whole company now came out upon the balcony, and they slowlypromenaded about the four sides of the cabin. We cannot describe thewitchery and beauty of the fast-flying panorama below. Our pen falters,and the picture must be left to the imagination of the reader.

  The mayor was very familiar with the topography of the country, andpointed out the various rivers, mountain ranges, cities, towns, etc.About three o'clock the capitol buildings, Washington monument, andother tall structures about the city hove in sight. They wereimmediately seen, for the great guns in all the forts about the cityfired thundering salutes.

  "They are loaded to the muzzle for us, Doctor," said Professor Gray.

  "It appears so," he replied. "I only wish it was all over with."

  "What park is that?" he asked a few moments later, pointing to one thatlay directly in their course. The Professor mentioned its name, andthought it a very convenient place for anchorage. Accordingly, SilverCloud swooped down upon it with a velocity that fairly took away thebreath of the mayor and family. A few moments later, Silver Cloud wassafely anchored, after her voyage of many thousands of miles, at herstarting point. In a little less than four months they had made the mostextraordinary trip known in the world's history, that of Columbus notexcepted, and were now safely returned!

  Two by two they descended to earth, and, as in New York, carriagesawaited them. Evidently preparations for their reception had been madeupon a colossal scale. The air was thundering and riven with the voicesof the innumerable hosts, brass bands on every hand in full blast, sothat it was impossible to hear a word said by the nearest neighbor.

  The police, fire, and military forces were out in full strength. Thevoyagers, mayor of New York and family, were seated in landaus, and withropes the girls of all the public schools, each dressed in pure whiteand bearing in her hand an American flag, drew the vehicles through theprincipal streets of the city. Each of the little maids wore upon herbare head a chaplet of flowers, and the scene was one of indescribablebeauty. And as they walked they sang in sweetest harmony,

  "See, the conquering hero comes."

  Dr. Jones was affected to tears at this sight, and could scarcelycontain himself. At last the procession stopped before the grand centralentrance of the capitol building. Upon the top steps they were met bythe President and his cabinet, many members of both houses, thoughCongress was not in session at this season. Ministers andplenipotentiaries from nearly every court in the world were also there.Judges, statesmen, and journalists were in attendance by scores. Nothingwas left undone that could in any way add to the honor and glory of thehero of the day. The modesty and unaffected dignity with which hereceived it all, clothed him as with a garment, and was a marvel to eventhose who knew him best.

  But it would prove tedious to the reader if we were to relate in detailall the speech-making and public receptions tendered our friends. TheDoctor and Professor before vast audiences told the story of theirjourney, the planting of the pole, the scientific value of observationsmade by Professor Gray, etc. The concert and North Pole March wererendered several times.

  In a week or so the furore began to subside, and the company were gladto settle down to a comparatively quiet life in a large furnished house,which the Doctor rented. Callers were coming and going continuallyduring several hours daily, and invitations to parties, dinners,concerts, operas, etc., were very numerous. The mayor and familyreturned to New York after spending a week with the friends.
Theydeclared that they envied them their trip to the South Pole, and shouldnever be satisfied until they had enjoyed another sail in Silver Cloud.

  The Doctor and Professor were kept very busy in consultation withgovernmental officials and scientific men. The naval and militarydepartments were especially interested in the probabilities andpossibilities of the use of air-ships in warfare. An arrangement wasmade to take a party of military men on a trip in Silver Cloud. A verysuccessful and brilliant voyage of several hundreds of miles to thesouth and return was made, during which the Doctor actually encounteredan opportunity to exemplify his theory as to air currents. While theywere driving rapidly south at an altitude of but four or five hundredfeet, he rapidly rose several thousand feet and encountered a splendidnortherly current that carried them back to their starting point in away that pleased the little man wonderfully well. This was a greattriumph for the Doctor, and impressed the governmental party as of vastimportance, and added immensely to the effectiveness of the ship in theart of war.

  The Government made Will a very liberal offer to act as architect andconstructor of another ship similar to Silver Cloud, with suchimprovements as experience had suggested to him. He accepted the offer,and would enter upon his duties immediately after their return from theSouth Pole. The Government had immediately acquiesced to theirproposition to seek the South Pole, and even urged that they get out assoon as possible. The aluminum pole, a fac-simile of the one alreadyplanted, was being constructed.

  One day, a month after their return, Mrs. Jones and Mattie were summonedto the parlor at an early hour for callers. They found there a largeelderly gentleman and two ladies.

  "O Mattie!" cried the younger, "don't you know us?"

  "Why! is it possible that you are our friends from Constance House? Itis, Maggie, it is! And this is Jennie Barton!"

  "I declare that I was never so surprised and delighted in my life! Canthis be Mrs. Barton?" And then such kissing and handshaking.

  "And how do you do, Mrs. Barton? I would not have known you. How youhave improved!" And Mrs. Jones scanned her face very critically. "Areyou entirely recovered?"

  "She is so much better that we no longer consider her an invalid. But Iwas desirous that the Doctor should see her again, and so we have comedown. We were in Montreal when I saw in a paper an account of yourreturn to Washington. That was the first we had heard of you since yousailed from Constance House, and you can well believe that we wereexceedingly pleased to hear of your safe return. So we made up our mindsthat we would run down and see you at once," said Mr. Barton.

  After they had conversed a few moments and had inquired after Joe andSam, Mrs. Jones conducted them to two chambers, insisting that they mustbe her guests while in the city.

  The Doctor and other members of the party were delighted to met theBartons. Dr. Jones was well pleased with the progress that Mrs. Bartonhad made. He considered her cure but a question of a short time, butinsisted, in order that no chances might be incurred, that she shouldremain during the winter at Washington. He did not anticipate that theywould be gone more than thirty days on their South Pole expedition, andcertainly not more than two months. And so they arranged that theyshould stay at least until the return of the expedition.

  "And that settles it that we are to remain here until next summer, forit is very late even now for us to return to Constance House. So I willwrite the boys to that effect, and shall settle down to the study ofAmerican politics," said John Barton.