“So it does,” answered Harry. “Great thing to know Latin. But fire away. I can see there is more in this Fair than a whole brigade of boys can see. Let’s hear what you did.”
“I took the railway, climbing a lot of steps, and we started. They had signs to tell one where to go, but I couldn’t read them very well, and so I went whizzing along without altogether understanding where I was. The stations they called out meant nothing to me, and I had an idea it took a good while to get across the grounds; and—to make it short—I was looking at the view, first one side, toward the hotels, and then the other, toward the Fair Buildings, and I didn’t wake up to my position till the conductor said, ‘Going round again, young man?’ So I got off, for there I was at the same station I got on at. You see, the conductor had noticed me because I sat near where he stood.”
GENERAL VIEW OF THE COURT OF HONOR, LOOKING TOWARD THE LAKE.
Electricity Building. Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. Peristyle. Agricultural Building. Machinery Hall.
“That’s a good one on you!”
“I know it. But I didn’t like to start over again, so I came down the steps and walked over across the Court of Honor, along by the Agricultural Building, till I came to the caravels and the convent. I saw those, but so did you. I went next to the Krupp gun exhibit by the lake. That gun was enormous! I believe all the gunners could get inside when it rained. They had a printed label on it, and at first I read it: ‘Please set off the gun’; but I knew that wasn’t likely, so I went nearer, and found it said ‘keep’ instead of ‘set.’ Oh, by the way, just before I went in there, I stopped in the doorway and saw some men diving from a tremendous height, out in the lake,—a much higher tower than the one they dived from on the fête night. I also saw in the Krupp building a pretty little model of the house the great gunmaker lived in when he began.”
“What was it like?” asked Harry.
“Oh, just a little square thatched house; but you could see the tiny furniture through the windows. I didn’t stay long there, for they were sprinkling the floor, and it was sloppy.
“Next I went into the Leather Exhibit Building; but there were mostly shoes and things there, and I didn’t see very much I cared about, except some buckskin suits labeled ‘indestructible.’ I would have liked one of those, except that it was trimmed with silver lace.”
“A little gaudy for you,” said Harry.