Rob said, soberly, "a flaw may develop in some part of his machine, just where it counts the most; and then-well, it will be his finish."
"That depends," remarked Hiram, quietly.
"On how high he happens to be at the time, you mean?" asked Andy. "Oh!
just a few hundred feet will be enough to put him out of business for keeps."
"Not if he is a wise man, and has a patent Nelson self-acting parachute fastened to him all the time!" declared the other, proudly. "It"ll open and allow him to drift slowly down, like you see hot-air balloon performers come to the earth after they"ve cut loose above."
"Good for you, Hiram!" exclaimed Tubby; "I reckon folks have got to sit up and take notice, now that you"ve come to town! Young blood will tell every time. Oh, but I"m glad I met my chums! It was getting mighty lonesome for me, in a crowd all the time, but with not a solitary fellow to speak to. And Hiram, I"m glad you coaxed us to come over here. I"m getting interested in flying; p"r"aps if I cut down my feed, and knock off a hundred or so pounds I might have a show in this business yet."
As they did not know whether Tubby was joking or really meant it, no one laughed at his strange remark; for they did not want to hurt his feelings. But when they glanced from the corners of their eyes at his girth the absurdity of his hope was manifest. Perhaps they may even have remembered a remark once made by Joe Digby to the effect that Tubby would have to have an extra big pair of wings given to him if ever he became an angel.
"There"s another exhibition pilot going to start up, boys," said Hiram just then. "Suppose we walk over closer, and you can watch me lend a hand to shove him off on a good start."
"That"s right, let"s get closer and see how things are done," added Tubby, as he bent over, and, picking up a stick of clear pine that had caught his eye, he took out his penknife and commenced to whittle away just as though he might be the representative Yankee of fiction.
But whittling had always been a favorite occupation with Tubby; somehow it seemed to soothe him and cause his thoughts to flow more smoothly. He never could resist an extra fine bit of wood, though besides shavings he had never been known to produce any especial result from the use of his keen-edged knife-blade.
There were quite a number of people around, and they seemed to be more or less interested in the claims made by the representatives of the different aeroplanes that were being displayed, and in the practical demonstrations.
Tubby listened with rapt attention as some of the men talked, explaining what improvements had been made in the working construction of the machine just then about to be put to the test.
Hiram was doubtless dreaming of the hour of his triumph when one of these aeroplanes would be equipped with his wonderful stabilizer, and he might stand there listening to the fulsome praise of the Golden Gate Company"s demonstrator, before a practical test was made, to show how impossible it would be for a flying machine that carried such a life-saving device to be upset by flaws of wind, or the sudden movements of the pilot.
When all was ready for the flight, Hiram was one of those who laid hands on the aeroplane with the intention of running a score or two of feet, so as to a.s.sist in the start. Unnoticed by Rob, Tubby, too, had copied Hiram"s example, urged on by some irresistible impulse approaching madness, perhaps.
When the word was given, and with propeller whirling, the aeroplane started along on its bicycle wheels, with a dozen pushers to a.s.sist, there was Tubby in the midst.
Suddenly there arose a series of shouts of alarm.
All of the other willing helpers had dropped off, only Tubby was sprinting furiously after the aeroplane, which was b.u.mping along over the ground with ever increasing momentum. Rob felt a thrill of real alarm when he believed he saw that the left arm of the stout boy was drawn out, as though in some unfortunate way it had become caught in a trailing cord, so that he was compelled to keep on, no matter how much he wanted to break away!
CHAPTER XVI.
THE ILLUMINATED FAIRYLAND.
"Oh! Tubby!" Andy was heard to cry out above the clamor.
It was all over in a few seconds. Rob believed he saw the fat boy manage to get his other hand out; and it flashed through the scout leader"s mind that the last he had noticed Tubby was gripping his open knife in that hand.
They saw the stout boy roll over and over like a big rubber ball. At the same time it became evident that the shouts of sudden alarm and horror bursting forth from the crowd must have warned the aviator that something was wrong, for he instantly shut off the power, and the monoplane was now slowing up instead of increasing its speed over the level ground.
Rob, Andy and Hiram joined in the forward rush, everybody fearing the worst with regard to poor Tubby. But when they arrived on the spot they were more than pleased to see him calmly brushing off his clothes.
"Did you get hurt, Tubby?" demanded Andy, anxiously.
"Never a bit," replied the grinning Tubby. "That"s the good of being encased in fat, you see. If it had been you, Andy, you would have gotten a broken rib, or something like that. Oh! thank you for my hat, mister.
Did anybody see my knife; it slipped out of my hand just as I cut the cord that was holdin" me to the machine?"
"Good for you, Tubby, if you had the presence of mind to do that!" cried Hiram.
"And here"s your knife, my boy," said an air-pilot, advancing. "You had a narrow escape, and if I were you I would let it be the last time I ever tried to run with a machine. If you had fallen over you might have been dragged and killed."
"Not by that cord, I should think, mister," declared Tubby, holding up the piece that still dangled from his left arm, where a loop had accidentally become fast. "It would have broke short on me; but all the same I"m through trying games like that. I"m not built for it, I guess."
They were pushing the monoplane back for another start. The aviator stopped to survey Tubby from head to foot.
"So, it was you holding me back, was it? Didn"t get hurt any, I hope? But looky here, young fellow, when I want an _anchor_ I"ll get a real one, and not just a tub of jelly; understand that, do you?"
It was pretty rough on Tubby, for the crowd laughed uproariously, but he disarmed the anger of the air-pilot by joining in the mirth.
"I meant all right, mister," he told the aviator, "and it would have been easy only for that cord that was hanging out. It got caught around my arm, and I couldn"t break away. Thank you for letting me off so easy."
After that the boys walked away. It had threatened to be a serious matter at the time, but now that everything was over Andy and Hiram were secretly exchanging nods, and chuckling over the remembrance of their fat chum sprinting after the swift monoplane, going faster no doubt than he had ever done before in all his life.
"I see the finish of the rest of the boys in Hampton when the foot races are on next fall," Andy complained, in what he meant to be a serious tone, "if you take to doing your practicing that way, Tubby."
"Yes," added Hiram, "when it comes to the point that Tubby can keep along with a racing aeroplane, or a speeding motorcar, the rest of us might as well throw up the sponge and quit. He"d make circles around us like Rob"s boat the _Tramp_ could with the old _Sea Gull_."
"Make your minds easy, boys," Tubby told them pleasantly. "I"m going out of training. Once is enough for me. You can have the field to yourself, Hiram; only if I were you I"d quit that running business. An inventor has no right to take chances; and what"s happened once may happen again."
"Well, now, I never thought of that, Tubby," admitted the other, shaking his head seriously. "Just as you say, an inventor has no right to expose himself like an ordinary person. No telling what he might not think up some day for the uplift of the civilized world. He sorter belongs to science, don"t he? Yep, I"ll stop chasing after aeroplanes; but of course I"ll have to go up once in a while in order to keep in touch with things."
"We"re about ready to start for the hotel, Hiram," announced Rob; "and if you"ve decided not to introduce yourself to the Golden Gate people to-day, you might just as well come back with us."
Hiram sighed, and allowed his glance to rove over to where the crowd still gathered around the demonstration station.
"I s"pose I"d better," he replied with an effort. "I don"t want to be greedy, and overdo things; but it"s giving me a jolt to have to break away from here. How about you, Tubby; coming along and have dinner with us to-night?"
"Of course he is," said Rob immediately. "To-morrow he must change hotels, so he can be one of our party."
"Why, you took the words right out of my mouth, Rob," declared Andy.
"That makes it unanimous," added Hiram, vigorously; "so you see there"s no way for you to back fire, and break away from your moorings from the same old crowd, Tubby."
Tubby smiled, and looked pleased.
"It"s nice to know you"re appreciated, let me tell you, boys," he observed. "I"ll be only too glad to join you at dinner. Yes, and in the morning I"ll pack my grip so as to change base. I can leave a letter for Uncle Mark that he"ll get as soon as he comes back from Oregon."
So that much was settled, and somehow all of them seemed to feel pleased over the addition to their ranks. Tubby Hopkins was always like a breath of Spring and a welcome guest at every camp fire. Gloom and Tubby never agreed; in fact he radiated good cheer as the sun does light and heat.
"What"s the use of going to the city, and eating an ordinary dinner at some hotel or restaurant, when we can get such a corking fine spread at the place where we had our lunch?" asked Andy.
"Well, there"s a whole lot of sense in that," admitted Rob. "We can sit around and get rested, then go to our dinner before the evening rush starts in; and by the time we"re through, the illumination of the Exposition will have gotten fully under way. And that"s a sight we"re wanting to see, you know."
Hiram fell in with the idea at once, and Tubby declared it suited him perfectly. So once more they headed toward that section of the Zone where the giant Aeroscope lifted up its cage of sight-seers hundreds of feet every few minutes, for the eating-place had been close to this spot.