A Proper Pursuit Read Online Free PDF Page B

There’s a new adventure around every corner. I could never stand being a clerk, cooped up in an office all day.”
    I thought of Herman Beckett.
    “And you mentioned the fair—did you find it as exciting as you had hoped?”
    “Oh, boy! And then some! Make sure you ride Mr. Ferris’ wheel when you go. What a thrill! I happened to be there on the day they gave it the very first test run. They had only attached the first six cars, you see, and nobody had ever ridden it before. It wasn’t even open to the public yet, and nobody knew if passengers would even live through the experience. But Mr. Ferris’ wife volunteered to be the first one to try it, and she climbed into the first car like she was going for a Sunday afternoon carriage ride. Well, when we saw her going up in the air, the whole crowd of us pushed forward to get onboard the second car— even though the wheel’s operators were hollering at us to get back.”
    “How did you know it was safe if it had never carried passengers before? Weren’t you frightened?”
    “I was having too much fun to be scared. Although I did have second thoughts for a moment when a bunch of loose nuts and bolts started showering down on us like hailstones. And the gears made a terrible racket at first, crunching and grinding like they were about to give out. But then the car started climbing, up and up, until I had the best view I wager I’ll ever see.” He gazed into the distance as if seeing it all over again.
    “You can see the whole fair from up there, Miss Hayes, all laid out like a little toy village. Lake Michigan is in the distance, and the skyline of the city … Well, it takes your breath clean away. As soon as I reached the bottom and stepped off, I wanted to get right back on and ride it all over again. Everyone else had the same idea, and there was a huge rush to get on board—even though the wheel wasn’t officially open. Like I said, they had only attached the first six cars at the time. But I managed to squeeze my way forward and go for a second ride—and I would have jumped on and gone around a third time, but the men operating it finally said that if any more people forced their way on board, they’d run us up to the top and leave us there for the night. That wheel is one of the Seven Wonders of the World—or are there eight wonders? I forget … Anyhow, nothing like it has ever been attempted before.”
    “It sounds exhilarating!” I wondered if Herman Beckett would dare to go for a ride. I made up my mind that I would ride the wheel, with or without him. “You should have been an explorer, Mr. McClure!”
    His daring proved so contagious that in the next moment I found myself asking, “If you could choose, would you rather perish in a terrible cataclysm such as a train wreck or a collapsing Ferris wheel and die amid twisted iron and splintered wood, hearing the screams of trapped and suffering humanity—or would you prefer to die a long, slow death at home in your bed, your body growing ever thinner, your breath leaving you in painful gasps?”
    His eyes widened, slightly, and I saw him lean almost imperceptibly away from me. “You have quite an imagination, Miss Hayes.”
    I was too caught up in my own drama to notice that I had shocked him. “I think I would rather die quickly and spectacularly,” I said. “If I were given the choice.”
    “Would you, now? Well … let’s hope today isn’t the day. Anyhow, it looks like we’re getting close to the city.” He nodded his glossy head toward the window where the view of the prairie had changed to one of factories and warehouses and the backs of buildings. While we had been conversing, the brilliant sky had gradually dimmed to a dull gray, like tarnish on fine silver, and the air had taken on the unmistakable odor of the stockyards.
    “May I ask, Miss Hayes—if I’m not being too pushy—would you consider going to the fair with me the next time I’m in Chicago? I’d love to show you