CHAPTER XVIII
Packing for Home — A Glimpse of Niagara — Philip tells his Adventure — Foiling a Clever Swindler — A Convincing Exposure.
They packed up that same afternoon, after considerable trouble in finding room for the knickknacks they had picked out, and took a carriage to the station. They found no signs to direct them, and had to inquire several times to make sure which was the track upon which they might expect the train for New York. When they thought they were certain of this, they saw a train come in on schedule time and on the proper track. But, to their surprise, a man called out, “Illinois Central train for Cairo and St. Louis!” which threw the crowd into an uncertainty anything but pleasant. Missing a local suburban train is troublesome enough; but missing a train that is going one third across a continent is a disaster.
To their great relief, the obliging colored porters very promptly corrected the stupid error, and they found themselves safely upon the train for New York.
Their journey was a repetition of their trip out, except that this time they stopped to see the Falls of Niagara, viewing them, as young Phinney had done, from above the falls.
“It’s a pity to see them from a distance only,” said Mr. Douglass. “I should like to stay awhile.”
“They are well worth going over carefully,” said Harry, thoughtfully; and Philip looked at him inquiringly.
During the second day on the train, Mr. Douglass was talking to the boys as to their experiences at the Fair; and then Philip’s little adventure, before referred to, came out. As he told the story it ran something like this:
That day when I was taking photographs in the Plaisance, I went into the Cairo Street a second time. I wanted, if possible, to get a picture of the little boy who leads the camels. They stopped me at the door, and while explaining that I had been permitted to take photographs there, I put my camera for a few moments on a camp-chair.