“Morning? Oh, no; strangely enough, he has never been near the place since its completion, two years ago! Too busy, I suppose, helping the world out of the mud. But he is on the coast now, preparing for his ‘dynamite exposition,’ and may put in an appearance here.” CHAPTER XXIV. “A hospitable gate unbarred to all.” “All aboard for Castle Dome,” and the baron’s party filed up the carpeted gang plank, and looked smilingly about them. “I have often heard of the sumptuousness of the Mississippi steamers, now grown traditional, but this exceeds even their reputation,” commented Miss Winters. “This is the Morning line, madame,” answered the gaudily-dressed steward boastfully, “and they do nothing by halves, you know,” and he pompously led the way to the ladies’ saloon. “Except by half millions,” returned the doctor jocosely. “These steamers were built for the accommodation of the people who came to the World’s Fair at Chicago,” explained the steward. “Morning’s a queer sort of fellow”—and he grew confidential. “He could have brought his air ships and new-fangled things, such as he had on exhibition at the fair, but he wouldn’t. He said it was kind o’ throwing off on nature, that God never made but one Colorado River, and he for one hadn’t the brass to discount it.” “Do you have many visitors belonging to the nobility?” asked Mrs. Thornton, evidently inclined to change the conversation from its personal trend. “Oh, lots of ’em! There’s a Spanish count and an Italian prince stopping up at the Gonzales place now. The Italian has been there some time, making himself solid with the señorita, I reckon. And we are expecting a party this week, Baron Von Boodle, or some such name, with his friends”—here the baron rose abruptly and walked out of the saloon—“at least Mr. Morning telegraphed the captain from San Diego that when this party arrived he meant to run over here and make his first visit to Castle Dome, which will be an event, for, after all the millions of money he has spent on the place, he has never been near it, and everybody is wondering at it.” After a night’s rest at the great Rio Colorado Hotel, built upon the bluff at Yuma, the party had made an early start, and had been on board the _Undine_ for some time before the line was thrown in and the steamer began to move.