CHAPTER XIII--UNEXPECTED VICISSITUDES OF TRAVEL
The visit in Naples extended itself into a week, as the girls needed toreplenish their wardrobes after the earthquake, and Mr. Alexanderthought it best to have a new spring for the car ordered to replace theone that had received such a strain in the ditch.
A new schedule had been studied, and the route outlined a few weeksbefore, was revised. Mr. Fabian said it would be best to go to Brindisiand from there cross the Ionian Sea and visit Athens, as long as theywere so near. Then, from Athens, they could go to Pompeii and otherfamous places, and finally take a steamer back to Genoa.
"I'll have to crate the cars, then, and ship them across country to waitfor us at Genoa," said Mr. Alexander.
"Let the men at the garage attend to it for you. We will be away about aweek, or so, and by that time the cars will have been delivered atGenoa," said Dodo.
"I should think it would save time and costs to send a chauffeur witheach car, to leave them with a garage at Genoa," suggested Mr. Fabian,so his idea was acted upon.
Everything was packed and the ladies were in the cars ready to start,when Mr. Fabian turned to look for Mr. Alexander. He was not there.
"Did anyone see him during the last ten minutes?" asked he.
"No, he carried my suit-case downstairs fifteen minutes ago, but he didnot come back," said Mrs. Alexander.
Mr. Fabian went to the hotel office again, and inquired of the clerkwhether he had seen Mr. Alexander.
He had not been seen, nor had he left any message at the desk. "Well,then, I'll have him paged, as we are ready to start," said Mr. Fabian.
But the boys came back without any news of the missing man. Everyone gotout of the cars again and started in different directions in search oftheir necessary "chauffeur." By-standers were asked but no informationwas gained of the man they all were seeking.
"Dear me, if that isn't just like Ebeneezer!" complained Mrs. Alexander,powdering her nose while she awaited results.
"I don't see anything else to do, except to carry our luggage back tothe hotel and postpone our trip until tomorrow," said Mr. Fabian.
"Don't worry, Pa'll come along soon and wonder why we worried over hisdelay. He's sure to give a splendid reason for this absence," said Dodo.
A few moments after she had spoken, little Mr. Alexander was seenrunning at top speed along the street. His hat was in his hand and hewas mopping his perspiring brow with a large silk handkerchief.
"Eben, what made you leave us? Didn't you _know_ we were ready tostart?" complained his wife, the moment she saw him.
"Yeh, but I couldn't help it, Maggie. Just as I got your duds to thecar, I stepped on a little dog. He yelped so I had to see what ailedhim, and that's how I saw the child what owned the animal.
"If the little shaver hadn't yelled as hard as the dog, I wouldn't havegone wid him. But I had to quiet the boy, and the dog limped so I had tocarry that. The boy lived a long way down a side street, and thenthrough an alley. But when I got to his home, the dog could jump aboutand bark, so he is all right again."
"Good gracious, Pa, did you waste all this time on carrying a mongrelhome?" laughed Dodo.
"Um, not all the time!" admitted Mr. Alexander. "When I saw that boy'shome and his sick mother in bed, I hunted up a woman in the house andmade her go out for some things to eat. It seems they ain't had anymoney and so went hungry until she could work. I told the woman--but Ireckon she didn't understand me--that she could thank the dog for thefood and help she got from me. Then I had to hurry back here."
The tourists were on the vessel before Mrs. Alexander stopped naggingher spouse and allowed him to enjoy the sail across the Ionian Sea. Itwas a beautiful trip for the others in the party; they saw the blue skyreflected in the bluer water, inhaled the perfume of thousands offlowers blossoming riotously on the land and wafted by the balmy breezesacross the Sea, and they wondered if it were really true that but a fewdays before, they were rushing frantically from an earthquake in Rome!The present peace and calm were so different an experience--almost as ifthey were in another world.
The first sight of Athens, from the sea, was very impressive to thegirls; they could see, upon the prominences that seemed to embrace theancient city, the wonderful historic ruins so carefully preserved there.Mr. Fabian pointed out the Acropolis, the Temple of Heph[ae]stus, thePropyl[ae]a, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Parthenon, and other notedarchitectural antiquities.
Several days were spent in Athens, visiting its vast wealth of pastages, then Mr. Fabian arranged to proceed, with his friends, to Pompeii,with its lure of restored ruins that had been buried for centuries.
From the scenes of Pompeii, they visited the Island of Ischia and itswilderness of vineyards; then they went on to Capri with itsincomparable riot of color and natural beauties.
"I don't see anything to keep us down here more than a day, or so, doyou-all?" asked Mrs. Alexander, bored to distraction without theexcitement of cities, or the speeding in her car.
"Oh Ma! we never saw anything so wonderful as these places, so don'trush us away the moment we get here," cried Dodo.
"But, Dodo, what is there here to see but a lot of wild greens, and poorpeople dressed in shawls and petticoats?" complained Mrs. Alexander.
"I ain't saying a word, Ma, even if I can't see all the fine things theothers seem to enjoy," remarked Mr. Alexander. "But it _must_ be here,somewhere, so I'm hunting for it with might and main."
His wife merely turned up her educated nose at his words, but refused toanswer his earnest request for further time in which to find the hiddensecret of his friends' pleasure.
Having seen all that was possible of the beautiful Islands of oldentimes, the tourists boarded a steamer and sailed past Messina andCorsica, up through the Gulf of Genoa, to the City of Genoa where thetwo cars were awaiting them.
"My! I never was so glad to see a car in all my life!" sighed Mrs.Alexander, eagerly examining her roadster to see if it was in goodcondition for the continuation of the tour.
"From Genoa we can travel along the Coast of the Mediterranean and enjoythe drive to the utmost, for we still have plenty of time to completeour tour back to Paris, and meet Ashby when he plans to be there," saidMr. Fabian, as they got into the two autos and prepared to start.
The touring car led the way, Mrs. Alexander following, with Mrs. Fabianseated beside her. Perhaps that lady might not have felt quite sofearless with the chauffeur, if Mr. Fabian had not said that the roadwas splendid and that there were no dangerous places for Mrs. Alexanderto run into.
They went through Savona, San Remo, and stopped at Monte Carlo to visitthe place and see the famous gambling house.
"Ebeneezer, don't you go to that wicked house to play!" exclaimed Mrs.Alexander, after they had refreshed themselves at the hotel and wereready to walk about and see Monte Carlo.
"I woulden' _think_ of doing such a thing, Maggie, with all these younggirls to set an example for," returned the little man, with a serioustone.
"I don't want to go in there, at all," declared Polly.
"It won't hurt anyone to see it, Polly; they say it is one of the mostgorgeous places in the world. The decorations and architecture aremarvellous," added Eleanor.
"Well, but don't let us go near the gaming-tables," Polly said,grudgingly.
"Oh, no, not one on us would think of such a thing!" said Mr. Alexander,but he watched an opportunity to make sure that a roll of money hecarried in his pocket, was still there.
They had done the outside of the place, admiring the beautiful parks andthe buildings, and then they thought they would have a peep inside, atthe halls and various rooms of the famous house.
"Where's Ebeneezer?" suddenly asked Mrs. Alexander, as she trailed theothers into the Grand Reception Room.
"Why--he was here but a moment ago!" replied Mr. Fabian, glancing aroundfor the missing man.
"Didn't I tell you what a care he was? I always have to keep him on aleash when I want him to go, somewhere,
with me. This is the same trickhe played on us at Brindisi--and almost made us miss the boat,"complained the lady.
"He didn't make _us_ miss it, Ma, but he 'most missed it himself,"laughed Dodo.
"But he did a fine deed for a poor human, which goes to exonerate himfor being so late. Maybe he is helping someone, now," remarked Mrs.Fabian, who was sincerely proud of the little man's depth of character,even though he had never had the polish and opportunities given othermen.
"That's what you-all think!" snapped Mrs. Alexander. "I bet you'll findhim in the blackest gambling den of all this awful place."
"Ma, you wait right where you are, and Mr. Fabian and I will find thatawful place and tell you if Pa is there," said Dodo with a sternexpression.
"What! Let you go in such a place? No indeed! I'll go with Mr. Fabianmyself if _anyone_ has to go," declared Mrs. Alexander.
"I don't want you to; you always nag at Pa and if you start in in acrowd, I know just what he'll do. It is better for me to go with Mr.Fabian,--but I don't believe he's there!" declared Dodo.
"Perhaps Dodo is right, Mrs. Alexander. Let us go while you remainquietly here with the others," said Mr. Fabian.
So they hurried away, while the girls and the ladies walked about, orsat down to watch the lovely scene in the Park. The two had been goneabout ten minutes, when Mr. Alexander was seen coming towards the groupon the bench, but he was not alone. A very pretty girl of about sixteenyears was with him. Dodo and Mr. Fabian were nowhere in sight.
"Hello there, Maggie," called out Mr. Alexander, genially, as he camewithin speaking distance of his wife. "I brought a 'Merican girl toyou-all, to take care of her as far as Nice. She thought she was lost,but I soon showed her she was safe with us, until we landed her with herfolks."
Everyone gazed at the well-dressed pretty girl in surprise. It wasevident from her red eyes that she had been crying a short time before.But Mr. Alexander said no more about the incident at the moment, merelyintroducing his companion as Genevieve Van Buren, of New York City.
"Where's Dodo?" asked Mr. Alexander, suddenly missing his daughter whenhe wished to introduce her to the newcomer.
"She went with my husband," hastily replied Mrs. Fabian. "They'll beback in a few minutes. We are waiting for them, now."
"Ebeneezer, where did you meet Miss Van Buren?" questioned his wife,suspiciously.
"Oh, just outside that door, where we all went, last," returned thelittle man, indefinitely.
Mr. Fabian and Dodo were now seen coming out of the large building, andMr. Alexander glanced from them to his wife, with a knowing twinkle inhis eyes. Before anyone could say a word to Dodo, he spoke: "Well, soyou've been wastin' all _your_ savings, too, eh?"
"Oh no! Mr. Fabian and I just wanted to see what the place looked like.It is the most gorgeous hall I ever saw, and Mr. Fabian says it is wellworth seeing. Why don't you come and have a look at it, Polly?" repliedDodo.
When she was introduced to the strange girl, Dodo wondered how she cameto join their party but she said nothing. At last, Polly consented to goand take a peep at the interior of the palace, but Miss Van Burenpreferred to remain on the bench with Mr. Fabian, while Mr. Alexanderescorted the ladies.
"That homely little man is wonderful, isn't he?" asked Miss Van Buren,in a humble little voice, when Mr. Fabian and she were quite alone.
"We think so. In fact, we like him so well that we fail to notice anyshortcomings."
"I feel that I must tell someone what he did for me, a few moments ago,although he was a total stranger," continued the girl, her chinquivering.
"Were you both in the gambling hall?" was all Mr. Fabian asked.
"No, but I had been there last night, and lost all my money in gambling.Then I borrowed some cash, from a woman, on my jewels, and lost thatmoney, too. I never played before, and it was so terribly exciting thatI put aside every other thought but winning.
"The woman who had given me the money, had been very nice to me, whenshe met me at the hotel; she it was who invited me to go with her tovisit the palace, just for fun. But it ended as such visits generallydo," the girl's lovely blue eyes filled with tears and she dabbed atthem, hurriedly.
"I was desperate, and wondered how I should get back to the party withwhich I am touring Europe. I had no money to pay my way to Paris, and Ihad nothing of value left with which I could get money.
"Mrs. Warburton who had been so kind, as I thought, had just proposedpaying my way to Paris and keeping me at her hotel until my partyarrived to call for me, when that little man walked slowly over andstood looking at both of us."
"'Maybe you-all are an American?' he asked Mrs. Warburton.
"She lifted her head and looked insolently at him. But she never said aword. Then he went right on without caring how she looked. 'I am an oldminer from the West. I've been in lots of evil places, and seen allsorts of evil people, so I know one when I see and hear 'em. I've heardall you offered to this young girl, but I'll go your offer one better.She comes with my wife and daughter and it won't cost her a lifetime ofregrets.'"
The girl bowed her head and her slender form shook with sobs. Mr. Fabiansaid nothing. He was too amazed to say a word.
Finally the girl continued, but her head was averted. "Something told meto trust that homely little man so I looked at him and said, 'I believeyou want to save me from some trouble?'
"'That's what I do, little gal. Just as I would want some one to help mydaughter if she needed help. Now tell me what's all this about, andmaybe we can get down to brass tacks.' He said it just that way,"repeated Miss Van Buren, looking up at Mr. Fabian.
The gentleman smiled, and nodded understandingly.
"Well, he made that woman give up the jewels and he paid her back themoney for them, then he said to her: 'You ought to be thankful that I amtouring with a party, or sure as I am a man, I'd hand you over to thepolice for what I know you had planned in your evil mind.' Then he mademe come away from her.
"When we were out of hearing he told me that from his experience inmining-camps, and cities where miners go to spend their earnings, hecould tell that the woman was not right. He thinks she actually led me_on_ to gamble, to ruin my chances of getting back to my friends."
The innocent girl gazed at her companion, and Mr. Fabian nodded his headunderstandingly, without saying a word. Then she continued: "But that isterribly wicked! Why do they permit such things to happen here?"
"Why will people come here to visit the place with the sole idea ofgoing away with more money than they came? They ought to know that allthis lavish expenditure and display has to be maintained, and the moneyfor that comes out of the foolish gamesters who _always_ lose at suchtables," said Mr. Fabian.
"I suppose I was very silly to leave my friends and come alone to Nice.They wanted me to go with them, but I preferred this place to the Alpsand mountain climbing, so I agreed to meet them at Paris, later. I saidI was going to visit with some friends at Nice, but I believed I couldtake care of myself. Now I think differently."
Her voice was so repentant and meek that Mr. Fabian said: "Maybe thislesson will prove to be the best one of your life. Let it teach you thathead-strong ways are always sure to end in a pitfall. And remember,'that a wolf generally prowls about in sheep's clothing to devour theinnocent lamb.' Thank goodness that you escaped the wolf--but thank Mr.Alexander for being that goodness."
The others returned, now, and as there was nothing more to visit atMonte Carlo, they drove on to Nice to spend the night. The girls foundGenevieve Van Buren a most congenial companion and everyone showed akeen desire to befriend her.
A telegram awaited her at Nice, and Mr. Alexander had the satisfactionof reading it. Her friends, to whom he had wired from Monte Carlo whenhe heard Genevieve's story, said they would be at Paris the followingday.
Before Mr. Fabian and his companions drove away from Nice, they saw therepentant girl safely on the train to Paris.
Having said good-by to Genevieve, the tourists left Nice; they drove toMars
eilles and the girls visited several mills where famous textiles arewoven.
Cannes was the next place the cars passed through, and then Aix wasreached. Mr. Fabian wished to stop long enough at this city, which wasfounded B.C. 122 by a Roman named Sextius Calvinus, to show his studentsthe ruins and historic objects of antiquity.
At Avignon the tourists saw the famous bridge and the many notable andancient buildings--some ruins having remained there since the town wasfounded by the Phoenicians in 600 B.C.
They stopped over-night at Avignon, and early in the morning, startedcross-country for Bordeaux. The roads were heavy and the travellingslow, and they found it necessary to stop at the peasants' homes andask, to make sure they were on the right road. At several of thesestops, Mr. Fabian and the girls acquired some old bits of pottery andporcelain which the poor people were glad to sell, and the collectorswere over-joyed to buy.
All along the country route from Marseilles, the women seen worepicturesque costumes, with heavy wooden shoes on their feet. These shoeswere lined with sheep-skin to protect the instep from bruises. Thechildren playing about their homes were scantily clothed, but their rosyfaces and plump little bodies spoke plainer than words, that they werehealthy and happy, and cared naught for style.
Quite often, when the cars passed over a stream, or ran along the banksof a river, the occupants would see the peasant women washing linen inthe water. They knelt upon the bank, or upon a stone near the shore, andbeat the clothes with sticks as the water flowed through the pieces. Thegarments were rinsed out and then wrung, before hanging upon the bushesnearby to dry.
Mr. Alexander remarked: "Good for dealers in white goods."