Elsie at the World's Fair

by Martha Finley

  CHAPTER VII.

  Captain Raymond was not gone very long, and on his return found the otherssitting quietly listening to the music of the German band. But they wereready to go at his invitation and test the excellence of the fare to beobtained at the Woman's Building.

  "There are _cafes_ at each end of the roof covered with Oriental awnings,"he said, "and surely we may expect as good fare at a woman's establishmentas anywhere else."

  "I think we certainly should," said Rosie in a sprightly tone; "and theremust be a lovely view or views from that roof and the loggias."

  "Doubtless," returned the captain, "and though we visited all the lowerapartments of the building the other day, we did not go up to the roof; sothat a visit to it will have for us the charm of novelty."

  "Yes," said Grandma Elsie; "let us go by boat up the lagoon. Gracie looksas if she needed a rest from walking, and I confess I should not object toit myself."

  The words had scarcely left her lips before Harold had signalled a boat,and the whole party was presently seated in it.

  A short but delightful row brought them to the landing in front of theWoman's Building, and climbing the stone stairway that led up to theterrace, they passed through the triple-arched colonnade that led into theinterior of the building, nor paused till they had reached one of the_cafes_, where they might rest and also satisfy their appetites with thegood things abundantly provided.

  Those important matters duly attended to, some minutes were given to theenjoyment of the fine views to be obtained from the loggias, and lookingat the statues of Miss Rideout, representing Sacrifice, Charity, Virtue,and Wisdom. They then spent a short time over the exhibit in the lowerpart of the building; and there Captain Raymond and Lucilla met with apleasant surprise in coming suddenly and unexpectedly upon Mr. Austin andhis son Albert, the English gentleman whose acquaintance they had made intheir visit to Minersville some years before.

  The pleasure was evidently mutual; very hearty greetings were exchanged,then Captain Raymond introduced his accompanying friends, and Mr. Austin adaughter who was with him.

  A few moments were spent in conversation, in the course of which aninvitation was extended to the Austins to take supper upon the yacht thatevening, and they parted for a time; the Austins having an engagement tomeet some friends in the meanwhile in another part of the Fair.

  "Shall we go now to the Electrical Building?" asked Captain Raymond,addressing his party, and receiving a hearty assent from all, he led theway.

  They found much in the building to greatly interest them; great electriclenses used in lighthouses, the Edison electric column--covered with fivethousand electric globes--and many other wonderful things; a beautifulscene in the daytime, but far more gorgeous at night, as they readilyperceived that it would be; so they decided to pay a second visit afterthe lighting up that evening. Still their present visit was so prolongedthat on leaving they found it time to return to the yacht. They met theAustins again at the Peristyle, and took them on board in the first boatload.

  The guests were numerous, including all the cousins from Pleasant Plains,and the three young gentlemen friends--Chester and Frank Dinsmore and WillCroly. The meal to which they presently sat down, though Captain Raymondhad called it supper, was an excellent dinner of several courses, andenlivened by pleasant chat, proved most enjoyable to the entire company.

  At its conclusion they adjourned to the deck. A pleasant air was stirring,the sun drawing near his setting, the western sky glowing with brillianthues, while the sounds of life on water and land came softly to the ear.

  The young people formed one group, the older ones another, conversingamong themselves, mostly in rather subdued tones.

  "You have hardly been in America ever since I saw you last?" Lucilla saidenquiringly, addressing Albert Austin.

  "Oh, no; we went home shortly upon bidding you good-by after our briefacquaintance in Minersville," he replied; adding, "And I presume you hadvery nearly forgotten us?"

  "No," she said; "we have spoken of you occasionally,--papa, Max, andI,--and I recognized your father the moment I saw him to-day; you also,though I am not sure that I should have done so had you been alone; for ofcourse you have changed much more than he has."

  "Not more than you have, Miss Raymond," he returned with a look ofundisguised admiration; "yet I knew you instantly, though I saw you beforeI perceived that the captain made one of the company you were in."

  "Indeed!" she said with a merry little laugh. "I am afraid I hoped I hadgrown and improved more than that would seem to imply."

  "But you are still as proud as ever of being an American, and as proud ofyour Stripes and Stars?" he remarked enquiringly and with an amused smile.

  "Yes, most emphatically, yes," she replied, lifting her eyes to the flagfloating overhead, "I still think it the most beautiful banner ever flungto the breeze."

  "And I suppose--from its constant display here, there, andeverywhere--that that must be the idea of Americans in general," remarkedMiss Austin in a slightly sneering tone. "I must say I have--naturally, Isuppose,--a far greater admiration for England's flag, yet I should notwant to see it so ostentatiously displayed on all occasions as yours is."

  Lucilla colored, but was silent, fearing she might speak too warmly indefence of her favorite banner should she attempt a reply; but Chestertook it up.

  "Miss Austin must remember," he said, speaking in calm, polite tones,"that ours is a very large country, to which immigrants from other landsare constantly flocking; and they, as well as the ignorant amongourselves, need to have constantly kept before them the fact that we,though spread over so many States, form but one nation; for otherwise ourUnion could not be maintained; we must continually impress upon all ourpeople that this one glorious nation is never to be separated into parts;and the flag is the emblem of our Union; a symbol that is unmistakable;and so it is displayed as the chief glory of our nation; and therefore welove it and cannot see too much of it."

  Even as he spoke the sun neared the horizon, all on the _Dolphin's_ deckrose to their feet, and as he sank out of sight, the firing of a gun fromthe _Illinois_ announcing the fact, saluted the flag as, at the samemoment, it came fluttering down from its lofty perch.

  "Thank you, for your explanation, Mr. Dinsmore," Miss Austin saidpleasantly, as they resumed their seats; "it has given me an entirely newview of the matter, so that I now think you Americans are quite right inyour devotion to your flag, and your constant display of it. And thisFair," she went on, "is wonderful--the White City a perfect fairyland;especially at night, with its blaze of electrical lights and its manycolored electric fountains."

  "So we all think," said Harold Travilla. "Have you been in the ElectricBuilding yet?"

  "Not yet," she replied, and her brother added: "But we intend going. Theevening is the best time for a sight of its wonders, I presume?"

  "Yes; we have planned to go to-night, and would be glad to have youaccompany us."

  The invitation, overheard by the older people and cordially endorsed bythe captain, was promptly accepted by the three Austins, and as the shadesof evening began to fall, all but the little ones, already in their nests,returned to the shore and were presently in the Electrical Building,enjoying to the full its magical splendor.

  Croly was devoting himself to Rosie Travilla, Frank Dinsmore endeavoringto make himself useful and entertaining to Grace Raymond and EvelynLeland, while his brother and Percy Landreth, Jr., vied with each otherand Albert Austin in attentions to Lucilla, leaving Miss Austin to thecharge of Harold and Herbert, who were careful to make sure that sheshould have no cause to feel herself neglected.

  They spent some time in viewing the marvels of the Electric Building,finding the lights giving it a truly magical splendor not perceptible byday. It seemed full of enchantment, a veritable hall of marvels; they weredelighted and fascinated with the glories of the displays, and lingeredthere longer than they had intended.

  On passing out, the party broke up, the Austins bi
dding good-by and goingin one direction, Croly carrying off Rosie in another, the Pleasant Plainspeople vanishing in still another.

  "Will you take a boat ride with me, Lucilla?" asked Chester in a ratherlow aside.

  "If the rest are going," she returned laughingly. "I'm such a baby that Icling to my father and don't want to go anywhere without him."

  "You mean the captain does not allow it?" Chester said enquiringly, andwith a look of slight vexation.

  "Oh," she laughed, "I'm not apt to ask for what I don't want, and I neverwant to be without papa's companionship."

  "Humph! I had really labored under the delusion that you were grown up."

  "Does that mean, ready to dispense with my father's society? In that caseI don't mean ever to be grown up," she returned with spirit.

  "Well, really!" laughed Chester, "if I am not mistaken, my sistersconsidered themselves about grown up, and altogether their own mistresseswhen they were no older than you are now; though, to be sure, I don'tprofess to know your age exactly."

  "You may look at the record in the family Bible the next time you visitWoodburn, if you care to," Lucilla said, with a careless little toss ofher head. "Yon will find the date of my birth there in papa's handwriting,from which your knowledge of arithmetic will enable you to compute mypresent age."

  "Thank you," he said, laughing, but with a look of slight embarrassment,"I am entirely satisfied with the amount of knowledge I already possess onthat subject."

  "Ah, what subject is that upon which you are so well informed, Chester?"queried Captain Raymond pleasantly, overhearing the last remark, andturning toward the young couple.

  "Your daughter's age, sir. I invited her to take a ride with me upon thelagoon, in one of those electrical launches; but find she is but a youngthing and cannot leave her father."

  "Ah?" laughed the captain, "then suppose we all go together."

  "Willingly, sir, if that will suit her better," answered Chester, turningenquiringly to Lucilla.

  "I think nothing could be pleasanter," she said, and the others being oflike opinion, they were presently gliding over the waters of the lagoonintensely enjoying the swift easy movement and the fairylike scenesthrough which they were passing.