ON TO WASHINGTON!
"Now, fellers," said Tubby, drawing a long sigh as, business over, Rob
pulled out a railroad guide, "the time has come to spring a surprise on
you. I've nearly burst trying to keep it a secret."
Tubby sighed again and took another "Mexican kiss" from the candy box in
his 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 of
refusal. "Just about one makes a satisfactory between-meal, in my
opinion."
"None for me," rejoined Merritt, also. "I have barely succeeded in
washing off the sticky traces of my last 'kiss.'"
"But what is the surprise, Tubby?" demanded Rob, keeping his finger in
the folded time table as he accommodatingly held the box.
"Come over to this bench in the shade," directed Tubby importantly, "and
I will unveil the mystery!"
The boys winked amusedly at one another as they followed Tubby. They
expected nothing more serious than a joke, and Rob was a little
impatient at the interruption.
"I couldn't tell you at first," Tubby went on, sinking upon the seat as
the boys reached it, "because Uncle Mark told me to say nothing until we
were ready to leave Mexico. And then I didn't dare share the news so
long as Jared was around. But now----"
Tubby paused dramatically, and drew out of an inner pocket a sealed
envelope that bulged invitingly. This he turned over several times,
apparently in an absent manner, and then looked up to see how the boys
were taking it.
"What in the world----" began Andy wonderingly.
"Out with it, Tubby!" cried Rob. "I'm in a hurry to look up the first
train that leaves here, going our way."
"You needn't hurry," replied Tubby deliberately. "We shall not leave
until 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 who
is in a big touring agency, you know. Instead of buying
straight-through, round-trip tickets, he got the return set with
stop-over privileges, and had a little private itinerary arranged for
us.
"We leave El Paso to-night and have an hour or two in Albuquerque
to-morrow morning, before we take the train east. Beyond that, I know no
more than the rest of you,--but here goes!"
With a quick motion, Tubby tore open the sealed envelope and took out
four 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 than
a 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 the
prospect. "I have always wanted to visit Washington, but, with all our
travels, we have managed to skip straight to our destinations without
stopping anywhere."
"At this rate," commented Andy, "it will take us a good deal longer to
get home!"
"Even so," agreed Tubby. "But who is in a hurry now? Give them time to
finish their repairs on the old Academy, Andy."
That evening, as arranged, the four boys took the train from El Paso. As
they sat on the observation platform for an hour before turning in, Rob
remarked:
"Do you realize that we have been in the largest state in the
Union,--Texas? I can't appreciate it, for we have seen such a little
portion of the northwest corner. They say that El Paso, high and dry, is
the most isolated of the larger cities, and that irrigation has done
much to increase its products and its population."
"I was surprised to learn that it is an important station on at least
five big railway lines," added Merritt.
"But we have used the city in its most particular capacity," interjected
Tubby 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 the
course of the Rio Grande, as if following it toward its source. And when
the boys awoke they were approaching Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they
were to breakfast and to spend some time before making their east-bound
connections.
"Whoop-ee! Look at the gay buildings!" cried Tubby, thrusting his head
out of the car window as the train slowed down. "Is that what you'd call
modified 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 great
reputation," Rob rejoined, smiling at Tubby's eagerness. "Got
everything, 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-line
for the dining-room, scarcely noticing their unique surroundings. But
after even Tubby had pronounced his breakfast amply satisfying, the boys
stepped outside with eyes and ears open for new impressions.
As they strolled along the broad, low piazza of the long Alvarado, Tubby
peered through the arched sides toward the railroad.
"See the procession of Indians!" he ejaculated. "They are wearing all
the clothes they own and carrying the rest of their worldly possessions
on their heads!"
Andy laughed outright at this observation. "Did you ever see such clumsy
legs?" he chuckled. "They are padded like a football player's."
"Worse!" commented Merritt, joining the discussion. "And those are
women, too."
At that moment the line of approaching Indians broke into several
groups.
Each woman squatted down on the edge of the sidewalk leading to the main
entrance of the Indian Building, and spread about her the baskets and
pottery which she had been carrying on her head.
The few Indian men who had sauntered on before the procession lounged
nonchalantly against the arches near the doorway, gazing at their women
in superior disdain.
As the boys approached, the men merely looked at them from under the
black locks that straggled almost into their eyes; but the women rose
clumsily to their feet, pulled their big plaid shawls more closely about
their 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 foot
the bill. In fact, he gave me another sealed envelope marked
'Incidentals,' and I found four ten-dollar bills in it when I opened it
last 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 see
a basket right now that would look fine on my mother's sewing table."
"Let's go inside and look around first," suggested Merritt. "It looks
like a museum in there."
For the next hour the boys were absorbed in the interesting things
displayed in the various sections of the Indian Building.
"Jiminy," cried Andy, as he caught sight of a bark canoe suspended from
the ceiling, "there is the genuine article, all right!"
"Doesn't that rug make you think of a cozy den at home, Rob?" added
Merritt a moment later.
"It is the very thing that a fellow likes,--red and black with a white
design," rejoined Rob. "And there's a little one with the swastika on
it; 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 great
many rugs and blankets, and it is often woven into the baskets, too."
"I wonder if this zig-zag pattern means anything?" asked Tubby, pointing
a chubby finger at a large rug that lay on the floor.
"I've heard that that stands for lightning," Rob answered. "You know all
savage 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 a
papoose somewhere around!"
"Over here, boys," called Merritt, motioning toward the farther corner
of 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 kneeling
on 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 at
them, one finger lost between her lips. And in the background, propped
against a roll of blankets, was the wailing papoose, securely wrapped
and bound upon a board-cradle in typical and traditional Indian fashion.
As the boys looked in at this picturesque exhibition of family life, a
tall, lank Indian man sauntered up and muttered a few authoritative
words to the woman at the loom. She stopped her work and went over to
the child, trying to hush its cries by shaking a string of bright beads
before it.
"Huh!" grunted Tubby, looking after the departing man. "He only wanted
us to see that he was 'big chief' here! Huh!"
When the east-bound train stopped at Albuquerque an hour later, each one
of the boys had purchased a few small souvenirs. Rob had the tiny square
rug of Navajo weaving that had caught his eye, a round, almost flat
workbasket, and a little pair of bead-embroidered moccasins.
Merritt and Andy had selected a few inexpensive, gaudily decorated
gourds and strings of beads for their boy friends. At the last moment,
Tubby decided to burden himself with what he considered an artistic bit
of 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 for
the vase and gave her the money, the woman drew back and said
frowningly, "No, no! _Two_ dolla'!"
At this Tubby seized his purchase and rather inelegantly rejoined, "Not
on your life!" as he made off for the car.
At St. Louis the boys were glad to break the long railway journey and to
visit the places noted in the itinerary that Dr. Matthews had provided.
This included an automobile ride about the city, which gave them an
excellent idea of its arrangement, its fine system of parks and its
public buildings. At the end of the ride they felt quite ready to follow
the next suggestion, which directed them to a popular restaurant. And
after luncheon they still had time to walk across the great bridge that
spans the Mississippi and to return by ferry, before their train was due
to depart for Washington.
They reached the National City early in the morning, and here, too, they
were advised by their typewritten directions to save time by taking a
sight-seeing automobile and sitting near the "personal conductor" of the
car in order to view quickly the important sections of Washington.
Having engaged their seats, the four boys sat in the big machine and
studied diligently the map of the city and the guide books that they had
bought at the station, until the usual hour for the daily morning trip
arrived. Then, eagerly interested, they gave their whole attention to
the vistas that opened momentarily before them and to the descriptions
that interpreted the sights. They made many mental notes of places that
they would like to see again: the Capitol, the Congressional Library,
the Smithsonian Institute, the Washington Monument, the White House and
a dozen other interesting buildings. But when the ride was over, they
decided to accept the advice on the touring agent's list and spend most
of their remaining time in the Capitol and Congressional Library.
"We'll engage a guide here," said Rob as they ran up the broad flight of
steps leading to the western entrance of the Capitol. "I know that it is
the customary thing to do, and it will save a lot of time, too."
Scarcely had they entered the Rotunda before a blue-uniformed attendant
approached them and offered his services, and no time was lost in making
a 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 and
listened to his explanations with keen interest.
Coming so recently from scenes of civil strife, the scouts had a new
respect for the torn and soiled battle flags that they saw, and for the
significant 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 points
of view for every crisis."
"This way, please," called the guide, and the boys hurried after him
into the Statuary Hall.
While Tubby stood lost in contemplation before a statue of Daniel
Webster, the guide led Andy quietly out of sight behind another marble
figure.
"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 fat
chum.
Tubby whirled around quickly at the question, and looked vastly
surprised 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 and
Merritt. "Honest, his voice sounded right in my ear!"
At that Andy stepped into view, and the guide explained that the hall
had the properties of a "whispering gallery," and that half his fun in
life came through playing this simple trick on unsuspecting visitors.
"It is a good trick, all right," admitted Tubby, grinning, "and I won't
hold it against you, Mr. Guide!"
From this room,--in Daniel Webster's day the Hall of
Representatives,--the boys were led to the doors of the present
legislative chambers and permitted brief views of the imposing desks,
arranged in semi-circular rows, at which the men sent from all over the
nation sit in long sessions of serious deliberation. On the day of the
scouts' visit, Congress was not in session and there was nothing to
prevent the boys from peopling the empty seats with men of their own
imagination.
"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 pocket
where the odd shaving lay.
After lingering briefly in admiration before the paintings that adorned
these rooms and the statues that punctuated the long corridors, the
guide conducted the boys to the foot of the stairs that led to the lofty
dome above the Rotunda.
"Better not hurry," he cautioned them, glancing at Tubby's bulk. "There
are 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 as
horseback riding in Mexico!"
When about two-thirds of the way up, the guide halted the boys to
demonstrate a second "whispering gallery," and there he placed Rob and
Merritt sixty-five feet apart to enjoy a private conversation! Tubby
refused to be convinced without a trial himself, so he and Andy tested
the acoustic properties of the gallery until they were satisfied that
the guide's claims were well founded.
When they reached the highest point available within the dome, Rob made
a discovery.
"Boys, will you look at that mess of color over your heads? From 'way
down 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 be
seen from the floor of the Rotunda, and that is one hundred and eighty
feet below."
"Jiminy," ejaculated Tubby, "our heads must look like mere specks to the
people 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 the
dome, and pointed out many of the prominent buildings and towers that
they had already passed in their morning's ride.
As they paid the excellent guide in thanks as well as coin and went out
of the great eastern portico, Tubby patted the front of his coat
suggestively.
"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 the
Monument this afternoon."
An hour passed, however, before the boys were again free to go
sight-seeing. In Washington, distances are deceptive and time flies.
"Well, which shall it be, boys?" asked Rob. "It is two o'clock, and we
have 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 definite
directions, and the boys were off once more.
At the Monument luck favored them again, for they were just in time to
catch an ascending elevator. In spite of all that they had seen, they
were greatly surprised at the extent and the beauty of the view from the
top of the tall shaft. It was fortunately a clear day and they could
trace easily the glint of the broad Potomac for many miles.
"Time to be moving if we walk down," said Rob, after they had tried to
locate everything visible in the panorama spread out before them.
"We must walk down," urged Merritt. "There is so much to see in the rare
stones and relics set all the way down in the inside of the tower
walls,--so I've been told."
"If we read all the inscriptions it will take too much time," warned
Rob, "but we can spend half an hour more here."
At the end of that time the boys emerged from the lofty shaft with a
feeling that they had been on a long journey. From all over the world
had come the mementos that they had just seen,--from foreign
battlegrounds, from fields of exploration, and from places of historic
sentiment.
"That was as good as a lesson in 'Ancient and Modern History,'" claimed
Tubby, reluctant to go.
"Yes, but now let's beat it to the station," Andy urged, "or we'll miss
our train."
"Should you care if we missed it, boys?" asked Rob, stopping
deliberately and facing them.
"What do you mean?" inquired Merritt.
"Just this: We have purposely refrained from giving our folks the exact
date of our coming home, and this itinerary does not bind us to any
definite train. Why not get a glimpse of the Smithsonian Institute,
visit the Congressional Library this evening and take the midnight
sleeper for New York? Then we can walk in at home soon after breakfast
is 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 is
really wonderful at night."
And this was the program decided upon and carried out effectively. Tubby
and Andy were perhaps more enthusiastic over the collections in the
Institute than over the color decorations in the Library; but Rob and
Merritt observed no lack of interest, their own pleasure in everything
being so complete.
It was a tired quartette of scouts who tumbled into their berths that
night half an hour before the "owl train" pulled out of Washington, but
not one of them thought of complaining of their weariness. They were
more than satisfied at the delightful ending of their hasty flight to
Mexico.