CHAPTER IV. A STUNNING SURPRISE.
"He certainly looks all worked up, doesn't he, Rob?" Andy remarked, as heand his companion found themselves drawing closer to the other scout.
"Hiram is a queer stick, you remember," the patrol leader told him,speaking in a soft tone, as he did not wish the other to catch what hesaid. "Everybody just knows that he's gone daffy over this craze toinvent something worth while. But unless I miss my guess we're going tohear some news shortly."
There was no chance to exchange further remarks, because they had reacheda point close to Hiram. The latter was a rangy sort of chap. He couldtalk as well as the next one when he felt disposed that way, but it hadalways been a sort of fad with Hiram Nelson to pretend that he was a_real_ countryman, and many a time had he amused his chums with his broadaccent and his wondering stare, as of a "yahoo" seeing city sights forthe first time.
Now, however, Hiram apparently was not bothering his head about havingany fun with his fellow scouts. There was an eager expression on hisface, as though he were bursting with the desire to communicate his greatsecret to a chosen few of his chums, especially to the patrol leader, RobBlake.
"Been alookin' for you all over town, Rob," he started in to say, as theyjoined him. "Took me an awful long time to get track of where you'd gone.Then just by accident I ran across Walter Lonsdale, who told me hebelieved from what Sim Jeffords said, that Joe Digby had seen you andAndy here hitting it up for the dock, and so he reckoned you must havegone off on your little _Tramp_. And say, Walter was right that time,wasn't he?"
"He certainly was," replied Rob, while Andy Bowles chuckled at theroundabout way the other admitted he had received his information.
"Well, Rob," continued Hiram mysteriously, "'course you remember mytelling you that sooner or later I might have somethin' of _vast_importance to tell you, something that would give you one of the greatestthrills ever?"
"Sure, I remember that," asserted the other, "what about it, Hi?"
The other leaned closer to the scout leader, and in a hoarse whisperexclaimed:
"The time has come now, Rob!"
"Good enough," said Rob. "Fire away then, Hiram!"
Hiram cast a rather dubious glance in the direction of Andy.
"Oh, don't mind me one little bit, Hi!" sang out that worthy cheerfully."I'll promise to seal my lips if you give the word, and even being burnedat the stake couldn't force me to squeal a syllable. Say on, Hiram;you've got Rob and me worked up to top-notch with curiosity, and I knowI'll burst pretty soon if you don't take pity on me."
"Oh! well, I guess it's all right," the other observed slowly."Everybody'll be knowing it sooner or later. You just can't hide a lightunder a bushel, anyhow. So I might as well take you at your word, Andy."
"My word's as good as my bond, Hiram," said the bugler of the troop, withsome show of pride; whereat Hiram laughed softly, as though possibly hehad no reason to doubt that same fact, since Andy would find it difficultwork to get anybody to accept the latter.
"Let's sit down here on this pile of lumber," Hiram went on to say,"while I tell you what wonderful things happened. The greatest chanceI've ever struck so far, and you can understand that I'm nigh abouttickled to death over it."
"Huh! bet you've gone and spent every red cent you could scrape up payinga patent lawyer to put some wildcat scheme through; and that you've gotthe papers in your pocket showing that you've parted from your hardcash?"
When Andy recklessly said this Hiram turned and looked reproachfully athim, and then with his accustomed drawl remarked:
"Everything we tackle in this world is a chance and a hazard, don't youknow, Andy Bowles? And if inventors, people who have the big brains, andget up all the wonderful labor-saving devices you read about, didn'tchoose to accept risks, why whatever would become of all you ordinaryfolks, tell me?"
Andy shook his head.
"Give it up, Hiram," he said blankly. "But please go right along and tellus what you've been and gone and done now. Never mind me. My bark is awhole lot worse than my bite, anyhow."
"That's so," Hiram assured him cheerfully. "Well, you guessed right inone way, Andy, for I have secured the advance notice that a patent ispending on a clever invention of mine, which is as good as saying it'ssecured. But that's only the beginning, the foundation, or, as you mightsay, the advance agent of prosperity. The best is yet to come."
"You're exciting us a heap, Hiram, I admit," muttered Andy, "but I hopeit isn't all going to turn out a big smoke. There's some fire back ofthis talk, isn't there?"
"Wait!" the other told him grimly. "Get ready to soak in thisinformation, boys. The invention for which I have applied for patentrights is, as p'raps you've already guessed, in connection withairships!"
He waited at that point, as if expecting some expression of surprise andwonder; so not to disappoint him, and in hopes of hurrying matters alonga little faster, the accommodating Andy gave vent to the one expressiveword:
"Gee!"
"Yes, I've been tackling one of the hardest propositions we inventorshave ever run up against," continued Hiram pompously, "and to tell youthe truth it was only through a happy chance that in the end I stumbledon the key that unlocked the secret. You may know that one of theobstacles to making aeroplanes popular among the masses has been thedanger attending these air flights. Even the most experienced pilots aresubject to risks that they pretend to make light of. You understand allthat, Rob, of course?"
"Yes, I know they are delicate affairs at best when used for sailing amile above the earth," admitted the patrol leader; "and that a suddengust of wind, if it takes the voyager unawares, is apt to bring aboutdisaster."
"That's just it," said Hiram triumphantly. "Rob, I've discovered a way toprevent all these accidents, and made an aeroplane as safe for a noviceto run as it would be for an experienced pilot with a license."
"If you have done that, Hiram, you've got a feather in your cap!" Robtold him. "Some of the biggest inventors have been lying awake nightstrying to fix things that way, so as to take away most of the terriblerisk of flying; but so far it doesn't seem they've met with muchsuccess."
"Wait till they hear from Hiram Nelson, that's all," declared the happyscout, as he smote himself on the chest in rather a vainglorious fashion,which, however, the other two boys hardly noticed, for they knew Hiram'sfondness of boasting, as he had always been afflicted in that way.
"Tell us the rest, Hi," said Andy, just as if it bored him to hear somuch about the "preliminaries," when as the inventor proclaimed the bestwas yet to come.
"All right," said Hiram promptly. "Now you know what the scheme is I cango on and get deeper into my yarn."
"Wish you would," muttered Andy, pretending to stifle a yawn back of hishand, but that was only done in order to hurry the long-winded talker.
"I call my wonderful invention a stabilizer, because that's the use it'sreally intended for," continued Hiram, as though wishing to fully impressthat fact upon their minds. "To tell the truth, I've had the legaldocuments showing that a patent had been applied for, quite some timenow, though for reasons of my own I kept it all a dead secret fromeverybody. Mebbe yeou fellers may have noticed that I've been lookingkinder mysterious the last month or two? Well, guess with such atre_men_jous secret on your mind either of you'd a been equally absentminded. But that is past now, and I've accomplished my aim."
"Good!" Andy burst out with. "Let go your bowstring then and shoot, forgoodness sake, Hiram."
"Well, of course I had it all laid out," continued the other composedly,as if it was beneath him to pay any attention to these pins that Andy wassticking into him, "and my first thought was to get in communication withsome enterprising big corporation that manufactured aeroplanes for themarket. All inventors have to sell their first few patents, you know,so's to get money enough to push other ideas; and if I could pick up afew thousand that way, why I'd have to let my stabilizer go."
"Then you
've been corresponding with such a company, have you?" askedRob, knowing that he could tempt the other to hurry his story in thisway, just as a witness in court is drawn on by a clever lawyer'squestions.
"Oh! several of them, in fact," admitted Hiram, as if that were only aminor matter, after all, "but in the end I found that a certain concernmeant strictly business, and consequently I dropped all the rest."
"Have they actually made you a definite offer for your valuableinvention?" asked Rob, taking considerable more interest in the matter,now that Hiram's undoubted though erratic genius seemed to be steadyingdown with some tangible results.
"Pretty much that way, I should call it," remarked the inventor, tryinghard to appear natural, though trembling all over with excitement. "Theywent so far as to enclose a check big enough to cover all expenses ofmyself and a companion--for I was smart enough to say I'd insist onhaving company for advice along with me--to run out to their main works,and talk the matter over with a view to disposing of my patent rights tothe device."
At that Andy's face lost the look of sneering incredulity that had been amarked feature of his listening to all this talk.
"Whew! is that a fact, Hiram?" he exclaimed. "Shake hands on it, willyou? Didn't we always say that some fine day you'd be famous, and makethe Eagles proud to reckon you as a member? A real check, and not on asand bank, you mean?"
"Well, I went right away to Rob's father's bank and saw the president. Hesaid the check was O. K. and that I could get the hard cash any time Iwanted it. Why, he even called it a certified bank draft, which meant themoney had been set aside in the San Francisco bank for that purpose,deducted from the account of the Golden Gate Aeroplane ManufacturingCompany."
"What?" almost shrieked Andy Bowles, "say that again, will you, Hiram?Must be my mind's so filled with that Golden Gate business I just_thought_ I heard you mention something like that. Repeat it, please,Hiram!"
"Why, the check came from a San Francisco bank, because you see thecompany is a substantial concern in California. They make some of themost famous aeroplanes on the market. If they adopt my stabilizer it'sgoing to be heard of all over the world. And to think what a magnificentchance we've got to run out there and take in the great Panama-PacificExposition at the same time, Rob! It's enough to make you think you'redreaming, eh?"
"Why do you mention _me_ in the game, Hiram?" demanded the patrol leader,with a smile on his face, and a knowing wink in the direction of AndyBowles.
"Because, don't you see, Rob, I knew I didn't have a business head on me,and might get cheated out of my boots if I ran up against a smart lot ofmanufacturers; and so I was wise enough to insist that I be allowed tofetch along a companion. They never put up a single kick against theexpense of the double bill, Rob; but the check covered railroad fare,sleeper, meals, and hotel bills while there a week, as well as the returntrip to boot. That means they fancy my invention is going to be a bigthing for their house. And, Rob, don't you see, I had you in mind all thewhile when I wrote about fetching a companion. I want you the worst kindto accept my invitation and go to the Fair at my expense. Tell me youwill, Rob!"
The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition Page 4