The Surly Trainman
Before the blaze in Bob's eyes the man shrank back, hesitated a
moment, and then turned in the direction of the freight station.
"All right," he snarled. "But don't let me catch the kid around here
again, or you either."
He walked up the track to the end of the train, then disappeared
behind the engine.
"Gee, that was swell of you," said Spike to Bob. "You sure had that
guy scared."
"He was glad enough to get out of it," laughed Joe. "Old Bob wouldn't
have left a grease spot of him."
"But now," began Bob, anxious to turn this tribute aside, "let's
figure out what to do. I suppose the only thing----"
"I want to get home," Spike interrupted. "I may have something comin'
to me, but the sooner I get it over, the better."
"Where do you live?" Joe asked.
"Only about a half-mile from here."
Joe got a piece of paper and pencil out of his pocket. He tore off one
corner and wrote down the address of himself and his friend. This he
gave to Spike.
"Here," he said. "Write us a letter some time. Now where do you live?"
Spike told him, and then, with a warm good-bye, he left the youths and
hurried down the track.
Bob and Joe watched the lad until he disappeared from view. Even after
they lost sight of him, they stood gazing in that direction until a
locomotive whistle roused them.
"He's a good kid, all right," smiled Bob. "Might be an aimless
wanderer, but he has a lot in him."
"Got a keen sense of humor, too," said Joe, and then added: "I wonder
if he'll really go to school and make something out of himself, as he
said he would?"
"Hard telling. A lot can happen to change his mind, you know."
For several minutes Bob and Joe watched the busy scene about the
tracks. Finally a factory whistle from afar prompted Joe to glance at
his watch.
"Nearly two o'clock," he announced. "Come on. Let's hurry down to the
freight station and see if we can send a telegram to our folks. If we
hadn't lost the car in that river, we would have been home several
days ago."
The youths moved down to the building and went inside. After making
several inquiries they finally found the main office, where they were
permitted to send a telegram. Then they left the building and walked
in the direction of the street.
"Good old Chicago," smiled Joe. "It's only been a couple of months
since we were here."
Bob stopped suddenly.
"That reminds me," he started. "We came here with our dads to see a
Mr. Wallace, who's with the Museum of Natural History, didn't we? And
this Mr. Wallace is planning on going with our dads' expedition to the
Andes Mountains, isn't he? Do you suppose he's left for Washington
yet?"
Joe's face lightened.
"I see what you mean," he said. "We can go and see him, and
incidentally we can borrow enough money to get home on. Suppose we go
to the museum now."
The boys were familiar with Chicago and had no difficulty in taking a
street car. After a half-hour's ride they got off within a few squares
of the museum. A ten-minute walk brought them to the main entrance.
At the office they made inquiries about Mr. Wallace and finally found
him in a laboratory on the second floor. He smiled broadly as he
recognized Bob and Joe.
"Well, this is an unexpected pleasure," he said, extending his hand.
"What, may I ask, are you fellows doing in Chicago? Why aren't you
getting ready for that Andes expedition?"
"It isn't our fault that we're here," laughed Bob, and then proceeded
to tell of the events that led to their presence. "Since we finally
landed here, we thought we'd come to the museum and see if you had
left for Washington yet," he concluded.
"A strange chain of circumstances," the scientist breathed. "Not many
could go through all that in the course of a few days. No doubt it was
your first experience as hoboes, was it not?"
"First and last," returned Joe. "We've had all we want of it. But
now," he went on, "when are you going to Washington? The expedition
leaves in little more than a week."
"I had planned to go day after tomorrow," Mr. Wallace said. "I think
everything will be in readiness by that time. I'd like to spend at
least three days in Washington talking with your fathers and others of
the expedition before sailing. Of course you fellows are familiar with
the details of the expedition, are you not?"
"Quite the contrary," returned Bob. "You see, when the matter was
first mentioned, about a month ago, there was not much known about
it. Our dads declined to say much, because they were not absolutely
sure they were going. Joe and I, though, had a sort of feeling that
they _were_ going, and finally got permission to stay out of college
at least a half-year."
"So you could go with the expedition?" interrupted the scientist.
Bob nodded.
"We figured we'd get as much good out of such a trip as we could get
in a university," he explained. "Then, too, there's a chance of making
money by taking motion pictures, as we did on our other expeditions."
"I think you did wisely," Mr. Wallace said. "It usually isn't good for
a fellow to get out of college too young. When an extraordinary chance
like this turns up, it's best to take it."
He motioned for the boys to follow him into his office, where several
chairs were arranged about the desk. A large bookcase occupied a whole
end of the room, while opposite it was a case of instruments and
preservatives.
"Sit down," he directed them, "and we'll talk over this Peruvian
expedition."
Bob and Joe did as directed, glad of the chance to rest their tired
limbs.
Mr. Wallace procured an atlas, opened it to a map of Peru, and drew
an imaginary line in the lower right-hand corner.
"Here's Cuzco," he pointed out. "We'll probably make it or some other
near-by city our base. From there we'll go into the Andes Mountains on
our varied scientific quests."
"But what--what is the main purpose of the expedition?" inquired Joe.
"Of course, you and Mr. Holton and Dad are naturalists, who want to
get specimens of animal life. But that isn't the chief aim of the
expedition, is it?"
"No. It is being sent out by the division of ethnology at the museum
in Washington. The scientists in that field have in mind mainly to
study the ruins of the vanished Inca civilization. Those Indians, you
know, that built so many marvelous works of architecture. That's about
as much as I know about them, though," he laughed. "My line runs
straight through the field of natural history and zoölogy, and
incidentally anatomy, histology, taxonomy, embryology, ecology----"
"That's enough!" interrupted Bob, smiling sheepishly. "You don't
expect Joe and me to be acquainted with all those subjects, do you?
We're pretty good shots, but as scientists we're as yet a complete
flop."
A general laugh ensued, after which the naturalist again pointed to
the map.
"We are to explore the region northwest of Lake Titicaca," he
continued. "I understand there are some very high peaks in this range,
all the way from ten to twenty thousand feet in altitude."
"These Incas," started Joe, "when did they live? It hasn't been so
very long ago, has it?"
"Not as time is usually thought of. The sixteenth century witnessed
their downfall. This was at the time of the Spanish South American
explorations, you know."
"Those Spaniards sure saw something unusual and unexpected," remarked
Bob. "This mountainous region was chock-full of architectural wonders,
all built by the Incas."
"Something tells me we'll see sights, all right," said Joe. "It will
be good to get away from home again--into the unknown, I mean. And
that reminds me. Would it be possible for you to lend us enough money
to get back to Washington?"
"Why--of course. How much do you need?"
"Fifty dollars will pull us through. Perhaps we can get along on less
than that," was the answer from Bob.
"All right. I'll see that you get it. But wait! I expect to go day
after tomorrow with a friend, who is driving East on business. There
will be plenty of room for two more. You fellows don't have to get
home at once, do you?"
"No, we don't have to," returned Joe. "We----"
"Suppose you be my guests until then. I'll be only too glad to have
you. In the meantime we can be discussing the coming expedition."
"We'd sort of hate to do that," Bob said. "It will mean a lot of
trouble to you."
"Forget it! I'll be only too glad to have you."
"Well, all right, if you----" Joe began.
"We'll call it settled," Mr. Wallace said. "And now, since my day is
practically over, we may as well go to the house. That is, if you're
ready."
"We're ready any time," Bob told him.
The three went outside, to a place where the naturalist's automobile
was parked. All got inside and drove through the city till they came
to a beautiful suburb.
"Here's my place," said Mr. Wallace, pointing to a large house of
rather costly design.
Inside, the youths were introduced to Mrs. Wallace, who made them feel
perfectly at home.
"I hate to see Mr. Wallace leave on an expedition," she said, "but I
can appreciate his interest in science. In fact, I have often wished I
could accompany him. Be a sort of Mrs. Martin Johnson, you know."
"I wish our mothers were like that," laughed Bob. "If they were,
perhaps Joe and I wouldn't have so much difficulty in getting their
consent to go with our dads."
A bountiful dinner was soon served, Bob and Joe eating heartily.
"And now I have a surprise for you," Mr. Wallace said, when the meal
was over. "It is something I know we all will enjoy, especially in
view of what is to come."
The young men looked inquiring.