CHAPTER IX.

TURNING THE TABLES ON TWO ROGUES.

“Arrested! Oh! my stars!” ejaculated Hiram, falling to trembling when he felt the hand of the tall stranger drop heavily upon his shoulder.

“Whew! this is a warm reception to California for a fact!” burst out Andy, in considerable consternation, as he dropped his bundles, and stood there staring at the two mysterious men.

Rob, too, was somewhat staggered at the abrupt accusation, though he quickly rallied his senses, and found his tongue.

“Where’s your warrant for doing this?” he demanded of the shorter man, who immediately flipped back his coat to disclose some sort of nickel badge pinned to his vest, not giving Rob enough time to make it out.

“We don’t need any warrant, being in the service of the Government,” this worthy assured him in as gruff a tone as possible.

“But who do you take us for, and what are we accused of doing?” asked Rob, continuing to keep a firm grip on his suitcase through it all, though he allowed his eyes to rove around in search of a policeman.

“Never mind about that, my boy; you will find it all out after we have arraigned you before the United States Commissioner. We’ve been watching your party for some time, and believe we’ve bagged the right birds. Now, for your sake, we don’t want to make a scene, so we’ll just lock arms with you, and pass out of the station that way to take a vehicle. If you know what’s good for you, pay no attention to any one; and if you attempt to escape, remember, we’re prepared to shoot.”

The tall man at that eagerly thrust a hand through the left arm of Hiram, who made no resistance. Rob, even in that exciting moment, noticed that he had managed to get on the side nearest the pocket where the inventor had placed his valuable papers, now snugly reposing on Rob’s person. It was very significant, to say the least; and Rob began immediately to discover what Hiram would have called “the nigger in the woodpile.”

“Come on, then, boys,” said Rob, “we’re in for it, and there’s no need of kicking up any disturbance. We’ll go before the Commissioner and prove our innocence.”

“That’s right sensible of you, young fellow!” declared the shorter man, as he took hold of Rob’s arm and escorted him along.

Other people were pushing past, but were so busy with their own affairs that they did not seem to pay any attention to the little drama being enacted on the station platform.

A minute later and Rob believed the time had come to act.

“Not that way, son; we’re meaning to take a carriage over here,” said the tall man, designating the opposite direction to that in which Rob had turned.

“Please yourselves, gentlemen,” said Rob, suddenly displaying quite a different manner. “We’ve decided that _we_ want to go out this way; and that policeman standing there has his eye on us this very minute. I think I had better call him over and ask him to get you to show your colors.”

“That’s the stuff!” said Andy, recklessly, all the pent-up indignation that had been boiling within him breaking loose.

Had a bomb fallen near them, the two men could not have shown more concern. They must have realized that their shrewd little game had been called.

“Guess we’ve made a mistake about this business, McGuire!” said the short man, hastily looking around him as though desirous of discovering a good opening for flight.

“Seems that way to me, Colonel; and we’ll say good-by to you, boys!”

“Why, they’ve gone!” cried Andy, as though he could hardly believe his eyes.

Rob had really been on the point of summoning the officer standing there; but since the rascals had chosen to run and mingle with the out-pouring crowd, and Rob did not wish to have attention called to himself and chums, he wisely held his tongue.

Hiram was laughing to himself as though it struck him in the light of a good joke.

“What ails you, Hiram?” asked Andy, not yet able to grasp the situation sufficiently to see the humorous side of it.

“I’m only wondering what they’ll say when they come to find out how they’ve been so badly sold, that’s all,” replied the inventor, again indulging in one of his laughing fits.

“Did they get it?” demanded Rob, instantly, guessing that there was a reason for all this hilarity on the part of the other chum.

“Oh! he slicked it out of my pocket the cutest way you ever saw,” replied Hiram. “I felt his hand going in, so I held my breath to give him all the chance I could; and he did it, too, sure he did!”

“Got the papers, you mean, don’t you, Hiram?” asked Rob.

“The dummy you made up for me, Rob.”

Then both the others had occasion to smile broadly.

“Hope they’ll enjoy reading those letters the boys wrote me while we were over in Europe last fall,” Rob remarked.

“I’d give a heap to see them when they find what a wonderful windfall they’ve struck to pay them for all their trouble,” said Andy.

“Well, let’s get a conveyance and start for the Alexandria without any more delay,” advised the scout leader.

“Me for a comfy bed to-night,” Hiram laughed; “better get a room with plenty of space for all of us, Rob. After this excitement to greet us on reaching California, I think it would be as well to stick together till we’ve unloaded our cargo, and have our time to ourselves.”

They were soon at the hotel. They were taken up to the fifth floor, on which were three connecting rooms.

“High enough up so we needn’t be afraid of any one climbing in at the window,” Hiram remarked, after he had first of all taken in the view, with the late moon just peeping above the mountains in the east.

“Oh! no danger of those two fellows chasing after us any longer,” laughed Andy. “They got their fill of it, and will pick out somebody besides scouts for their next victims. Who got bit, I want to know?”

As everybody laughed and seemed satisfied, it could be set down as positive that the three scouts were not feeling badly over the adventure that had marked their introduction to the Coast.

The night passed without any incident worthy of recording. Hiram declared that he never knew a single thing after his head touched the pillow; he was so much in need of a good night’s sleep that he must have dropped off instantly, to be finally aroused by hearing Rob announce it was time for breakfast.

They determined to put their valuables in the hotel safe, and spend several days in and around Los Angeles, though they would not have time to run down to San Diego and visit the other big exposition which was in full blast there.

This they did, and enjoyed every minute of the time, though they were never long in one place, so many things did they have to see.

It being Hiram’s first chance to look upon tropical vegetation, he was highly delighted with what he saw in the streets and public gardens of the bustling city.

Then they went out to visit an orange grove, and besides that, inspected numerous enterprises connected with the great fruit-growing belt around Riverside. This place the boys were ready to declare—with its groves covering the broad valley, and with the mountains, their tops snow-covered, looming up beyond—to be the most delightful town on the face of the earth.

But the boys came to the conclusion that while all these things were truly wonderful and especially delightful, they had not come out to the coast on a pleasure jaunt; and hence no further time should be spent in this way until they had accomplished the several duties that awaited their attention.

“I’ve made arrangements for seats in the parlor-car with the train leaving to-morrow morning,” Rob announced on the second evening, as they discussed supper and the many things they had seen since early morning.

“When will we get to San Francisco then?” asked Hiram.

“After dark,” Rob informed him. “It’s more than three hundred miles away, you know, for California is a big State, especially from north to south.”

“According to that, then, Rob,” continued the other, “on the day after to-morrow we ought to be taking in some of the sights of the World’s Fair.”

“That’s our programme,” admitted the leader and guide of the expedition, as he threw down his napkin, and pushed his chair away, in which he was copied a little reluctantly, perhaps, by both his companions.

“Excuse me for not asking if you were through, Hiram,” said Rob in an aside, “but honestly I was afraid Andy would founder if he ate any more. He’s developed such an enormous appetite since landing here, there’s liable to be an explosion unless we watch him pretty close.”

“He’ll eat up all your spare cash, that’s the worst of it,” complained Hiram, who was a little inclined to be close with his money as a rule; possibly because he had found a pressing need for every dollar in conducting his numerous experiments, for it costs more or less to “potter” with schemes along the line of invention.

Rob only laughed, and it was very evident that this contingency did not worry him to any great extent. He knew there were ample funds at hand for all ordinary expenses, with more coming if needed.

They were off on the morning train, and all through that day enjoyed the scenery that was spread out before them—through Santa Barbara and on up until it reached San Francisco.

That day’s journey would never be forgotten by any of the three scouts. They stored a thousand incidents away in their memories for future enjoyment.

As evening came on they knew they must be getting in the vicinity of the great city that had recovered from the horrors of the earthquake and destruction by fire with such marvelous speed as to awaken the admiration of the whole world.

“You can see the light in the sky whenever the train makes a turn,” remarked Andy to Hiram who, as usual, had his nose glued against the glass.

Taking a carriage after they had left the train they soon found themselves installed at the Fairmont Hotel, which Rob had been told to patronize by Judge Collins, because of its fine view of San Francisco Bay, and the Golden Gate, as well as possibly the glimpses to be obtained of the illuminated towers in the Exposition grounds along the shore.

It was after nine when they arrived, and of course the boys were not foolish enough to think of attempting anything until they had slept, and felt reinvigorated.

Looking from the windows of the large room they had taken, with two double beds in it, they went into raptures over the scene. The moon, though due before long, had not yet risen, and it seemed as though a million lights dazzled their eyes in every direction, and made it look like a scene from fairyland.

And so, in due time, they sought their beds, and slept so close to the Great Exposition that it would seem as though the whirr of innumerable wheels in Machinery Hall, or the murmur of the multitude of visitors roaming about the extensive grounds, must of necessity be borne aloft to the ears of the three eager lads who had come thousands of miles to view the wonders of the display.

But, at any rate, they managed to put in a restful night, and when morning routed them from their beds, they were in fine fettle to begin the first day’s sight-seeing.