L. Frank Baum (14 page)

"I don't see why one should read newspapers when the Record of Events
shows all that is going on in the world," objected Rob.

"True, true! But what do you say to the proposition?"

"I must decline, with thanks. These inventions are not for sale."

The gentleman sighed and resumed his magazine, in which he became much
absorbed.

Rob put on the Character Marking Spectacles and looked at him. The
letters "E," "W" and "C" were plainly visible upon the composed,
respectable looking brow of his companion.

"Evil, wise and cruel," reflected Rob, as he restored the spectacles to
his pocket. "How easily such a man could impose upon people. To look
at him one would think that butter wouldn't melt in his mouth!"

He decided to part company with this chance acquaintance and, rising
from his seat, strolled leisurely up the walk. A moment later, on
looking back, he discovered that the old gentleman had disappeared.

He walked down State Street to the river and back again, amused by the
activity displayed in this busy section of the city. But the time he
had allowed himself in Chicago had now expired, so he began looking
around for some high building from the roof of which he could depart
unnoticed.

This was not at all difficult, and selecting one of many stores he
ascended by an elevator to the top floor and from there mounted an iron
stairway leading to the flat roof. As he climbed this stairway he
found himself followed by a pleasant looking young man, who also seemed
desirous of viewing the city from the roof.

Annoyed at the inopportune intrusion, Rob's first thought was to go
back to the street and try another building; but, upon reflecting that
the young man was not likely to remain long and he would soon be alone,
he decided to wait. So he walked to the edge of the roof and appeared
to be interested in the scenery spread out below him.

"Fine view from here, ain't it?" said the young man, coming up to him
and placing his hand carelessly upon the boy's shoulder.

"It is, indeed," replied Rob, leaning over the edge to look into the
street.

As he spoke he felt himself gently but firmly pushed from behind and,
losing his balance, he plunged headforemost from the roof and whirled
through the intervening space toward the sidewalk far below.

Terrified though he was by the sudden disaster, the boy had still wit
enough remaining to reach out his right hand and move the indicator of
the machine upon his left wrist to the zero mark. Immediately he
paused in his fearful flight and presently came to a stop at a distance
of less than fifteen feet from the flagstones which had threatened to
crush out his life.

As he stared downward, trying to recover his self-possession, he saw
the old gentleman he had met on the Lake Front standing just below and
looking at him with a half frightened, half curious expression in his
eyes.

At once Rob saw through the whole plot to kill him and thus secure
possession of his electrical devices. The young man upon the roof who
had attempted to push him to his death was a confederate of the
innocent appearing old gentleman, it seemed, and the latter had calmly
awaited his fall to the pavement to seize the coveted treasures from
his dead body. It was an awful idea, and Rob was more frightened than
he had ever been before in his life—or ever has been since.

But now the shouts of a vast concourse of amazed spectators reached the
boy's ears. He remembered that he was suspended in mid-air over the
crowded street of a great city, while thousands of wondering eyes were
fixed upon him.

So he quickly set the indicator to the word "up," and mounted sky-ward
until the watchers below could scarcely see him. Then he fled away
into the east, even yet shuddering with the horror of his recent escape
from death and filled with disgust at the knowledge that there were
people who held human life so lightly that they were willing to destroy
it to further their own selfish ends.

"And the Demon wants such people as these to possess his electrical
devices, which are as powerful to accomplish evil when in wrong hands
as they are good!" thought the boy, resentfully. "This would be a fine
world if Electric Tubes and Records of Events and Traveling Machines
could be acquired by selfish and unprincipled persons!"

So unnerved was Rob by his recent experiences that he determined to
make no more stops. However, he alighted at nightfall in the country,
and slept upon the sweet hay in a farmer's barn.

But, early the next morning, before any one else was astir, he resumed
his journey, and at precisely ten o'clock of this day, which was
Saturday, he completed his flying trip around the world by alighting
unobserved upon the well-trimmed lawn of his own home.

When Rob opened the front door he came face to face with Nell, who gave
an exclamation of joy and threw herself into his arms.

"Oh, Rob!" she cried, "I'm so glad you've come. We have all been
dreadfully worried about you, and mother—"

"Well, what about mother?" inquired the boy, anxiously, as she paused.

"She's been very ill, Rob; and the doctor said to-day that unless we
heard from you soon he would not be able to save her life. The
uncertainty about you is killing her."

Rob stood stock still, all the eager joy of his return frozen into
horror at the thought that he had caused his dear mother so much
suffering.

"Where is she, Nell?" he asked, brokenly.

"In her room. Come; I'll take you to her."

Rob followed with beating heart, and soon was clasped close to his
mother's breast.

"Oh, my boy—my dear boy!" she murmured, and then for very joy and love
she was unable to say more, but held him tight and stroked his hair
gently and kissed him again and again.

Rob said little, except to promise that he would never again leave home
without her full consent and knowledge. But in his mind he contrasted
the love and comfort that now surrounded him with the lonely and
unnatural life he had been leading and, boy though he was in years, a
mighty resolution that would have been creditable to an experienced man
took firm root in his heart.

He was obliged to recount all his adventures to his mother and,
although he made light of the dangers he had passed through, the story
drew many sighs and shudders from her.

When luncheon time arrived he met his father, and Mr. Joslyn took
occasion to reprove his son in strong language for running away from
home and leaving them filled with anxiety as to his fate. However,
when he saw how happy and improved in health his dear wife was at her
boy's return, and when he had listened to Rob's manly confession of
error and expressions of repentance, he speedily forgave the culprit
and treated him as genially as ever.

Of course the whole story had to be repeated, his sisters listening
this time with open eyes and ears and admiring their adventurous
brother immensely. Even Mr. Joslyn could not help becoming profoundly
interested, but he took care not to show any pride he might feel in his
son's achievements.

When his father returned to his office Rob went to his own bed-chamber
and sat for a long time by the window in deep thought. When at last he
aroused himself, he found it was nearly four o'clock.

"The Demon will be here presently," he said, with a thrill of aversion,
"and I must be in the workshop to receive him."

Silently he stole to the foot of the attic stairs and then paused to
listen. The house seemed very quiet, but he could hear his mother's
voice softly humming a cradle-song that she had sung to him when he was
a baby.

He had been nervous and unsettled and a little fearful until then, but
perhaps the sound of his mother's voice gave him courage, for he boldly
ascended the stairs and entered the workshop, closing and locking the
door behind him.

Again the atmosphere quickened and pulsed with accumulating vibrations.
Again the boy found himself aroused to eager expectancy. There was a
whirl in the air; a crackling like distant musketry; a flash of
dazzling light—and the Demon stood before him for the third time.

"I give you greetings!" said he, in a voice not unkindly.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Demon," answered the boy, bowing gravely.

"I see you have returned safely from your trip," continued the
Apparition, cheerfully, "although at one time I thought you would be
unable to escape. Indeed, unless I had knocked that tube from the
rascally Turk's hand as he clambered to the top of the wall, I believe
you would have been at the Yarkand oasis yet—either dead or alive, as
chance might determine."

"Were you there?" asked Rob.

"To be sure. And I recovered the tube for you, without which you would
have been helpless. But that is the only time I saw fit to interfere
in any way."

"I'm afraid I did not get a chance to give many hints to inventors or
scientists," said Rob.

"True, and I have deeply regretted it," replied the Demon. "But your
unusual powers caused more astonishment and consternation than you,
perhaps, imagined; for many saw you whom you were too busy to notice.
As a result several able electricians are now thinking new thoughts
along new lines, and some of them may soon give these or similar
inventions to the world."

"You are satisfied, then?" asked Rob.

"As to that," returned the Demon, composedly, "I am not. But I have
hopes that with the addition of the three marvelous devices I shall
present you with to-day you will succeed in arousing so much popular
interest in electrical inventions as to render me wholly satisfied with
the result of this experiment."

Rob regarded the brilliant apparition with a solemn face, but made no
answer.

"No living person," continued the Demon, "has ever before been favored
with such comforting devices for the preservation and extension of
human life as yourself. You seem quite unappreciative, it is true; but
since our connection I have come to realize that you are but an
ordinary boy, with many boyish limitations; so I do not condemn your
foolish actions too harshly."

"That is kind of you," said Rob.

"To prove my friendliness," pursued the Demon, "I have brought, as the
first of to-day's offerings this Electro-Magnetic Restorer. You see it
is shaped like a thin metal band, and is to be worn upon the brow,
clasping at the back of the head. Its virtues surpass those of either
the fabulous 'Fountain of Youth,' or the 'Elixir of Life,' so vainly
sought for in past ages. For its wearer will instantly become free
from any bodily disease or pain and will enjoy perfect health and
vigor. In truth, so great are its powers that even the dead may be
restored to life, provided the blood has not yet chilled. In
presenting you with this appliance, I feel I am bestowing upon you the
greatest blessing and most longed-for boon ever bequeathed of suffering
humanity."

Here he held the slender, dull-colored metallic band toward the boy.

"Keep it," said Rob.

The Demon started, and gave him an odd look.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I told you to keep it," answered Rob. "I don't want it."

The Demon staggered back as if he had been struck.

"Don't want it!" he gasped.

"No; I've had enough of your infernal inventions!" cried the boy, with
sudden anger.

He unclasped the traveling machine from his wrist and laid it on the
table beside the Demon.

"There's the thing that's responsible for most of my troubles," said
he, bitterly. "What right has one person to fly through the air while
all his fellow-creatures crawl over the earth's surface? And why
should I be cut off from all the rest of the world because you have
given me this confounded traveling machine? I didn't ask for it, and I
won't keep it a moment longer. Give it to some one you hate more than
you do me!"

The Demon stared aghast and turned his glittering eyes wonderingly from
Rob to the traveling machine and back again, as if to be sure he had
heard and seen aright.

"And here are your food tablets," continued the boy, placing the box
upon the table. "I've only enjoyed one square meal since you gave them
to me. They're all right to preserve life, of course, and answer the
purpose for which they were made; but I don't believe nature ever
intended us to exist upon such things, or we wouldn't have the sense of
taste, which enables us to enjoy natural food. As long as I'm a human
being I'm going to eat like a human being, so I've consumed my last
Electrical Concentrated Food Tablet—and don't you forget it!"

The Demon sank into a chair, nerveless and limp, but still staring
fearfully at the boy.

"And there's another of your unnatural devices," said Rob, putting the
Automatic Record of Events upon the table beside the other things.
"What right have you to capture vibrations that radiate from private
and secret actions and discover them to others who have no business to
know them? This would be a fine world if every body could peep into
every one else's affairs, wouldn't it? And here is your Character
Marker. Nice thing for a decent person to own, isn't it? Any one who
would take advantage of such a sneaking invention as that would be
worse than a thief! Oh, I've used them, of course, and I ought to be
spanked for having been so mean and underhanded; but I'll never be
guilty of looking through them again."

The Demon's face was frowning and indignant. He made a motion to rise,
but thought better of it and sank back in his chair.

"As for the Garment of Protection," resumed the boy, after a pause,
"I've worn it for the last time, and here it is, at your service. I'll
put the Electric Tube with it. Not that these are such very bad things
in themselves, but I'll have none of your magical contrivances. I'll
say this, however: if all armies were equipped with Electrical Tubes
instead of guns and swords the world would be spared a lot of misery
and unnecessary bloodshed. Perhaps in time; but that time hasn't
arrived yet."