Part 4 (1/2)

As the little man spoke he pressed a b.u.t.ton on the side wall, and instantly the fres...o...b..cycles stopped moving, the little plaster wheelmen jumped off and threw themselves down upon the soft gra.s.sy borders of the painted roadside and all was still. Then the landlord pressed another b.u.t.ton and they jumped up, mounted again and the race began once more.

”That's my own invention,” said the landlord, ”and it's a very popular feature of my house. It brings children here. When the mothers of this neighborhood want to go off wheeling, and there's n.o.body to look after the children, they bring them here and leave them with me, and they're as good as pie as long as that ceiling goes. That's another of my ways of making money. I charge fifty cents an hour for letting the youngsters in here, and it's a very poor sort of a day that I don't clear $40 on my kid account.”

”I should think so,” said Jimmieboy in a superior sort of way. ”I think that if I were a child I should like to spend a day here myself.”

The landlord looked at Jimmieboy with an amused expression.

”Say, Mr. Bike,” he whispered to Bikey. ”What does he think he is, a telegraph pole? He said if he was a child. Isn't he a child?”

”Yes,” laughed Bikey, ”but he is a little old for his age, you know. Had lots of experience.”

”Ha--I see,” said the landlord. Then he turned to Jimmieboy again and said:--

”Now, Mr. Man, if you'll accompany me up stairs I'll show you my pantry.”

”Good,” said Jimmieboy. ”I must say I'm pretty hungry, and a pantry is just the sort of thing I'd like to see.”

Mounting the ”bikevator,” as the printed sign over it called the arrangement that took guests to the upper floors, the party was soon transferred to the landing above. The landlord, after a.s.sisting Jimmieboy to dismount, walked to the end of a long corridor and, taking a bunch of keys from his pocket, unlocked and opened a little door.

”Come in,” he said, as he disappeared through the door. ”I have to keep the pantry locked.”

Jimmieboy and Bikey entered as they were bid, and the landlord closed the door after them. The place was dimly lighted, but on the shelves, that rose one above another from floor to ceiling, all sorts of curious looking bottles and cakes and pies and biscuits could be seen, and Jimmieboy's mouth watered at the sight.

”What'll you have?” asked the landlord. ”An air cake or a piece of fresh pneumatic mince pie?”

”A little of both,” said Jimmieboy.

”Or a bite of my gutta percha gum?” suggested the landlord.

”Well, it's hard to say,” said Jimmieboy. ”Indeed, I don't know what an air cake or a pneumatic mince pie is, nor did I ever hear of gutta percha gum.”

”I know that mighty well,” laughed the landlord. ”n.o.body ever heard of these patent dainties of mine, but they're the best things for the digestion you ever saw, and they last forever. If people could only train themselves to eat my food they'd be able to save money in two ways--bakers' bills and doctors' bills.”

”I don't quite understand,” said Jimmieboy.

”One of my pneumatic mince pies will show you in a jiffy,” returned the landlord. ”One pie if properly cared for will last a lifetime”--

”Not with a real live boy in the house it won't,” said Jimmieboy, positively.

”That may be all very true,” said the landlord, ”but if the real live boy ate one of those pies he would cease to be a real live boy. You see this pie is made of rubber, and all you've got to do is to blow it up with an air pump and serve it.”

”But you called it mince pie,” said Jimmieboy, very much disgusted.

”Well, it's my pie,” said the landlord. ”I guess I've got a right to call it what I please.”

”But you said it saved doctors' bills,” put in Bikey, who was no better pleased with this absurd invention than was Jimmieboy.

”And I said right,” said the landlord, with a self-satisfied smile.