ore sublime
When the fancies of the future into golden wreaths are curled
O'er the dim, remembered city of the workers of the world.

_CHAPTER VIII_

LA RABIDA

It was a warm summer day, and rolling chairs, launches and gondolas were
in great demand. At Fanny's suggestion they decided to take an electric
launch and go around to La Rabida, where the relics of Columbus were
kept. She accosted one of the guards who attends to the moorings by
asking how near the launch would take them to La Rabida.

"La-Ra-La what? I don't think I know what that is," said the guide.

"La Rabida is the convent--the Columbus relics are there. Columbus was
the man who discovered America," Aunt volunteered to tell him.

"Oh, yes; I have heard of Columbus, of course, but I haven't been here
very long."

"Well, the convent is over at the lake end of the Agricultural building.
Do the launches go there?"

"The Agricultural building? Let me see; that is over----"

"Do you know where the colonnade is?"

"No. I don't."

"Ever hear of the grand basin, the gold statue, the lagoon?"

"Oh, yes; this is the lagoon."

"Well, how long will it be before a launch will come along?"

[Illustration: "BEFORE THEM WAS THE STRANGE OLD CONVENT."]

He went out to the edge of the landing and looked up the lagoon. Then he
jerked out, "in three-quarters of a minute." He was provoked about
something. It may have been because she wanted to know so much; it may
have been for a latent discovery of a lack of knowledge on his part, or
it may have been because Fanny had been laughing at something; Fanny
laughs easily. She is just as likely to laugh where she ought to cry;
the electric guard didn't see anything to laugh at. They sat down on a
pile of lumber to wait the three-quarters of a minute. It was
three-quarters, and several more. The guard said the warm weather had
come unexpectedly. They would have the whole fifty-two launches running
soon. But only about half the number had been necessary until now, and
they were very busy and could not keep up the time. One came soon after
that. As they were stepping in Fanny asked how much the round trips
were. Some one said "25 cents in the Director General's schedule, but in
the launches they are 50 cents." The captain, or the man who takes the
money, heard him. He smiled, and charged them 25 cents apiece to La
Rabida. Just afterward a man handed him $1 and said "Administration
building--for two." The