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04 - Cruise of the Noah's Ark by David Cory · Cruise of the Noah's Ark

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  Speaker 1: Or the Cruise of the Noah's Ark by David Cory,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter four, The Majesty of the Law. Wake Up, Wake up,
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  Speaker 1: We're off again, over hill and over plain. The arcmobile
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  Speaker 1: on sea or land can sail away at our command again.
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  Speaker 1: The weathercock awoke little Marjorie on board the Noah's Ark
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  Speaker 1: where we left her in the last chapter. You remember
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  Speaker 1: it was the morning after the circus, and she probably
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  Speaker 1: would have slept much later had not the faithful bird,
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  Speaker 1: as usual, sung his bit of verse. You see, this
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  Speaker 1: wonderful weathercock was just like an alarm clock. Where's the ocean,
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  Speaker 1: asked Marjorie, looking out the window. Why we're traveling on land?
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  Speaker 1: Of course we are, answered the weathercock. Didn't you see
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  Speaker 1: the wheels on the bottom of the arc yesterday? So
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  Speaker 1: I did, admitted Marjorie. I'd forgotten all about them. Well,
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  Speaker 1: how did you like my poetry? You see? I make
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  Speaker 1: up a new verse every morning so as to be
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  Speaker 1: sure to wake you up. I think you're a great poet,
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  Speaker 1: answered the little girl. The weathercock got very red in
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  Speaker 1: the gills. I guess that's the only way he could blush.
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  Speaker 1: So let the rain or sunshine come across the land
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  Speaker 1: will swiftly hum. We are prepared for rain or shine,
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  Speaker 1: for dusty road or foamy brine. Hoorrah, shouted the elephant
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  Speaker 1: from down below. Bravo, sir chant clear. You'll have to
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  Speaker 1: excuse me now, said Marjorie to the weathercock, for I
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  Speaker 1: must pull on my shoes and stockings and brush my hair.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to bother about such things, you know.
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  Speaker 1: That's one advantage of being a weathercock. After breakfast, as
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  Speaker 1: they all sat in the cabin, Captain Noah remarked, I'm
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  Speaker 1: getting a trifle worried. You see, I can't tell by
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  Speaker 1: the barometer whether the arc is floating or wheeling. Now
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  Speaker 1: that is rather important. If we keep on this way,
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  Speaker 1: I shall have to get a speedometer. It wouldn't be
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  Speaker 1: very nice to be arrested for breaking the speed laws
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  Speaker 1: and be locked up in jail. Missus Noah turned pale,
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  Speaker 1: and the weathercock shifted about uneasily on top of the flagpole. No, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: he said, I don't want to be a jailbird. Well,
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  Speaker 1: what's the best thing to do, asked Missus Noah. Count
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  Speaker 1: the telegraph poles as we go along, suggested Ham. I
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  Speaker 1: think they're about thirty to a mile and see how
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  Speaker 1: long it takes us to pass them. That's a good idea,
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  Speaker 1: said mister Jonah. But when they looked out of the portholes,
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  Speaker 1: they couldn't find any telegraph poles. And just then, all
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  Speaker 1: of a sudden, a pistol shot rang out, clear and loud.
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  Speaker 1: The arcmobile came to a sudden stop, and a voice
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  Speaker 1: outside was heard to exclaim, where's the chauffeur. Captain Noah
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  Speaker 1: rushed up on deck, followed by his family, mister Jonah
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  Speaker 1: and Marjorie. What's the matter, asked Captain Noah, looking about
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  Speaker 1: to find the owner of the voice. Oh that's what
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  Speaker 1: they all say, came the reply, you know, jolly well,
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  Speaker 1: what it's the matter? Who are you and where are you?
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  Speaker 1: Asked Captain Noah, vainly trying to find this remarkable person
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  Speaker 1: who seemed to be nothing but a voice. Who am I?
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  Speaker 1: You'll find out pretty quick? Where am I? You'd better
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  Speaker 1: find out even quicker. Looking up to the weathercock, Captain
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  Speaker 1: Noah shouted, ohoy there, look out, who's delaying us? The
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  Speaker 1: Majesty of the law. Came the answering voice again, this
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  Speaker 1: time so distinctly that everyone turned in the direction from
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  Speaker 1: which it came, and then a huge megaphone on the
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  Speaker 1: top of a post repeated the majesty of the law.
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  Speaker 1: Well I'll be blowed, exclaimed Captain Noah. You have exceeded
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  Speaker 1: this speed limit, said the megaphone, and you are fined
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  Speaker 1: fifteen dollars. Oh, interposed Missus Noah. I'm sure you must
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  Speaker 1: be mistaken. I'm sure we were not exceeding it. Fifteen
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  Speaker 1: dollars worth, so am, I added mister Jonah. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: I didn't think we were exceeding anything. We were just
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  Speaker 1: rolling along, didn't you know, quite comfortably? Well, suppose I
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  Speaker 1: haven't the money with me, asked Captain Noah. Fifteen days
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  Speaker 1: in jail, answered the megaphone. Mercy, cried Missus Noah. Don't worry,
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  Speaker 1: whispered Captain Noah. I'll borrow the money from mister Jonah.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Jonah was very obliging and lent the money, saying
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  Speaker 1: he had had no chance to spend a cent while
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  Speaker 1: he was aboard the whale. Now where shall I put
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  Speaker 1: the money, asked Captain Noah. In the little box back
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  Speaker 1: of me, replied the megaphone, and as soon as the
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  Speaker 1: money was dropped, in the megaphone shouted, the prisoner is discharged.
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  Speaker 1: Prisoner shouted Captain Noah, as mad as a hornet, how
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  Speaker 1: dare you call me a prisoner? But before they had
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  Speaker 1: time to say another word, the arcmobile started off and
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  Speaker 1: the megaphone was left behind. Jehosa fat, exclaimed Captain Noah,
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  Speaker 1: wiping the perspiration from his forehead with his red bordered handkerchief.
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  Speaker 1: Bad enough to be robbed of fifteen dollars, but to
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  Speaker 1: be called a prisoner, well that does make me angry.
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  Speaker 1: Never mind, my dear, said Missus Noah soothingly. All's well
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  Speaker 1: that ends well. Just think if we hadn't been able
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  Speaker 1: to borrow that fifteen dollars, we'd have spent fifteen days
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  Speaker 1: in jail. And then all of a sudden, the weathercock shouted,
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  Speaker 1: everybody in the cabin, water dead ahead. My goodness me,
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  Speaker 1: you should have seen the animals pull their heads in
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  Speaker 1: through the portholes. Poor missus Draft didn't get hers inside
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  Speaker 1: in time, and her bonnet got soaking wet. For as
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  Speaker 1: soon as the arc struck the water, the spray flew
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  Speaker 1: here and there and everywhere, and the deck was flooded
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  Speaker 1: ankle deep. But the ark was a thirty craft, and
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  Speaker 1: as soon as it once more felt the ocean beneath,
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  Speaker 1: it rode the waves as gracefully as a swan. I
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  Speaker 1: guess we won't be fine for eating now, laughed Marjorie.
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  Speaker 1: And in the next chapter you shall hear what further
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  Speaker 1: adventure she had aboard this wonderful Noah's Ark. End of
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  Speaker 1: chapter four, The Majesty of the Law