The Master Key, Lyman Frank Baum [e novels for free .txt] 📗

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 skyward until the watchers below could scarcely see him. They 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.

19. Rob Makes a Resolution

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.

20. The Unhappy Fate of the Demon

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.”

“You might have hastened it,” said the Demon, sternly, “if you had been wise enough to use your powers properly.”

“That’s just it,” answered Rob. “I’m NOT wise enough. Nor is the majority of mankind wise enough to use such inventions as yours unselfishly and for the good of the world. If people were better, and every one had an equal show, it would be different.”

For some moments the Demon sat quietly thinking. Finally the frown left his face and he said,