GOING INTO THE CARS OF THE FERRIS WHEEL.
“Say,” Harry cried out suddenly, pointing southward, “there’s something that looks as if it would be good fun.”
Philip and Mr. Douglass turned, and saw what looked like an old-fashioned “double-ripper”—a sleigh shooting down and up a long toboggan-slide. As they had no objection to trying it “for the fun of the thing,” they went over and bought tickets for ten cents, entitling them to seats in the sled.
FROM THE FERRIS WHEEL—LOOKING EAST.
Once or twice it dashed past them; then it came to a halt, and they all scrambled in, taking their places in the seats, which held three apiece. Then a gong rang, and they were off! Starting slowly, the sledge gradually increased its speed until it met an incline, up which it went more slowly, and would have stopped except that a cable gripped it and hauled it to the top of the hill. Then, again released, the sledge sped down with great rapidity, but was checked by a curve around which it whirled “like all possessed,” as a fidgety old lady exclaimed; and indeed the passengers clung tightly to the sides. Around they went again and again, repeating the same experiences until the fourth time, when the car was stopped.
One man, who sat next to Philip, said: “Where you from?”
“New York,” Philip answered.
“I from St. Louis!” said the man triumphantly, evidently meaning to call attention to the wonderful fact that the world was small, after all. As they rounded the bend for the third time, the German said: